Camphor Laurel Boards

Australian camphor laurel is the perfect timber for your next chopping board.

 

Naturally anti-bacterial with a soft, medium-density grain, Australian camphor laurel is kind to your knives and easy to maintain.

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Tasmanian Timber Boards

Our new premium range showcasing the natural beauty of Tasmania.

 

Hand crafted beauty and function from Tasmania with up to 5 famous Tassie timbers in a single board

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Special Boards

All our boards are special but every now and then one doesn't quite fit the mould.

 

Pick up a bargain when when we are over stocked or when one of our boards doesn't quite measure up!

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Articles for July, 2010

Federation Carving Board is it’s name, versatility is it’s game! Each side of our huge Federation Carving Board is designed for a different purpose. On one side is a great carving board with deep juice channels to catch all that tasty barbeque run-off. The other side is a traditional chopping board for food preparation; vegetables, fruits, salads and meats of all types.

Picture the scene at your next barbeque outing; the Federation Carving Board loaded with juicy cooked meats ready to be carved into serving portions for your guests; that great lamb or beef roast, or those fantastic steaks or grilled ribs . . . it makes one hungry just to visualize this scene. The au jus running out as the carving knife works, only to be caught in the juice channels to be transferred later to a serving dish to be ladled over those slices of roast.

Federation Carving BoardClick To See Full Size Image

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Camphor Laurel is an introduced species originally hailing from Asia and was introduced to Australia in the 1820s. Since then it has spread right along eastern Australia from the Atherton Tablelands south to Victoria.

Sustainability

Whilst undeniably attractive and fertile (a large tree can produce 100,000 seeds a year), Camphor Laurel has proven to be an unwelcome guest.

Camphor Tree

Camphor Laurel is quick to replace native species like blue gum and places strain on koala and other native fauna populations.

However, the simple destruction of camphor laurel trees makes little economic or environmental sense.

Government resources are not available to publicly fund significant eradication so the best solution to the Camphor Laurel problem lies in value adding.

Value adding by way of using the timber to produce camphor oil, furniture, wooden chopping boards, doors, step treads etc, is a more practicable way of reducing the timber stock and providing local employment.

A purchase from www.woodenchoppingboards.com.au helps (in a small way) encourage markets for Camphor Laurel products.

Naturally Anti-Bacterial

Many claims are made about the antibacterial properties of chopping boards made from different materials and some plastic cutting boards are inpregnated with antibacterial additives to enhance their marketing appeal.

Anti-Bacterial Chopping Boards

However, a local study by Alan Waterson in April 2002, for our supplier, found that not only does camphor laurel timber contain natural anti-bacterial agents, but that nature of the timber also inhibits bacterial growth and colonisation.

In his comparative study of camphor laurel, cedar, plastic and glass cutting board, it was found:

“Camphor Laurel Timber, as tested here, was the most effective food preparation surface with regard to reducing microbial growth. This appears to be a result of the nature of wood in general, & the presence in this particular wood of anti-microbial substances, which are also known to occur naturally in edible products.”

Alan Waterson B.Sc. (Hons) Dip Ed, Lismore, NSW – April 2002

Food Contact

The following extract is from the same study in 2002 and relates to food contact:

“The presence of anti-microbial chemicals in camphor laurel chopping boards raises the question of safety with regard to those chemicals contaminating food. The concentration & types of compounds in camphor wood can vary from tree to tree & between different parts of a tree.

The following compounds are found in Camphor Laurel samples: Camphor; Safrole; Cineole; Cinnamaldehyde; Fatty acids; Mannitol; Limonen; Tannins; Terpineol; Eugenol; Pinene; Linalool and Geraniol (3, 4)

Any of these substances can be toxic in purified form, but there is no evidence to suggest that food contact with Camphor laurel wood (particularly after curing) would produce any adverse effects.

Alan Waterson B.Sc. (Hons) Dip Ed, Lismore, NSW – April 2002

Caring for your new camphor laurel timber cutting board couldn’t be easier.

