News — Deer & Oak

If you clean them properly, high quality moso bamboo cutting boards are at least as hygienic as plastic, and in many home kitchens they stay safer for longer because they resist deep knife scars where bacteria can hide. Studies on wood and bamboo boards show that bacteria on the surface can drop by over 90% within a few hours when the board is washed and air dried, while old scarred plastic often keeps contamination inside the cuts. Are bamboo cutting boards hygienic vs plastic in everyday use? When people ask whether bamboo cutting boards are hygienic vs plastic, they are...

If you want to follow UK food safety guidance, the chopping board colour for raw meat is red. In a colour coded kitchen system, you use a red cutting board only for raw beef, lamb and pork, a separate board for raw poultry, and never mix them with boards for cooked food or vegetables. Why red chopping boards are used for raw meat Professional kitchens across the UK use a simple colour system so everyone knows exactly what each board is for. For raw meat, the standard is: Red chopping board for raw red meat such as beef, lamb and...

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 the safest cutting board setup in your kitchen, the simplest rule is this: use at least 2 separate chopping boards, one kept just for raw meat and fish, and one for ready to eat foods. That single habit can cut your risk of cross contamination from bacteria like Campylobacter and Salmonella by well over half compared with using one mixed purpose board. Why use separate chopping boards for raw meat and fish? Raw meat and raw fish carry different types and levels of bacteria and parasites. When you use the same chopping board for everything, juices from...