What do you use for really tough foods?

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slowtyper

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For example lemongrass and , which can be like c cutting branches.
 
Never had a problem with anything like that. When I have trouble cutting anything, it always resolves when I take it into the kitchen.
 
The heel? on the other hand I guess most of us haven't had to break down 20 pounds of lemongrass or anything... When I want to cut a few stalks really thin for mussel broth, I use my DT. When I I just need to bruise up a lot for lemongrass vodka, the Hiromoto will brute force a little more pleasantly.
 
I have not used lemon grass, but love it. I would say the cleaver I got with a Solingen Profiline set I got a few years ago. Or maybe some kitchen shears.
 
The heel? on the other hand I guess most of us haven't had to break down 20 pounds of lemongrass or anything... When I want to cut a few stalks really thin for mussel broth, I use my DT. When I I just need to bruise up a lot for lemongrass vodka, the Hiromoto will brute force a little more pleasantly.

when I worked at the Thai Restaurant we would go through 50# each of ginger, galangal and lemongrass and maybe twenty pounds of thai chilies and 10# of kaffir lime leaves in a day. We would use the classic chinese cleaver, no problems ever, if it got dull we would sharpen it on the back of a porcelain rice bowl and we were good to go.
 
Yeah never had problems with lemongrass. Not sure if you are already doing this but if you cut it on the bias vs. perpendicularly it becomes very very easy to cut.
 
I use the side of my meat mallet ( l cover the lemongrass with a Ziploc bag first to prevent cross-contamination and splatter!), then go at it with a sharp gyuto.
 
When I'm sure I will damage a blade I take my softest one: a highly polished stainless Sabatier I keep just for 4 years old cheese and chocolate. Sarge's bias trick sounds interesting though.
 
West Java.

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Yeah the lemongrass isn't so bad, I do it on the bias and its just a rough chop. its the galangal that is tough. Some are okay, some parts are just insane to get through, have to use a lot of force, and as a result my hand hurts (causes me to grip the handle much harder than normal).

Probably can be solved with technique...I do have a "beater" knife which I also sometimes use. I have a CCK cleaver but haven't tried it for this yet. