Wooden or stainless steel herb stripper
Updated: 21.10.2026
You are choosing the surface you will wash after thyme or kale, and the two materials in this set do not share a care routine. Wood is the plate you wipe. Steel can carry a cover and, on some listings, a dishwasher sentence. Prices stay on the [Leaf separator](/hub/garden-tools/leaf-separator) comparison. Titles that over-claim are in the [herb stripper buying guide](/hub/garden-tools/leaf-separator/sub/leaf-separator-buying-guide). The pull is on [how to use a herb stripper](/hub/garden-tools/leaf-separator/sub/leaf-separator-how-to-use). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are choosing the surface you will wash after thyme or kale, and the two materials in this set do not share a care routine. Wood is the plate you wipe.
You are choosing the surface you will wash after thyme or kale, and the two materials in this set do not share a care routine. Wood is the plate you wipe. Steel can carry a cover and, on some listings, a dishwasher sentence. Prices stay on the Leaf separator comparison. Titles that over-claim are in the herb stripper buying guide. The pull is on how to use a herb stripper. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Material line | Cleaning | Cover | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  YOUDALIS YOUDALIS 9-hole steel herb stripper | Stainless steel | Not stated | Yes | 7.5 | about £4.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  FooYee FooYee 2-piece wooden herb stripper | Wood | Hand wash | No | 5.6 | about £1.89 | View offer |
| Alternative |  VZU VZU 9-hole steel herb stripper | Stainless steel | Dishwasher claimed | Yes | 5.6 | about £3.72 | View offer |
On this page
What wood and steel are in this set
Most kept rows are wood, from £1.89 to £5.99, and the material line says wood even when a title says pottery or walnut. Steel is three listings. YOUDALIS at £4.99 is 80 g, holes from 1 mm to 15 mm, 4.2 from 55. VZU at £3.72 is 17 g, nine holes, no diameters, 3.7 from five. Bisienya at £5.99 has no star line. Its title says pottery at 11.8 by 10 cm. The table says stainless steel and 11.8 by 11.8 cm. None of the files states a steel grade. The Food Standards Agency puts kitchenware under assimilated Regulation 1935/2004.
Washing up
Which? says wooden utensils stay out of the dishwasher. Heat splits them, and cracks hold bacteria. Hand-wash, do not soak, and replace a piece that smells. A FooYee reviewer would not soak or dishwasher that pair. totnwrooye still ticks dishwasher safe on wood at £3.99. One UK review left the three plates in London rain, then reported a smell like garage oil and would not let them touch food. Hand-wash that wood and dry it flat. VZU says rinse or dishwasher and includes a cover. Bisienya says the same, with no reviews. YOUDALIS does not mention a dishwasher. A machine wash means VZU, and you give up the printed millimetres and the 55 reviews.
Edges, covers, plywood, and smell
YOUDALIS says the curve can cut leaves, and a UK review mentions the cover. VZU’s only written UK review says the blade will not chop, and the cover still belongs in the drawer. Bisienya claims a small cutting job and names no cover. FooYee’s scallop was read as a finger grip. The wood problem is the surface. Xiciki’s oval piece was polished and used for coriander. The teardrop back was untreated plywood, and that reviewer would not use it on food. totnwrooye’s second review is the rain smell. Which? says replace wooden utensils that smell. One refusal of food contact is enough to pause. Walnut on ToqoGeri and Noenaeni is a bullet. The material line says wood.
When to pick which
Choose VZU at £3.72 when the dishwasher sentence is non-negotiable. It has a cover, five reviews, and an edge a UK buyer would not use for chopping. Choose YOUDALIS at £4.99 when printed holes and 55 reviews matter more than a wash sentence. Choose wood only if you will hand-wash it and reject plywood or a smell. FooYee at £1.89 matches that limit, and a UK reviewer got thyme off on the first pull. Skip Xiciki if both pieces must be sealed wood. A walnut bullet is not a third material.
Common questions
Can the wooden one go in the dishwasher?
No. Which? says wooden utensils split in a hot wash and that cracks hold bacteria, and the advice is to hand-wash and not to soak them. A FooYee UK reviewer said the same about that £1.89 pair. totnwrooye still ticks dishwasher safe on wood at £3.99. Treat the tick as a listing error relative to the material, not as a programme you should run. If the wood smells or cracks after a damp day, replace it rather than oiling over the problem.
Which steel listings actually say dishwasher?
VZU at £3.72 and Bisienya at £5.99 put a rinse-or-dishwasher line in the bullets. YOUDALIS at £4.99, which has the cover, the printed holes and 4.2 from 55 reviews, does not say dishwasher. Choosing steel is not the same as choosing a machine-wash plate. If that sentence has to be on the page, VZU is the steel row with a cover and a thin UK review, and Bisienya is the steel row with no reviews and a conflicting size.
Is walnut in the table or only in a bullet?
Only in a bullet, on the rows that mention it. ToqoGeri says black walnut in the bullets and wood on the material line. Noenaeni says brown walnut in a bullet and wood in the table. Oak is asked on some wooden pages and not answered. Buy wood unless the specification repeats the species. A walnut word does not tell you the piece is sealed, solid, or free of plywood.
What if one piece is plywood?
Do not use that piece on food. A UK review of Xiciki’s £4.99 pair said the teardrop back was untreated plywood and the glue was not sealed, and the reviewer kept that piece off the board. The oval piece was described as polished wood. Two pieces in one set can be different materials even when the title says wood. If you only discover the plywood after delivery, the polished piece is the one to try, and the plywood piece is not a spare you should oil and hope.
What if the wood smells?
Keep it off the food. A UK review of totnwrooye’s three plates reported a strong smell, compared to smoked wood or garage oil, after the pieces sat out in London rain and wind, and the reviewer would not let them touch herbs. Which? says to replace wooden utensils that smell. Wiping may air a new plate. It does not repair a smell that survives days of weather. The other review on that listing was kinder, and one refusal is enough to pause.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk — SI 2012/2619, food-contact materials in England (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Food Standards Agency — food contact materials regulations (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Food Standards Agency — food contact materials authorisation (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Which? — items you can and cannot put in the dishwasher (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Which? — how to clean wooden spoons and other wooden kitchen tools (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Epicurious — Chef'n herb zipper (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- Food Republic — how to destem kale (retrieved 19.10.2026)
- legislation.gov.uk — Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19.10.2026)