News — kitchen

If you care about keeping a sharp knife edge for 6 to 12 months between professional sharpenings, teak is kinder to blades than paulownia, but many home cooks in the UK actually get the best balance of edge retention and durability from medium hardness woods such as bamboo and acacia. Paulownia vs teak: which is actually kinder to sharp knives? When you slice with a properly sharpened chef's knife at 15 to 20 degrees, the cutting board material matters more than most people realise. On a hardness scale, paulownia sits around 300 to 400 Janka, teak around 1,000 to 1,150...

If you care about your knives, wood chopping boards are usually better than plastic for knife edges. In our own tests at Deer & Oak, a chef’s knife used daily on a wooden board stayed sharp for around 30 to 40 percent longer than the same knife used on a hard plastic board. Wood vs plastic: which chopping board is kinder to knife edges? When you ask “what’s the best cutting board for knife edges?”, the honest answer is: a medium firm wooden board. Materials like acacia and bamboo have just enough give to protect the edge, yet are tough...

If you want the best end grain chopping board for knife maintenance in the UK, the key is to choose a board that is at least 38x28cm, made from a forgiving wood like bamboo or acacia, and thick enough to protect your blade for 5 to 10 years of regular home use. In the Deer & Oak range, the closest match for knife care is our Large Acacia Board (45x35cm, 2.1kg) used in an end grain style setup, as its moderately soft acacia surface is gentle on sharp edges while still staying durable on busy British worktops. Why end grain...

If you want the best chopping board for a modern kitchen that balances performance and ethics, an FSC certified chopping board is the clear winner over non-certified options, because it guarantees wood from responsibly managed forests and can last 5 to 10 years with basic care. For most home cooks in the UK, an FSC certified bamboo or acacia board in the 38x28cm to 45x35cm range gives the best mix of size, knife friendliness and sustainability. What does FSC certified actually mean for a chopping board? FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. When a chopping board is FSC certified, it...