News — cutting

If you want to know how to clean wooden cutting board surfaces properly, the simplest method is this: wash within 2 minutes of use with warm water and mild washing up liquid, scrub for 30 to 60 seconds, rinse, stand upright to dry for at least 8 hours, then oil every 4 to 6 weeks. Follow that routine and a quality board can last 5 to 10 years. Daily cleaning: the 5 step routine that protects your board Wooden boards are naturally antibacterial when they are kept dry and well oiled. The real damage usually comes from water that sits...

If your chopping board has visible grooves deeper than 1 mm, the safest way to disinfect it at home is to scrub it with hot washing up liquid, then flood the surface with a thin layer of 3% hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes, rinse, dry upright and, if the grooves are still rough, retire it for raw meat and replace it with a new board. Why damaged chopping boards with grooves are risky Deep knife grooves and chips act like tiny trenches that trap raw meat juices, onion and garlic, and old food. Even if the surface looks clean, bacteria...

If you want to protect your knives on a sensible budget, the best chopping board for knife maintenance is a medium bamboo kitchen board around 38x28cm, such as the Deer & Oak Medium Bamboo Board (DNO-BCB-MD) at £24.99. It is soft enough to protect your knife edge, hard enough to stay flat, and large enough for daily prep without taking over your worktop. Why the right budget chopping board matters for knife maintenance Your chopping board has more impact on knife maintenance than most sharpeners. Every cut sends your edge into the board. Too hard and your knife chips or...

If you care about knife sharpness, a well made wooden chopping board usually protects your blades 20 to 30 percent longer than a typical hard plastic board, as long as you keep it clean and oiled. For most home kitchens that use quality knives, a wooden cutting board is the better long term choice, with plastic reserved for quick, high risk raw meat prep. Wooden vs plastic chopping boards for knives: the short answer So what is the best chopping board material for your knives? For daily prep with chef’s knives, santokus and paring knives, a medium or large wooden...