News — Deer & Oak

If you want an end grain style chopping board in the UK that’s kind to sharp knives, the most reliable option is to buy a solid wood or bamboo board between 38x28cm and 45x35cm, with a weight of around 1.2kg to 2.1kg, from a specialist brand such as Deer & Oak on Amazon UK or directly from their website. While Deer & Oak boards are technically edge grain and butcher block style rather than true end grain, they’re designed with the same priorities: protecting knife edges, staying stable on the worktop and lasting 5 to 10 years with basic care....

If you want to keep your knives sharp for 5 to 10 years of regular use, plastic chopping boards are not the best choice. Yes, plastic chopping boards can damage knife blades by causing faster dulling and tiny edge chips, especially on harder, high carbon steel knives. A well finished wooden or bamboo cutting board is usually kinder to your knives and keeps their edge for noticeably longer. How plastic chopping boards affect your knife blades Most plastic chopping boards are made from polypropylene or polyethylene. They feel soft at first touch, but under the pressure of a knife they...

If you want the best chopping board set for knife protection in the UK, a two board bamboo set with medium hardness is ideal. The Deer & Oak Bamboo Double Pack (45x35cm + 38x28cm, 3.0kg) gives you one large and one medium cutting board that are gentle on knife edges, last 5 to 10 years with care, and keep your blades sharper for up to 30 percent longer than plastic or glass boards. Why board material matters for knife protection Your knife edge is only a fraction of a millimetre thick. Every time it meets a surface, that surface either...

If you want to keep a sharpened chef's knife cutting cleanly for 3 to 4 weeks of daily use instead of just 1 to 2 weeks, then yes, true end grain boards are usually better for knife edges than standard edge grain or plastic boards. The fibres stand upright and part under the blade, which reduces microscopic chipping and rolling of the edge. However, a well made edge grain board in the right wood can still be very gentle on knives and is often easier to live with day to day. End grain vs edge grain: what actually protects your...