Every Japanese cutting board we sell is cared for a little differently, so this guide is organised board by board. Read the short rules that apply to all boards, then jump to yours.
- Rules for every board
- Hasegawa FPEL, FSB and FSR (wood core)
- Hasegawa FBW
- Asahi Cookin Cut rubber
- Yoshikawa PE
- Seki Magoroku Hinoki (wood)
Start here
Rules for Every Board
- Wash straight after use and stand the board upright to air-dry.
- Slice, don't chop. None of these boards is a chopping block; cleaver work marks them.
- No hot pans, no open flame, no freshly fried food on the board.
- Take care with frozen or slippery food — the knife can skid.
- Bleach only ever in cold water, never mixed with hot water or other cleaners.
Wood-core boards
Hasegawa FPEL, FSB and FSR
FPEL · FSB · FSR — heat limit 90°C
Cleaning
- Warm soapy water and a soft sponge, wipe dry, stand upright.
- Stuck-on grease or flour: dampen with lukewarm water and scrub in small circles with a brush.
- Stains and sanitising: diluted kitchen bleach (about 1 teaspoon per litre of cold water), soak a few minutes, rinse well. The surface is non-porous and absorbs nothing.
Dishwasher
- Yes — 90°C or lower, and no more than 90 seconds at that temperature. The wood core keeps the board flat; a hotter or longer cycle can deform or peel the surface.
Good to know
- Knife marks show more on the black FPEL. They are cosmetic, and Hasegawa does not treat them as a defect.
- Fine shavings from heavy knife use are harmless; brush them off the food.
- Stop using the board if the wood core ever shows through.
Solid PE
Hasegawa FBW
FBW Series — no wood core
- Clean as for the FPEL above: soapy water, brush for stuck-on residue, diluted bleach for stains.
- Hand wash only. Without a wood core, dishwasher and drying-rack heat warps it.
- Store flat or standing straight up, never leaning at an angle.
Synthetic rubber
Asahi Cookin Cut
Asahi Antibacterial Rubber Cutting Board — heat limit 100°C
Cleaning
- Wash with mild detergent before first use.
- Warm soapy water and a soft sponge or cloth, wipe dry, stand upright.
- Stains and sanitising: diluted kitchen bleach in cold water, then rinse well.
- Boiling water is fine — lay the board flat and pour over both sides so it does not warp.
Dishwasher
- No. Dishwasher and drying-rack heat deforms the rubber.
Storage and good to know
- Store flat or standing straight up. Left leaning at an angle, the board slowly bows under its own weight.
- Small white or dark flecks and slight colour variation are the raw material, not defects.
- A worn surface can be sanded back with fine sandpaper.
Polyethylene
Yoshikawa PE
Yoshikawa Antibacterial PE Cutting Board — heat limit 70°C
Cleaning
- Soapy water and a soft sponge only. Scourers and abrasive powder scratch the surface.
- Sanitise with diluted bleach, not hot water. Any water poured over it must be below 70°C.
- Wipe dry and store somewhere ventilated.
Dishwasher
- No, and keep it out of heated drying racks — 70°C is a low limit.
Good to know
- On a stainless steel bench, lay a tea towel underneath so the board does not slide.
- If you rest it across the sink, set it straight and stable before cutting.
Wood
Seki Magoroku Hinoki
Seki Magoroku Self-Standing Hinoki Cutting Board — Japanese cypress with a built-in stand
The Golden Rule
No oil, no wax. Salt, lemon, boiling water — then stand it up.
Hinoki is full of its own oils and dries fast; that is what makes it hygienic. Oiling or waxing is a habit from Western hardwood boards, and on hinoki it seals the surface and works against the wood. Kai's own care instructions never mention oil.
Before you cut
- Wet the board lightly. A damp surface stops juices, colour and smells soaking into the grain.
- Slicing only. At 13mm it is a thin board; chopping marks it.
- Meat and fish on one side, vegetables on the other, if you want to keep smells apart.
Cleaning — the four steps
- 1. Rinse with cold water first. Cold water lifts meat and fish residue off; hot water sets the protein into the grain.
- 2. Salt scrub. Sprinkle coarse salt, scrub with a brush, rinse. Salt lifts residue out of the knife marks without harming the wood. A little mild detergent is fine; rinse it all off.
- 3. Lemon for smells. Squeeze lemon juice over the board, wipe with a cloth, rinse.
- 4. Boiling water to sanitise. Now and then, after the board is clean, pour boiling water over both sides.
- Never soak it or leave it in the sink.
- Wipe off, then stand it on its long edge in the shade to dry. The built-in stand does this for you. Never stand it on the short end: the end grain wicks water and is the first place to go black.
Kai's packaging says bleach can be used on this board. We advise against it. Unlike PE or rubber, wood is porous: it soaks up the bleach solution, and rinsing removes it from the surface but not from the grain, where it can leach back onto food. Salt, lemon and boiling water do the same job without leaving anything behind.
Dishwasher
- Kai rates it dishwasher-compatible; we strongly advise against it. The sealed edges and anti-warp treatment let it survive a cycle, but repeated heat and long wet cycles shorten the life of any solid-wood board, and a rinse and stand-up takes under a minute.
Over time
- Light darkening in knife marks is normal. Scrub with salt if it bothers you.
- Sticky yellow resin in warm weather is hinoki's own sap. Harmless; wash it off with hot water.
- If the board warps, wet both faces and stand it up to dry. It usually straightens itself.
- A rough surface can be sanded along the grain, then rinsed and dried. No oil afterwards.
- Keep it out of direct sun. Sun dries one face faster than the other and the board warps.
- Black spots that will not scrub out are mould. Dry it standing up every time and it will not happen.
The cutting board buying guide — compare every series before choosing a new board.
