Cooking more Chinese food. Therefore, the Chinese cleaver.

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boomchakabowwow

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I’m trying to learn wok cooking.

To get in the spirit, I pulled out my Taiwan cleaver. It’s kinda huge. About 5x8”. It’s tough for me to sharpen on a stone since it’s just so unwieldy. But, using other methods, it is downright insane sharp. I’ll figure out the moves on a stone, soon enough.

I’ve been using it for two weeks. It’s surprisinly awesome! I did ding the blade a bit in the middle trying to open a coconut, like an idiot. It will eventually sharpen out.

But, the performance is unaffected. I love using it to transfer chopped stuff into bowls. And smashing garlic is stupid easy. It smears it into a mince so easily.

Storing it is not fun.
 
I usually use the spine for coconuts...love some cleaver action.
 
You will soon hear from other Chinese cleaver fans I'm sure. However, I've been working my way through the Fuchsia Dunlop books on Chinese cuisine for the last year (buy all of them, right now!), and doing just fine with a 165mm or 180mm nakiri. Works the same for food transfer into bowls, and it's nimble enough for fine detailed work.

This cuisine doesn't require a big cleaver (IMO), especially if you're going "Pan Asiatic" and mixing cultures. But if it helps get into the mood, then go for it.
:thumbsup:

P.S. never use any blade you care about for opening a coconut. That's what machetes are for.
 
I have a cleaver :viking: and I support these messages. They are fun tools that feel exceptionally different from a typical chef knife. Saying that, I could never see myself giving up gyutos.
 
boomchakabowwow said:
I’m trying to learn wok cooking.

To get in the spirit, I pulled out my Taiwan cleaver. It’s kinda huge. About 5x8”. It’s tough for me to sharpen on a stone since it’s just so unwieldy. But, using other methods, it is downright insane sharp. I’ll figure out the moves on a stone, soon enough.

I’ve been using it for two weeks. It’s surprisinly awesome! I did ding the blade a bit in the middle trying to open a coconut, like an idiot. It will eventually sharpen out.

But, the performance is unaffected. I love using it to transfer chopped stuff into bowls. And smashing garlic is stupid easy. It smears it into a mince so easily.

Storing it is not fun.
Click to expand...


Glad to hear you pulling out the cleaver! I've been cooking Chinese food for more than three decades—being from a Chinese-American family. The knife I've had for the longest time is a Dexter stainless, small Chinese cleaver, with a blade measuring 8 x 3 1/4 inches—very solidly built, rugged, made in the states. A good number of cooks in NYC Chinatown restaurants use Dexters, and also Chinese-made copies of them. Storage is in a DIY sheath made of cardboard and tape.

My other Chinese cleaver is a CCK #1303, carbon, blade measuring 8 1/4 x 3 1/2 inches, a very popular knife, though overpriced these days IMO. I bought a reasonably priced wooden saya for it from a mid-west online knife dealer that works fine.

Love them both for different reasons—Dexter is heavier than the CCK. If you're really into Chinese cleavers, you might consider a Chinese meat cleaver for siu mei.

For the last five years or so, I mainly use my gyutos for food prep—which I personally find nimbler and more versatile.
 
DitmasPork said:
I've been cooking Chinese food for more than three decades—being from a Chinese-American family. e.
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hey..i am also Chinese-American.

i am liking the sound of your cleavers..i think a bit shallower in depth would be a good fit for me.

mine is also carbon..it is nuts how sharp it gets. the edge is like a foil..
 
DitmasPork said:
Glad to hear you pulling out the cleaver! I've been cooking Chinese food for more than three decades—being from a Chinese-American family. The knife I've had for the longest time is a Dexter stainless, small Chinese cleaver, with a blade measuring 8 x 3 1/4 inches—very solidly built, rugged, made in the states. A good number of cooks in NYC Chinatown restaurants use Dexters, and also Chinese-made copies of them. Storage is in a DIY sheath made of cardboard and tape.

