News — Deer & Oak

If you clean them properly, bamboo cutting boards do not harbour more bacteria than plastic cutting boards. In several kitchen hygiene studies, plastic boards often held 2 to 3 times more live bacteria in deep knife grooves than well maintained wooden or bamboo boards, while dry bamboo surfaces reduced bacteria by up to 90% within a few hours. Do bamboo cutting boards harbour more bacteria than plastic cutting boards? The short answer is no, not when both are used and cleaned correctly. Moso bamboo is naturally dense, low porosity and contains antimicrobial compounds, which helps limit how deeply moisture and...

If you are wondering whether bamboo cutting boards are safe from bacteria according to scientific studies, the short answer is: properly maintained bamboo boards, including moso bamboo, can keep bacterial levels as low as plastic and traditional wood, with several studies showing a 90–99% reduction in live bacteria on clean, dry wooden and bamboo surfaces within 12–24 hours compared with wet plastic boards. What scientific studies actually say about bamboo and bacteria Food safety research over the last 30 years has compared plastic, hardwood and bamboo boards under controlled conditions. While not every paper tests bamboo by name, the findings...

If hygiene is your top priority, the best type of cutting board for hygiene, wood or plastic, is a high quality hardwood or bamboo board used in a simple two board system: one 45x35cm wooden or bamboo board for cooked and ready to eat food, and one separate board (wood or plastic) for raw meat and fish. Studies from food safety bodies show that well maintained wooden boards can hold fewer live bacteria after washing than heavily scarred plastic boards, especially over 3 to 5 years of daily use. Wood vs plastic: which cutting board is actually more hygienic? The...

Yes, you can use both wooden and plastic cutting boards in the same kitchen, and for most home cooks in the UK the safest and most practical setup is to keep at least 2 boards: one plastic board dedicated to raw meat and fish, and one or more wooden boards for bread, fruit, vegetables and cooked foods. When you separate by food type and clean correctly, this mixed system helps reduce cross contamination and protects your knives and worktops. Why using both wooden and plastic boards works so well Using a mix of materials is not only allowed, it is...