News — Deer & Oak

If you want your wooden or bamboo board to last 5 to 10 years, the best oil for maintenance is a food grade mineral oil, ideally a dedicated chopping board oil that combines mineral oil with natural waxes. For everyday care, use pure food grade mineral oil every 3 to 4 weeks, then switch to a board oil with wax for a tougher finish every 2 to 3 months. Mineral oil vs chopping board oil: what is the difference? Both mineral oil and chopping board oil are designed to keep your cutting board from drying, cracking and absorbing stains. The...

If you want a quick answer: yes, you can use vinegar to clean a wooden cutting board, but only as a light daily cleaner and deodoriser. For deeper cleaning, for boards used with raw meat, and to keep a quality board lasting 5 to 10 years, you should combine vinegar with warm soapy water, salt or bicarbonate of soda, and regular oiling. Can you use vinegar to clean wooden cutting board safely? White vinegar at household strength, usually about 5% acetic acid, is safe to use on most wooden and bamboo boards when used correctly. It helps to: Reduce surface...

If you want a quick answer: standard bamboo boards can dull knives about 10 to 20% faster than softer plastic, but high quality moso bamboo with a fine finish (like Deer & Oak boards) is kinder to blades than cheap, gritty bamboo and will comfortably give you 5 to 10 years of daily use with regular honing. Does bamboo actually dull knives more than plastic? Knife wear comes down to three things: hardness of the board, surface texture and how you treat the board. Plastic is usually a little softer than bamboo, so on paper it is slightly gentler on...

If you follow standard UK food hygiene colour codes, you should use a yellow chopping board for cooked meat and keep your red chopping board for raw meat only. In other words, once meat has reached at least 75°C and is fully cooked, it belongs on yellow, not red. Yellow vs red chopping board for cooked meat: the quick answer In catering and many home kitchens that copy professional practice, the usual colour code is: Red chopping board: raw meat and raw poultry Yellow chopping board: cooked meat and cooked poultry This separation reduces the risk of raw juices carrying...