Chinese Cleaver. Who has one?
- Thread starter Shermie
- Start date
Joe isn't kidding - I've seen them. I have one, a Moritaka 220mm Chukabocho and use it once in awhile. Personally I find a Gyuto (Japanese Chef's Knife) more to my taste but perhaps that is what I grew up with.
Well the bottom picture I posted are basically slicing cleavers or will do the same as a chef's knife (gyuto) and not meant for cutting vegetables or meats not bone. Now some of those in the first picture do medium to heavy stuff right down to breaking up a mastodon if required to cutting down an oak tree if needed. They come for the old style meat cleaver to thin bladed slicers with a few between. I have at least two of each weight and purpose myself as it became an addiction for a couple of years.
At any rate I use a Dexter cleaver and a disposable paring knife for 20 years before I really got into them for a few years. I've since started gifting many of these to family members that have a clue what a good knife is. Chinese pattern cleavers are not for everyone but experts like a Martin Chan sure turned me on to them when I really got into cooking and they just stuck as that is what I started with. I have the standard knives also but my wife uses them while I always go for the cleavers.
At any rate I use a Dexter cleaver and a disposable paring knife for 20 years before I really got into them for a few years. I've since started gifting many of these to family members that have a clue what a good knife is. Chinese pattern cleavers are not for everyone but experts like a Martin Chan sure turned me on to them when I really got into cooking and they just stuck as that is what I started with. I have the standard knives also but my wife uses them while I always go for the cleavers.
I have a couple in my top photo of some I bought in Chinese super markets that are really good cleavers also.
AllenOK
New member
I've got a "Double Swallow Brand" Cleaver that I got really cheap at an Asian grocery store. Light, one-piece metal. Holds a decent edge. It's more of a slicing cleaver, though.
One tip: If you have any small bowls, like the kind used for soups in a Chinese restaurant, you can use the bowl and the handle of the cleaver as an impromptu mortar-and-pestle. Most Chinese chefs do this trick with fermented black beans.
One tip: If you have any small bowls, like the kind used for soups in a Chinese restaurant, you can use the bowl and the handle of the cleaver as an impromptu mortar-and-pestle. Most Chinese chefs do this trick with fermented black beans.
Also the spine of a cleaver makes a great meat tenderizer and two (one in each hand) can turn a steak into hamburger pretty quickly. The side also is great for crushing up garlic to remove the skin to then be chopped really fine.
There are some really good videos on line by Martin Yan and others on how to really use one. Very versatile tool.