What kind of chopping board is best

Check out our Black Friday kitchen appliance deals page for all the latest offers:. The latest in a whole stable of functional worktop savers from Joseph Joseph, a company that never fails to come up with solutions to niggling kitchen problems.

In a choice of two different colourways, either brights or greys, each one is in a different shade, so you could decide to keep one solely for veg, meat or strongly-flavoured foods such as spices and fish. Choose from regular 20x30cm or large 24x34cm. One of the heaviest boards we tested, this chunky beech block is probably one to keep on a kitchen counter if you have the space. Handy under-board cut outs at each end make it easy to grip if you do.

With a deep integral groove and wider channel at one end, we found this butchers block could cope easily with slicing a juicy leg of lamb without spills and overflow. We liked an outstanding design feature of this bamboo choice — an ingenious lip at the front edge which butted securely against the counter to make slicing and chopping safe and secure. It gave a mess-free way to slide peelings off the edge of the worktop and into a compost caddy, too.

As per the instructions, we used coarse salt and a lemon to keep this no-soak worktop saver scrubbed clean between different foods in one chopping session.

Additional hand-washing and drying ensured it stayed fresh-looking without staining, compared to some other wooden boards we tried. It has a five year guarantee when registered, so look after it and it will be a countertop stalwart. This set of boards by Brabantia gave us a choice of three great cutting areas.

The largest also served literally as a lipped tray for serving up meals or transporting cuppas to the next room. We used it as a breakfast tray — it was the perfect size for bacon sarnies and tea for two. Flip it over and you have a rock steady board with enough space for large meal prep. Nesting side by side inside the larger board, the two smaller surfaces of our test model were in different tones of green and looked great in the kitchen.

These stayed unblemished no matter what we chopped and sliced, repelling smells and stains and saving stray juices in the channels running around their borders. Salvaged paper is compressed to make a rock solid board that can withstand heavy duty use without blunting knives.

The squishy, removable silicone corners meant it stayed firmly in place on the worktop. Available in three sizes, we tested the largest version, and at a roomy 44x32cm, it came into its own when prepping sofrito for a marathon batch cooking session.

It may seem strange to get excited about a slab of oak, but this expertly handcrafted piece would make a beautiful wedding gift or family heirloom. These boards are individually made of English oak and hand-carved with your choice of words on each side of it its chunky 50cm lengths. Oak and Rope want to make every individual board bespoke. Whether the Christmas turkey or a Sunday rib of beef, this board will make every single carving an occasion, holding meat in place with screw-in stainless steel spikes.

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Share fbshare twshare pinshare. The superior board of all the available wood boards is the end grain cutting board. Made from hard woods including cherry, maple, cedar, walnut and teak and traditionally used in the manufacture of butchers' blocks, end grain boards are glued pieces of wood with the grain perpendicular to the surface of the board. This allows the wood fibres to absorb the impact of the knife blade by allowing it to go between the wood fibres.

This prevents the edge of the blade rolling, denting or chipping and therefore preserving the sharpness of the blade. Any cuts to the board soon "heal" up when wiped down with a damp cloth, the grain swells a little to repair itself, clever, no wonder our local butcher swears by them.

The work involved in making them and the quality of the wood means they are expensive but they are the right tool for the job, simple as that. The thickness of an end grain board is usually over 4cm high, this enables the board to be resurfaced many times. The thickness also provides stability and a tough durable surface. If you buy one and look after it it will last you a lifetime. Edge Grain boards in comparison to end grain are manufactured with pieces of hard wood glued with the wood fibres parallel to the surface of the board.

These boards are much easier to make and are therefore cheaper. They do not share the same benefits with regard to knife care as the end grain as you are cutting across the grain. Frequency of refinishing depends on the thickness of the board. They look the part but are not as good to the knife as end grain. Good quality end and edge grain boards are manufactured with food grade glue and finished with non toxic oils. Olive and vegetable oils are not suitable as they turn rancid, tainting food.

You will need to re-oil your board once in a while. Instructions should come with any good board. As a rule of thumb we oiled ours with boiled linseed oil once a month for the first 6 and now only do it about twice a year.

It is also believed that wood has antimicrobial properties and enzymes that make for an inhospitable environment for bacteria to grow. This belief was supported by research carried out by Cliver and Kaspari The antimicrobial properties of wood published in the Journal of Food Protection and supported by the World Health Organisation.

Plastic boards were inoculated with e. Aside from the knife protecting properties and hygiene benefits of wood boards, they really can be a beautiful addition to a domestic kitchen, especially end grain.