Monday, October 27, 2014

Kitchenware Plus Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board Set Review

I received the products below for free from Kitchenware Plus using Tomoson in exchange for my honest opinions. All opinions remain my own. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

When I received the Kitchenware Plus Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board Set in the mail they were both in a heavy duty box that fit them well. They were shrink wrapped together with information sheets attached to the back of the larger cutting board and the front of the medium cutting board. The front sheet had product information and the back sheet had care instructions.

The care of these boards is very simple. It says to wipe them clean with a damp cloth and to use hot soapy water. I would give them a quick pre-wash rinse with hot water after every use and make sure to rinse all the soap off after cleaning. I found that these cutting boards dry very quickly. Never immerse these in water. I have had other wooden cutting boards warp or split when left immersed in water and the porous surface could absorb the dirty dish water...yucky! Also, I would not put these in the dishwasher either. If you are worried about salmonella or other bacteria when cutting raw meat on these I would recommend making sure to sanitize these properly with diluted bleach as needed. You can also disinfect with 3% hydrogen peroxide and deodorize with white vinegar. I recommend removing stains with a sprinkling of coarse salt or baking soda on the area while the cutting board is dry and gently rubbing with a brush dipped in hot water. These are apparently heat resistant to 100 degrees Celsius/212 degrees Fahrenheit, but I would not be placing anything hot from the stove or oven on these...they are not trivets! It also says to oil them monthly with a food grade quality oil. This protects the bamboo from drying out and either splintering or cracking. I would recommend food grade: mineral oil or linseed oil (Not boiled linseed oil!!) because canola, corn, vegetable or other cooking oil might go rancid in time.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Board Thickness

I was very pleased with the size and thickness of these boards. This set of 2 cutting boards comes with an extra large 18" X 13" cutting board and a medium 13" x 8.5" cutting board. These are also extra thick, 3/4" so that they resist warping and cracking. When I first saw them I was taken aback slightly because I had forgotten the exact measurements and the larger one is rather impressive, especially up close. They don't lie when they say that this one could hold a large Thanksgiving turkey to carve! My kitchen right now is small, so I do my chopping with the larger board on my kitchen table. The larger board is a bit cumbersome and awkward to clean in my small kitchen sink, but it is still doable. I love that the larger board can handle everything from carving a turkey to cutting veggies. It has enough room where you don't have to have extra dishes to put things you cut up into to make room for more chopping. The medium one is great for the smaller projects, but still a really good size. Both are great for cutting bread, meat, cheese, vegetables and fruit on.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Boards don't dull my knives.

The Kitchenware Plus Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board Set are better than my other cutting boards I currently have. Other than these cutting boards I have a tempered glass one and some flimsy flexible plastic ones. These won't dull my knives as fast as my tempered glass cutting board. They also stay in place while cutting and the items I am cutting don't slide off either.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Boards - deep grooves on one side.
Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Boards - back side has no grooves.

I love the quality, look and feel of these boards. They are both made from top quality compressed bamboo. They each have a groove all the way around them on one side so that juices can drain away from what you are chopping. My husband doesn't like grooves on cutting boards so he can just flip these over and use the back for a cutting surface. These cutting boards are very attractive. They are perfect to leave out as a showpiece in your kitchen. I love that they have a lighter colored bamboo on two of the alternate ends and that the grains of the lighter colored bamboo are the opposite direction than the darker bamboo. The grain of the bamboo is very pretty also.  These seem very sturdy, strong and durable. They are lighter than hard wood cutting boards, but have a good weight to them. They seem like they will hold up to a lot of use and also come with a 100% lifetime guarantee! I love when companies back their products.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Board - glue discoloration left over from product information sheets.

My complaints about this product are few and with a bit of effort they can all be remedied. As is the case with all of my reviews I feel that honesty is the best practice. The first picture they have of the product on Amazon does not do it justice. It shows cutting boards that do not have a groove all the way around them. They don't show both sides of the products very well and I guess this could be the back they are showing with the sheets switched. I believe they should update their pictures to show both the back and front sides correctly as this is the first picture to be seen when searching for this product on Amazon. I have found that teeny tiny slivers come off of these boards. I would not want this to get in my food even though I do not think that these pose a huge risk if ingested. Maybe in the creation process these could be sanded with fine grit sandpaper so they come out smoother. I will be doing this with mine and I hope it doesn't ruin the color. In the instructions on the board I noticed that it said to oil the board with food grade quality oil monthly. Maybe this would solve the splintering issue, but the sheet didn't say how much oil to use or that I should do it right before use. This would be extremely helpful information to include in the instructions. Also, the instructions and product information sheets were attached by some kind of strong adhesive to the cutting boards. This proved annoying to get off. I had to rip the papers off into little bits and then run the cutting board under hot water to dissolve the rest while rubbing gently yet vigorously...little splinters coming off in my fingers too at this point. The adhesive also left a discolored mark on the cutting board where it was and the product information and instruction sheets were useless now. These are made in China (probably to keep costs down) I don't actually have an issue with this myself, but I know for some of you this will be a downside as well. If these issues are addressed then the product will be perfect in my opinion.

All in all I do love these cutting boards. I will be using them a lot, especially for the holidays! The size and thickness is great and I love that they are made from a sustainable, eco-friendly product. These would be great as gifts for the holidays!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

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