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Enrico Products marries historically inspired
designs with an ancient traditional material—bamboo! The Moso variety of
bamboo we use is the hardest of the bamboo family; harder even than rock
maple. It is also extremely durable and moisture resistant, making it perfect
for kitchen implements. Bamboo is a fast growing, environmentally friendly
grass that grows to maturity in as little as 4 to 5 years. It is grown on
farms that harvest the bamboo without damaging the soil or landscape. Because
it is a grass, bamboo continually sends off new shoots to regenerate itself so
it does not require replanting. And no, Moso is not Panda food, so our
black-and-white friends in Asia will not go hungry.
Bamboo products generally come in
three different grain orientations that provide different looks and
characteristics.
Flat Grain
Flat grain orientation is the
lamination of wide slats of bamboo cut along the vertical axis of the bamboo
trunk. This orientation displays large areas of the distinctive knuckles most
often associated with bamboo.
Vertical Grain
Vertical grain is created
when these flat grain pieces are turned sideways and laminated together. This
orientation shows narrower bands of bamboo grain, and less prominent bamboo
knuckles. Vertical grain creates a much harder surface than flat grain which
makes it a good orientation for cutting boards.
End Grain
End-grain is the lamination
of many small pieces of bamboo cut perpendicular to the grain direction. This
distinctive construction highlights the internal fibers of the bamboo and
creates the hardest presentation of the material. Its incredible durability is
the reason we use it for our professional quality cutting boards. It displays
none of the knotting apparent in the other two layups. This orientation is
also more labor intensive to make which results in slightly higher pricing for
our end-grain products.
All of our laminated bamboo
designs use a high-strength, food safe glue that plays an important role in
the durability of the products. The varied laminations mean that no two
pieces are the same.
We offer our bamboo products in
clean, natural Blonde and rich, dark Caramel (also called carbonized).
Carbonized bamboo is created by heating the bamboo, which gradually darkens
the natural sugars in the grass for color through and through. The natural
grain of Moso Bamboo shows through beautifully when laminated and cut into its
finished state. Its rich colors and stunning visual appearance complements any
kitchen or dining room decor. We look at our bamboo products as unique works
of art. Bamboo of different colors can be laminated together to produce unique
patterns and styles. We often use carbonized bamboo in our products
Bamboo Care
All of our
bamboo products should be hand washed with soap and warm water. For best
results, do not wash bamboo products in the dishwasher. Our bowls, platters,
and servers need little care other than basic cleaning. An occasional
application of plain mineral oil will keep oil-finished cutting boards
beautiful and well conditioned.
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