Kitchen tools
Chopping Board
A flat board for cutting food; use separate equipment for raw and cooked or ready-to-eat food.
- 繁體中文
- 砧板
- English
- Chopping Board
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Talenan (砧板)
- Tagalog
- Sangkalan / Chopping Board (砧板)
What is it?
A chopping board provides a stable cutting surface and may be wood, bamboo, plastic or another food-contact material. Household colour rules vary.
How to identify it
Look for a flat board designed for cutting, sometimes with a handle hole or non-slip edge. Confirm its material and assigned use from household labels or instructions.
- Flat cutting surface
- May have a handle hole or non-slip edge
- Raw or cooked-food assignment needs a label or household rule
Common confusion
A placemat or tray is not a cutting surface; a chopping board must be stable and approved for food preparation.
Common Hong Kong household uses
Cutting vegetables, meat and other ingredients on separately assigned boards.
Preparation or handling
Place it securely and confirm whether it is assigned to raw food or cooked and ready-to-eat food.
Storage
Clean after every use and dry fully. Replace a deeply cracked, badly warped or uncleanable board.
Helper tip
Do not guess the assignment from colour alone. Hong Kong official guidance recommends separate boards and utensils for raw and cooked food.
What Ma’am or Sir may say
生熟食砧板要分開。The employer wants raw-food equipment kept separate from cooked or ready-to-eat food equipment.
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Last reviewed
Sources
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department — Public Market Items - Daily Necessities
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department — Daily necessities Cantonese pinyin
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Prevention of Cross-contamination
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong Humanum Research Centre — Cantonese Pronunciation Dictionary
- The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong — Jyutping Romanization Scheme