My other Chinese cleaver is a CCK #1303, carbon, blade measuring 8 1/4 x 3 1/2 inches, a very popular knife, though overpriced these days IMO. I bought a reasonably priced wooden saya for it from a mid-west online knife dealer that works fine.

Love them both for different reasons—Dexter is heavier than the CCK. If you're really into Chinese cleavers, you might consider a Chinese meat cleaver for siu mei.

For the last five years or so, I mainly use my gyutos for food prep—which I personally find nimbler and more versatile.
Click to expand...

Damn. I want that cck 1303!

$75!!??? Thanks Mr Kimball.

Anyone want to sell me one?:)
 
boomchakabowwow said:
Damn. I want that cck 1303!

$75!!??? Thanks Mr Kimball.

Anyone want to sell me one?:)
Click to expand...

Since you're in the bay area, you can probably just drive into San Francisco or Oakland Chinatown and find a CCK or Shibazi fairly reasonably priced. I've had my CCK 1303 for years (decades?) and it's a keeper.
 
I’ve got a cck 1112 (Stainless) I’m waiting to be delivered. I had a 13xx Carbon a few years ago that I never jived with but I was also buying and selling knives left and right to try a bunch. Now that I know what I like I’m looking forward to expanding my horizons again, and why not go all in on a biggin? There’s a smallish no name stainless cleaver I use at work that I’ve taken a liking to. I sometimes use it double duty as my knife and a spatula when doing short order off of the flat top. Only to move/flip sandwiches or whatever to a plate/cutting board, I don’t use it to cut on the flat top like a crazy person. :bigeek:
 
I want this one.

[video=youtube;ED1Z9_uEJNA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED1Z9_uEJNA[/video]
 
laxdad said:
Since you're in the bay area, you can probably just drive into San Francisco or Oakland Chinatown and find a CCK or Shibazi fairly reasonably priced. I've had my CCK 1303 for years (decades?) and it's a keeper.
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Thx. I’ve never seen them at the stores. Maybe I never looked hard enough.
 
Isn't a chukabocho like that to a chinese-made cleaver like ... chuka is to chinese food ... great, but still a reinterpretation?
 
Try your local Chinatown 1303's are deff. cheaper than the net. Last I checked here still around 40.00.

Machete's have many uses a sharp one is best tool for coconuts.
 
Godslayer said:
I have a cleaver :viking: and I support these messages. They are fun tools that feel exceptionally different from a typical chef knife. Saying that, I could never see myself giving up gyutos.
Click to expand...
I am here to help you break your gyuto addiction.
 
No CCK's or other quality cleavers in all of the Denver area that i know of other than the huge thick CCK cleavers, kau kong and the like at Pacific Ocean Market in Aurora. BTW they also have a nice collection of thick round one piece end grain chopping boards.
 
I'm Chinese and I grew up cooking with CCK, I've had mine since I was 16, has never left my side. Recently, I found a love for Gyutous, but I still reach for my CCK a lot. However, recently I discovered that very long, thick spine, heavy weight Nakiri (mines a custom Heji 210) strikes an amazing balance between the two, and quickly became my #1.
 
Xenif said:
I'm Chinese and I grew up cooking with CCK, I've had mine since I was 16, has never left my side. Recently, I found a love for Gyutous, but I still reach for my CCK a lot. However, recently I discovered that very long, thick spine, heavy weight Nakiri (mines a custom Heji 210) strikes an amazing balance between the two, and quickly became my #1.
Click to expand...

Heiji makes stunning blades. I have a custom gesshin heiji cleaver and it is stunning. My first time cutting slanty green onions with it, the grin I had.
 
Godslayer said:
Heiji makes stunning blades. I have a custom gesshin heiji cleaver and it is stunning. My first time cutting slanty green onions with it, the grin I had.
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If you are refering to your infamous THOR cleaver, I will have you know sir, that it was THE knife that made me fall down this rabbit hole, and started my own quest.
 
Xenif said:
If you are refering to your infamous THOR cleaver, I will have you know sir, that it was THE knife that made me fall down this rabbit hole, and started my own quest.
Click to expand...

That sir is my weapon :viking:
 
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