Cleavers

I have noticed that Chinese cleavers have risen in price quite a bit. Chinese Chef Mall show increases on CCK's

I noticed students knives (Mercers Victorinox) edges were beat up dented. When I asked how they did it said chopping chicken bones for stock. You would think the Instructors would know better. That attitude use same knife for everything.

I sold my large bone cleaver didn't need it after retired. Went to Chinatown today to get a smaller version bone blade. Got the CCK Carbon Kau Kong Chopper Large. Blade 195mm long 120mm high. I paid 55.95 for it. I am bringing it to the school Monday. The same cleaver on Chinese Mall is 89.70.

1303 here is 48.00, I remember them around 30.00 same place. It is 68.50 CCM and a whopping 70.00 at CKTG.

Anyone use the Dexter 8" heavy cleaver? It is a fair price on Amazon with free shipping.

They need to find one of the Chinese medium weight all-purpose cleavers. That and learn to chop bones with the heal of the blade. It is not uncommon for Chinese cleavers to be marked with a line on the blade that states "chop bone behind here and slice in front" I have a Dazu model I brought back from Sichuan last year with the stamp. I have never been in a Chinese cooking school yet where the instructor didn't chop chicken bones with what ever knife he/she normally used.

Those are good the Caidao all purpose blades.

I love (an own) all of Fuchsia's cook books but she really hasn't studied Chinese cleavers in detail. She found one she liked and it was end of story. I'm a so-so Chinese cook and my knife skill suck by most of my instructor's standards but the knives I have studied like a religion.

It is the smarts of the Asians. The Japanese do it with Deba's front of blade for filet fish the heel thicker to chop off heads. Think it is cool too on Caidao cleavers to have two edge profiles on one blade, using the heel to chop.

I have one of the dexters, 9"... because, why not get the biggest f-ing cleaver I can find.

Truth is, it's quite heavy and I only use it for destroying bones to use in stock. Definitely could have done with something smaller, but it looks awesomely intimidating.

After making about 8 batches of pork and chicken stock the soft thick edge needs some touching up, but that's not surprising since I dislodged the glue that held my granite to the cabinets from all of the whacking and now I have a slightly uneven section of granite

Oops.