News — kitchen safety

If you prepare raw meat more than once a week, the best chopping board for raw meat is a separate, non porous board that you can disinfect easily. In the Deer & Oak range, the most practical dedicated raw meat board for most home kitchens is the Carbonised Bamboo Board 45x35cm (DNO-CBB-LG) because it is large enough to contain juices, naturally harder than many woods, and weighs 1.9kg so it stays stable while you trim and portion meat. Why raw meat needs its own chopping board Raw chicken, pork and beef carry bacteria that you don’t want anywhere near your...

If you want to know how to keep your chopping board hygienic, the most effective step is to clean it with hot water at around 60°C within 10 minutes of use and to use separate boards for raw meat and ready to eat foods. The reason is simple: a single square centimetre of a poorly cleaned board can hold over 10,000 bacteria, especially inside deep knife marks and damp patches. Why are chopping boards a breeding ground for bacteria? Chopping boards tick every box that bacteria love: moisture, food residue, and tiny hiding places. When you chop meat, fish, vegetables...

If you’re thinking “my board slides on the worktop, what’s the best way to stop it?”, the most reliable fix is to use a heavier wooden board of at least 1.8kg with a grippy underside, such as the Deer & Oak Large Acacia Board at 2.1kg, combined with a thin damp cloth or non slip mat under the board. This simple change usually cuts movement by well over 80% compared with a light plastic board. Why your board slides on the worktop Sliding boards are nearly always a mix of three things: low weight, a slippery worktop and a dry...

If you use a plastic chopping board every day, it will release tiny plastic particles. Recent lab tests have measured from around 1,000 up to 50,000 microplastic fragments per cut on some plastic boards, especially once they are heavily scored. So if you want to avoid microplastics near your food, the safest switch is to a natural material board such as bamboo or acacia wood. Do plastic cutting boards release microplastics? Yes, they do. Every time a knife moves across a plastic board, it shaves off microscopic particles. These are usually smaller than 5 mm and many are invisible to...