News — Deer & Oak

If you cook meat at home and clean properly within 10 minutes of use, a sealed wooden chopping board is usually better for meat than a plastic board because it is kinder on knives, can last 5 to 10 years, and research from the 1990s onwards has shown bacteria survive less well inside hardwood fibres than in deep plastic cuts. Plastic boards are still useful as a separate, lightweight option, but for daily meat prep a quality wooden board of around 45x35cm and 1.8 to 2.1kg offers more stability and longevity. Wooden vs plastic chopping boards for meat: what actually...

If you want the best chopping board oil for food safe use in the UK, choose a clear, food grade mineral oil that meets British and EU standards, applied in 2 to 3 thin coats every 4 to 6 weeks. For our Deer & Oak bamboo and acacia boards, we recommend a pure, odourless mineral oil at around 20 ml per side for a 45x35cm board, which protects the wood for up to 6 weeks of daily use. What makes the best chopping board oil for food safe use in the UK? For a cutting board that touches raw chicken...

If you want a wooden chopping board to last 5 to 10 years instead of just 12 to 18 months, you need to oil it regularly. Oiling a wooden chopping board creates a water resistant barrier, helps kill bacteria up to 3 times faster than on dry, cracked wood, and keeps the board from splitting, warping or staining deeply. Why do you need to oil a wooden chopping board? Wood is naturally porous. Every time you rinse your board, water and food juices are drawn into those tiny pores. If the board is dry and unprotected, the fibres swell and...

If your wooden chopping board looks pale, rough and thirsty, you can usually restore it in under 24 hours by sanding it lightly and applying 2 to 3 generous coats of food safe mineral oil, letting each coat soak in for at least 20 minutes. Done properly, this simple routine can add 5 to 10 years to the life of a quality kitchen board. Why wooden chopping boards dry out in the first place Every wooden chopping board or cutting board in your kitchen is made from a natural material that loses moisture over time. Hot water, washing up liquid,...