News — knife care

If you want to keep a quality chef’s knife sharp for 5 to 10 years of regular home cooking, an end grain wooden board is usually the best choice because the knife edge slides between the wood fibres instead of cutting straight across them. That single detail reduces microscopic chipping, so you sharpen less often and your blade lasts longer. What is an end grain board and how is it different? On an end grain board you are cutting on the ends of the wood fibres, like looking down at a bundle of drinking straws. On a normal long grain...

If you want to keep a sharp edge on your knives for 5 to 10 years, the best chopping board materials are end-grain or close-grain woods like acacia and properly finished bamboo, because they are softer than the steel edge yet firm enough for safe cutting. In contrast, very hard surfaces like glass, ceramic or stone can blunt a kitchen knife in as little as a few weeks of daily use. Why do some chopping boards dull knives so quickly? Every time your knife hits a cutting board, two things happen: the edge either sinks slightly into the surface or...

If you want to keep your knives sharp for 5 to 10 years of regular home cooking, choose a wooden chopping board with a hardness similar to fingernail level (around 1.5 to 2 on the Mohs scale), such as bamboo or acacia, and avoid glass, ceramic or very hard stone boards that blunt an edge in a few uses. Why the right chopping board matters for knife sharpness Every cut is a tiny collision between steel and board. If the surface is too hard, your knife edge folds or chips. If it is too soft or full of deep grooves,...

If you want to protect your kitchen knives, a well finished wood chopping board that measures at least 38x28cm and is around 2cm thick will usually keep an edge up to 30 percent longer than a hard plastic board. For most home cooks who care about their knives, a quality wood cutting board is the better long term choice, with plastic boards reserved for raw meat and very heavy duty tasks. Plastic vs wood chopping board for kitchen knives: quick answer So what is the best chopping board for kitchen knives: plastic or wood? For everyday prep with chef’s knives,...