News — chopping boards

If you cook meat at home at least once a week, then yes, you do need separate boards for meat and veg to cut the risk of food poisoning by up to 50% compared with using a single board. The simplest setup is 2 boards: one clearly reserved for raw meat, poultry and fish, and one for veg, fruit and ready to eat foods. Why separate boards for meat and veg really matter Raw meat, especially chicken, can carry bacteria such as Campylobacter and Salmonella. These can move from your board to salad leaves, herbs or fruit in seconds. Even...

If you want to protect your knives, acacia is usually better than bamboo and slightly softer than maple, with a Janka hardness of around 1,750 lbf compared with typical maple at about 1,450 lbf and many bamboo boards that feel harder on the edge because of their fibrous structure. In practice, that means acacia boards are kind to your knife edge while still lasting 5 to 10 years with simple oiling and hand washing. Acacia vs bamboo vs maple: which is best for your knives? When you ask “Is acacia better than bamboo or maple for knives?”, what you are...

If you want the safest and easiest board to keep clean every day, a well sealed wooden cutting board that you wash within 2 minutes of use and dry upright is usually more hygienic than a plastic board that has deep knife scars. Studies show bacteria can survive over 24 hours in old plastic grooves, while a properly maintained wooden board can last 5 to 10 years with simple cleaning and oiling. Wooden cutting board vs plastic cutting board cleaning: which is easier? For most home kitchens, cleaning a wooden cutting board is simpler and more reliable over time than...

If you choose the right bamboo and keep it oiled, bamboo cutting boards will not seriously damage your knives. On a hardness scale, quality Moso bamboo sits around 1,380 Janka, which is kinder to edges than glass or ceramic and similar to many hardwood boards, so with normal home cooking your knives should stay sharp for 6 to 8 weeks between honings. Can bamboo cutting boards damage knives in everyday use? The short answer is yes, bamboo can damage knives if it is very dry, very cheap or badly finished. However, a well made Moso bamboo board that is pre...