Camphor laurel cutting boards are simple to keep clean and require very little maintenance but here are some tips to keep your board looking and smelling like new:

Regular Cleaning

SIMPLY wash your board in warm soapy water and wipe it with a cotton cloth and Charcool Chopping Board Lotion once a month or whenever the timber appears dry.

ALWAYS let your board completely air dry before storing.

NEVER leave a timber cutting board soaking in water. Timber is porous and it will quickly saturate. Never use a bleach which will destroy the natural antibacterial properties of the board.

THE dishwasher is the most evil of environments for timber cutting boards combining all the terrors of: soaking; chemical bleach and scalding hot water. PLEASE AVOID.

Charcool Chopping Board Lotion

Charcool Chopping Board Lotion is made from 100% pure vitis vinifera oil. It is the perfect conditioner for all wooden boards and utensils because it doesn’t oxidize quickly like vegetable or olive oil and won’t go rancid.

Most vegetable oils will become tacky; smelly or change color when left on the board while Charcool Chopping Board Lotion leaves no taste, odour or colour.

Dealing With Knife Marks

All timber boards are marked by sharp knives. Firstly, don’t fixate on this. The ability of timber boards to absorb and reflect regular use is one of their charms and contributes to the uniqueness of your board.

Camphor laurel’s unique long grain only allows very shallow surface marks, not deep gouging, burring or splintery edges that can develop with soft timbers or plastic.

If you feel your board could use a quick make-over, you can lightly sand the surface back every couple of years and then re-oil with Charcool Chopping Board Lotion.

An additional benefit of the occasional light sanding is that it will refresh the camphor smell of your board if it has faded over time.

After sanding don’t forget to moisturise your board with Charcool Chopping Board Lotion.

Receiving Your Order After Purchase

We primarily ship our wooden chopping boards within Australia but we will ship to other countries where required.

Australia Wide Delivery

Locally we ship using Australia Post’s Express Post Network for most of our deliveries.

Express Post is a next day delivery to most capital cities and major provincial centres and is quicker and trackable to all destinations.

A flat $22.00 Shipping charge will be automatically added by PayPal as you go through the PayPal secure checkout.

International Orders

We’ll proud to send Aussie camphor laurel chopping boards overseas by Registered Express Post International which offers Air Mail delivery with the protection of registered mail.

Due to customs requirements please email us before placing your order so we can confirm customs and delivery charges.

Below is a guide to trasnit times and delivery charges for our most popular destinations:

Country Transit Time (Air Mail) Approx Delivery Charge (including $10 p&p and registration)

Destination Country Delivery Time Price
Argentina 5-6 days $ 91.55
Canada 5-7 days $ 73.75
Germany 4-6 days $ 91.55
Ireland 4-5 days $ 91.55
Japan 3-4 days $ 60.55
Malaysia 5-6 days $ 60.55
New Zealand 3-4 days $ 44.65
United Kingdon 4-5 days $ 91.55
United States 4-6 days $ 73.75

 

Accidents Do Happen

In the unlikely event that an order is lost, misdirected, or damaged in transit, you should contact Australia Post directly.

You should also notify us immediately (info@woodenchoppingboards.com.au) if your package does not arrive within 14 days or you receive products damaged in transit. Please provide a picture, if possible.

Delighted not Disappointed (DnD Policy)

Want To Return A Product?

Sometimes it’s hard to make a purchase without actually touching or seeing the product although we think ours are well described with details on all the things that count.

But, we want you to be Delighted not Disappointed and to recommend us to others.

So, if for any reason you’re not happy with your purchase, we’ll gladly refund you the total purchase value (not shipping and handling costs) once we’ve received the goods back.

However our change of mind ‘DnD’ doesn’t apply if you have chosen to personalise your board.

So please think carefully before making your gift a “one of a kind”.

For more information on our Returns Policy or Shipping Options please send us an email.

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