News — wooden cutting boards

If you want the safest board for everyday home cooking, current food safety research suggests that a high quality wooden board is usually less likely to hold live bacteria after washing than a plastic board with deep knife scars. In simple terms, for most home kitchens, a well maintained wooden board is often the better choice for managing bacteria compared with a heavily worn plastic one. Wooden vs plastic cutting boards bacteria: what actually happens? When you slice chicken, chop onions or carve a roast, tiny bits of raw food and juice get into the surface of your board. The...

If you want the most hygienic everyday chopping surface for home cooking, a high quality wooden board is usually safer than plastic over its 5 to 10 year life, because plastic boards can hold up to 3 to 4 times more bacteria in deep knife grooves once they’re worn. The key is simple: choose the right wood, keep one side for raw meat, clean it properly and let it dry fully between uses. Are wooden cutting boards more hygienic than plastic in real kitchens? In laboratory tests and real kitchens, well maintained wooden boards often end up cleaner than plastic...

No, wooden cutting boards should not go in the dishwasher. Even one 70°C dishwasher cycle can warp, crack and strip the natural oils from wood, which can cut the life of a good board from 5 to 10 years down to a few months. Hand washing with hot soapy water and quick drying is the safest way to keep wooden boards clean and long lasting. Why wooden cutting boards can’t go in the dishwasher Dishwashers are designed for ceramics, glass and some plastics, not natural wood. A typical dishwasher cycle combines high heat, powerful jets of water and long exposure...

Most wooden cutting boards are made from a single hardwood species such as bamboo, acacia, maple or beech, with a thickness of around 2 to 4cm and an expected lifespan of 5 to 10 years when oiled regularly. The best wooden board for everyday home cooking is usually a medium board around 38x28cm that is light enough to handle daily, but still kind to your knives and sturdy under the knife. What are wooden cutting boards made of? Wooden cutting boards are usually made from hardwoods with a tight grain. These woods are dense enough to resist deep cuts, but...