What is the best material for chopping boards?

Wood, plastic, glass or stone? Which material makes the best chopping boards. The debate continues but for no good reason.

Wood wins hands down on most criteria:

• Wood (especially natuarally anitbacterial camphor laurel) is more hygienic (see video below)
• Wood is kind to your knives - especially camphor laurel which has a soft medium density grain
• Wood is easy to care for
• Wood is a renewable resource

To find out more about why "wood is good" for your chopping board, watch the video below. 

Chopping board materials - which one is most hygienc?

So, if wood is the best material for chopping boards, what about camphor laurel?

Camphor Laurel is pretty much the perfect material for a chopping board:

• A beautiful, rich-honey coloured timber with a soft, medium density grain that looks great and is kind to knives
• Camphor laurel is naturally antibacterial and has a clean, fresh camphor smell
• Camphor laurel is an introduced pest species in rainforests along Australia's east coast. Our timber is harvested in northern NSW giving native timbers and fauna the chance to re-establish. 

It all stacks up to make camphor laurel the material of choice for kitchen cutting boards, huge carving boards and everyday bread boards.

Caring for your Camphor Laurel chopping board

Always take care of your chopping board. Good chopping board hygiene is essential but simple:

• WASH your board in warm soapy water and wipe it with Charcool Chopping Board Lotion every few months or whenever the wood appears dry to avoid splitting. 
• ALWAYS Let your board completely air dry before storing. Preferably store it on it's side, not face down to prevent warping.
• NEVER leave a timber cutting board soaking in water. Timber is porous and it will quickly saturate.
  
• Never use a bleach which can destroy the natural antibacterial properties of your board.
• DISHWASHERS are an evil environment for wooden chopping board combining all the terrors of: soaking; chemical bleach and very hot water. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
• To restore the fresh camphor smell to your board, give a light sand with fine sand paper and oil every month to six weeks.

For more detailed information about camphor laurel and the care and maintenance of a camphor laurel chopping board, please visit our blog here