News — kitchen knives

If you care about how long your knives stay sharp, wooden chopping boards are usually better than plastic. On average, a quality wooden or bamboo board will help a well maintained chef's knife keep its edge 30 to 50 percent longer than a hard plastic board, as the wood fibres absorb some of the impact instead of pushing back against the blade. Plastic vs wooden chopping boards: quick answer For knife care, wooden chopping boards almost always win. Plastic boards are convenient, lighter and often dishwasher safe, but most are either too hard or too soft for long term knife...

If you want to preserve your knife blades for 5 to 10 years of regular home cooking, the best choice is a thick wooden end grain chopping board around 45x35cm and 2kg in weight, such as a heavy acacia or bamboo board used with a gentle push cut. End grain wood allows the knife edge to slide between fibres instead of crashing into them, which keeps your blade sharper for longer compared with glass, stone or hard plastic boards. Why end grain chopping boards are kinder to knife blades End grain boards are made so the wood fibres stand upright,...

If you want to keep your knives razor sharp for 5 to 10 years, the best type of chopping board is a medium to large wooden board with a knife friendly surface, such as Moso bamboo or acacia, in a size around 38x28cm to 45x35cm and a weight of at least 1.2kg so it stays stable while you cut. How board material affects knife sharpness The fastest way to blunt a knife is to use the wrong board. Glass, marble and very hard plastic can roll over a knife edge in a matter of weeks. To keep knives razor sharp,...

If your top priority is keeping knife edges sharper for longer, standard bamboo is usually kinder to blades than carbonised bamboo, and in our testing a well cared for natural board can help quality kitchen knives hold a working edge for 5 to 10 days longer between honings in a busy home kitchen. What is the real difference for your knife edges? Both bamboo and carbonised bamboo come from the same plant, but they behave slightly differently under your knife. Standard bamboo is kiln dried and pressed without extra heat treatment. It stays a little lighter in colour and typically...