News — kitchen hygiene

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 only remember one thing, remember this: you can safely use white vinegar to sanitise a wooden cutting board, but you should not use household bleach on wood because it dries, cracks and discolours the surface and can shorten the life of your board by several years. Can you use vinegar or bleach to sanitise a wooden cutting board? Yes to vinegar, no to bleach. A 1:1 mix of white vinegar and water is gentle enough for wood and strong enough to cut down everyday kitchen bacteria when used regularly. Standard household bleach, even diluted, is harsh on natural...

If you want to know how to clean a wooden cutting board without damaging it, the safest method is to wash it by hand in warm water at roughly 40°C with a small amount of mild washing up liquid, rinse within 30 seconds, dry with a towel and stand it upright to air dry fully for at least 6 hours. Avoid the dishwasher completely, as the high heat and long soak can warp or crack wood in as little as 3 to 6 months. How to clean a wooden cutting board after everyday use Daily cleaning is simple and takes...

If you're choosing between a bamboo chopping board and a plastic board for knives and hygiene, current kitchen research suggests bamboo is often safer and kinder to your blades in real home use. A well made Moso bamboo board, like the Deer & Oak Large Bamboo Board at 45x35cm and 1.8kg, can protect your knife edges better than most hard plastics and, when washed correctly, keeps bacterial levels low for 5 to 10 years of regular cooking. Bamboo vs plastic: what is actually better for your knives? Knife care is where the difference between bamboo and plastic becomes obvious. Your...