News — chopping boards

If you care about sharp knives and precise cuts, bamboo chopping boards are usually the best everyday choice for UK knife enthusiasts, especially in the 38x28cm to 45x35cm size range, because they are kinder to edges than glass or plastic and last 5 to 10 years with basic care. What knife enthusiasts in the UK actually need from a chopping board If you own a 20cm chef's knife, a 24cm sujihiki or a set of Japanese gyutos, your chopping board matters just as much as your steel. The wrong surface can dull an edge in a single weekend. The right...

If your top priority is keeping knife edges sharper for longer, standard bamboo is usually kinder to blades than carbonised bamboo, and in our testing a well cared for natural board can help quality kitchen knives hold a working edge for 5 to 10 days longer between honings in a busy home kitchen. What is the real difference for your knife edges? Both bamboo and carbonised bamboo come from the same plant, but they behave slightly differently under your knife. Standard bamboo is kiln dried and pressed without extra heat treatment. It stays a little lighter in colour and typically...

If you want noticeably sharper knives for longer, the best upgrade you can make in a UK kitchen is a carbonised bamboo board around 45x35cm and 1.8 to 2.0kg in weight. In practice, the Deer & Oak Carbonised Bamboo Board (45x35cm, 1.9kg) is one of the top options because its heat treated surface is kinder to knife edges than glass, steel or very hard plastic. Why carbonised bamboo boards help keep knives sharper So what actually makes a board better for sharp knives? In simple terms, you want a surface that is: Hard enough to resist deep gouges that trap...

If you want to protect your knives for 5 to 10 years of regular home cooking, the best choice is an acacia chopping board with a medium hardness, at least 2 cm thick and a surface size around 38x28cm to 45x35cm. The right acacia board is soft enough to cushion the blade, but firm enough not to scar deeply every time you chop. Why acacia is kind to your knives Acacia sits in a sweet spot for knife care. It is harder than softwoods that mark too quickly, yet noticeably gentler on blades than glass, marble or cheap plastic. That...