The 7 Best Bamboo Salad Servers of 2024
We all know eating more salad is good for us, but when you’re busy making a meal to suit the tastes of every member of your family or dinner party, for some reason the salad is one of the first dishes to get chopped out of the menu.
If you had conversation-starting bamboo salad servers to dish it out though, you might take a little more pride in serving up a show-stopping salad.
What makes a bamboo salad server “the best”? The answer to that question depends on your own personal sense of style, usage demand, and ethics.
A great salad server will be good for your health and for the environment, serve your salad without making a mess and look great doing it. We’ve come up with a list of our favorite, top 7 bamboo salad servers but, before we get to those, let’s talk for a minute about why we think bamboo is so great to start with.
Why Bamboo Salad Servers Are The Best
Wood servers are classy and beautiful, and bamboo servers look just as good with fewer pitfalls.
Did you know that bamboo is actually considered a grass? It’s true! It’s also one of the fastest-growing plants on this wonderful earth of ours, which makes it a sustainable product that many farmers don’t feel the need to fertilize or drench in pesticide.
For these reasons and more, bamboo is considered one of the most eco-friendly products to make your housewares out of.
Interestingly enough, bamboo is actually harder than most woods, even hardwoods. It’s less porous as well, which make bamboo dishes and serving ware safer from a hygiene perspective while still being incredibly durable and easy to maintain.
Add to all these perks the fact that bamboo is just as versatile as the best plastic or silver options, it has no trouble taking the #1 position of salad serving materials. Serving plants with plants just feels right.
Making chopped salad? Check out our article featuring the best cutting boards for vegetables.
The 7 Best Bamboo Salad Servers of 2019
1. IKEA Gripande 2-Piece Salad Server Set, Bamboo, White
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Let’s kick off this list with a nice, simple set. There’s something beautiful about the simplicity of this bubbly, white-handled design. From Ikea, what else could you expect?
Key features:
- Perfect for the minimalist kitchen (or the Ikea showroom kitchen), the design is understated beauty, all the way
- The handles have a little extra grip to make them easy to use
- They’re durable and they get the salad served – what more could you ask for?
2. Bamboo Studio Collapsible Bamboo Salad Tongs
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Sticking with the slow and steady introduction to bamboo utensils, this set is not quite as pretty as the Ikea servers, but it has added functionality that makes up for the almost too-simple style.
Key features:
- Rather than copying all the other salad server spoons, this design is actually collapsible tongs. That’s right, they fold up nice and square to save space and scoop up your salad like giant chopsticks.
- Bamboo is usually considered environmentally friendly, but these go one step further by using no harsh chemicals or bleach in their manufacturing process
3. Totally Bamboo Edward Salad Hands, Dark Bamboo Salad Servers
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First things first: they’re called Edward Salad Hands. They deserve a space of honor in your kitchen just for that. But these salad hands are also gorgeous. The dark bamboo really stands out and they’re sure to make a statement serving any salad you chop up.
Key features:
- Bamboo isn’t naturally dark, but they’re finished with high temperatures which react to the natural sugars in the fibers in a completely artificial-color and dye-free process
- They have thumbs – thumbs! – which hook onto the edge of the bowl and stop them from sliding to the bottom or tumbling around on your table
- This set is quite wide which is perfect for tossing salads without tossing your ingredients all over the place in the process
4. Thirstystone Bamboo Salad Hands, Fleur de Lis
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When you’re out to impress at a dinner party, a plain set of get-it-done salad servers just isn’t going to set the bar high enough. Attractive bamboo salad hands adorned with pewter accents, on the other hand, will make sure your salads are the talk of the table.
Key features:
- They are classy and elegant and make excellent gifts
- There is a peg stopper to stop them from sliding into the bowl when they’re not actively being used, making sure they’re just as functional as they are pretty
5. Totally Bamboo Salad Server Set
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From the makers of Edward Salad Hands, this is a more traditional salad serving set, but each utensil is crafted from a single piece of bamboo, making it not only top quality, but also absolutely beautiful.
Key features:
- This set is ergonomically designed to be comfortable in your hand and make serving your salad a simple, mess-free process
- While most bamboo utensils come with hand-wash only instructions, this set is dishwasher friendly making cleaning up a breeze
6. Natural Home Molded Bamboo Salad Serving Set, Cherry Red
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If you’re looking for style that matches the sustainability factor of your serving utensils, this cherry red set will definitely spruce up your salad.
Key features:
- Natural Home Brands has patented the technology that allows them to take sustainably harvested bamboo, turn it into saw dust and use plant-based binders to mold it into the perfect shape for serving salads
- Keep it on the top rack of your dishwasher for safe cleaning, and then head back to your computer to order the entire matching bowl and utensil set!
7. Bamboo Salad Serving Bowl Set with Lid and Utensils
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For those of you who like to get yourself the full meal deal, this bamboo serving bowl with a cutting board lid that houses your serving utensils is made for you. It’s cute, multi-functional and eco-friendly. It’s got everything!
Key features:
- This set would look great in your kitchen, but it’s absolutely perfect for picnics and patio parties. The lid will keep the bees away while also being perfect to slice your buns on, and the serving spoons won’t go missing in transit because they fit into the lid itself.
- The bowl is made from bamboo fibers, which is different from the traditional bamboo manufacturing process and allows it to be used for hot and cold meals
Maintaining Your Bamboo Salad Servers & Utensils
Bamboo is much harder than your average wood, but it’s still at risk for warping in your dishwasher, so you’re going to want to hand wash any and all of your bamboo utensils. Wash in warm, soapy water. Rinse well and dry them off with a clean dish towel, leaving them out to completely air dry before storing them in a closed drawer.
It’s a good idea to wash your bamboo utensils and dishes as soon as possible after using them so that food doesn’t get stuck on them. If you have to soak them, they might get warped. If it comes down to it, it would be better to use a soft scrubber to get the hardened food off, rather than soaking them.
If your salad servers have come into contact with raw meat or you have some other reason for wanting deep sanitization, use a mixture of white vinegar and warm water, followed by a traditional soapy water wash.
Similar to wood, you might want to oil your utensils on occasion to keep them shiny and luxurious. Food grade mineral oil will do the trick. It’s completely odorless and tasteless, so it won’t affect your salads in the slightest.
Try to keep your bamboo utensils out of extreme temperatures, whether that’s heat or cold, to protect them from weather-related cracking and splitting. This includes avoiding the microwave and freezer, or even the fridge for long periods of time.
Related Questions
Are bamboo utensils biodegradable?
Bamboo is biodegradable, yes, though it’s always a good idea to read the packaging to make sure there isn’t any harmful chemicals or non-biodegradable materials included in the design. There are also specific utensils that are made with the specific purpose of being compostable.
These are great for special events and gatherings where you don’t want to be washing thousands of utensils. Just make sure to get bamboo utensils and not bio-plastic, which requires a specific disposal process to truly breakdown.
Can bamboo dishes go in the dishwasher or microwave?
Unless otherwise specified in their care instructions, no. Natural materials like wood and bamboo should always be hand washed to protect their finish and keep them from warping or staining. It’s also best to warm up your meals in a microwave-safe dish first, and then transfer to your bamboo serving dish, bowl or plate.
Is bamboo really sustainable and eco-friendly?
As long as it hasn’t been treated with chemicals unnecessarily, yes, bamboo is arguably one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly products available.
It’s incredibly fast-growing and naturally pest-resistant and doesn’t even need much water to grow. When it comes to fabric, the manufacturing process isn’t all that friendly, but kitchenware and utensils are perfect uses for this fabulous material.