News — Deer & Oak

If you want a chopping board that won’t dull knives, choose a medium to soft surface like bamboo or hardwood with a Janka hardness between roughly 1,000 and 1,700, at least 2 cm thick, and avoid glass, marble or hard plastic that can blunt an edge in as little as 2 to 3 uses. Why your chopping board matters more than your knife brand You can spend £150 on a chef’s knife, then ruin the edge in a weekend if your chopping board is too hard. Every cut is steel meeting surface. If the surface is harder than the steel...

If you care about how long your knives stay sharp, wooden chopping boards are usually better for knives than plastic. In our testing with standard chef's knives sharpened to 15° per side, quality wooden boards kept an edge for about 25 to 30 percent longer than plastic boards used for the same 3 months of daily cooking. Wood vs plastic: what actually touches your knife edge When you cut, the very thin edge of your knife meets the surface of the chopping board thousands of times. The harder or rougher that surface is, the faster the edge rolls and blunts....

If you want a quick answer: most eco-friendly chopping boards made from bamboo or wood should not go in the dishwasher, and that includes Deer & Oak boards like our 45x35cm Large Bamboo Board and 45x35cm Large Acacia Board. The high heat, strong detergents and long wash cycles can warp, crack and dry them out in as little as 3 to 6 months, cutting their expected 5 to 10 year lifespan down dramatically. Can eco-friendly chopping boards go in the dishwasher at all? In practical terms, you should treat eco-friendly chopping boards as hand wash only. If your board is...

If you want the best eco-friendly chopping board for meat and fish, a large bamboo board with a generous surface and naturally antibacterial properties is your safest bet. At Deer & Oak, the Large Bamboo Board DNO-BCB-LG at 45x35cm and 1.8kg, made from fast-growing Moso bamboo, is our top recommendation for raw meat and fish prep. What makes an eco-friendly chopping board safe for meat and fish? When you are dealing with raw chicken, beef, pork or fish, you need a board that does three things very well: Protects your knives so they do not chip on an overly hard...