News — Deer & Oak

If you choose the right board, bamboo cutting boards will not noticeably dull your knives faster than other wooden boards. High quality moso bamboo boards with a smooth finish, like a 45x35cm Deer & Oak board, typically keep everyday kitchen knives sharp for 3 to 6 months of regular home use before needing a standard touch up on a honing steel. Do bamboo cutting boards actually dull knives? The honest answer is: it depends on the quality of the bamboo and how you use your knives. Bamboo is naturally harder than many traditional timbers. On the Janka hardness scale, typical...

If you clean them correctly, high quality Moso bamboo cutting boards are sanitary for everyday home cooking and typically stay safe to use for 5 to 10 years, even with daily chopping. The most hygienic option for most households is a dedicated bamboo board for ready to eat foods plus a separate board for raw meat, with hot soapy washing after each use. Are bamboo cutting boards sanitary compared with plastic and wood? When people ask “are bamboo cutting boards sanitary?”, they usually want to know how they compare to plastic or traditional wood. The short answer: a well made...

If you want to know how to disinfect plastic chopping boards, the safest home method is to wash with hot soapy water at around 60°C, then soak the board for 5 minutes in a disinfecting solution made from 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of household bleach in 1 litre of cold water, before rinsing and air drying upright. Why plastic chopping boards need proper disinfection Plastic chopping boards in the kitchen pick up bacteria from raw meat, poultry, fish and unwashed vegetables. Every cut from a knife creates tiny grooves where moisture and food particles sit. At room temperature, bacteria like...

If you cut raw chicken on a chopping board and leave it unwashed for just 2 hours at room temperature, the surface can reach over 1,000,000 bacteria per square centimetre. So what’s the best way to stop your chopping board harbouring bacteria? Choose a low porosity board like bamboo or acacia, clean it within 10 minutes of use, and keep separate boards for raw meat and ready to eat foods. Why do chopping boards harbour bacteria in the first place? Chopping boards harbour bacteria because they combine moisture, food residue and tiny cuts in the surface. Every slice from a...