News — food safety

If you want a safe, hygienic setup for raw meat in a UK kitchen, the best approach is to use a dedicated board that is at least 38x28cm, made from a food safe material, and clearly separated from your boards for bread and vegetables. In practice, most home cooks do best with 1 large board for joints and whole birds plus 1 medium board for daily chicken breasts and steaks, such as a 45x35cm board paired with a 38x28cm board. What makes a cutting board good for raw meat in the UK? When you are handling raw chicken, beef, pork...

In the UK, the standard colour chopping board for fish is blue. If you want to follow UK food safety guidance at home, use a blue cutting board in your kitchen for raw fish and seafood only, and keep it separate from your boards for meat, cooked food and vegetables. UK colour codes for chopping boards in the kitchen Most professional UK kitchens follow a simple colour system so raw fish, meat and ready to eat foods never touch the same surface. At home, copying this system makes it much easier to avoid cross contamination and off smells. Blue chopping...

If you care about food safety, a well maintained wooden chopping board is usually safer than a plastic one over 5 to 10 years of use, because bacteria sink into the cuts of plastic boards and are harder to remove, while wood naturally draws moisture away from the surface. For raw meat, fish and poultry, the safest setup is 2 separate boards: one tough wooden board for heavy prep and one clearly marked board you keep just for raw protein. Plastic vs wooden chopping boards: which is safer in real kitchens? Food safety studies from the last 30 years keep...

If you want to know how to disinfect wooden chopping boards properly, the most effective home method is a 2-step routine: first scrub with hot soapy water for at least 30 seconds, then disinfect with either 70% alcohol, 3% hydrogen peroxide, or a vinegar and salt treatment, and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing and drying upright. Why wooden chopping boards stay hygienic when you treat them properly Wood and bamboo boards can stay safe for 5 to 10 years if you clean and disinfect them correctly. Studies have shown that bacteria sink into the wood...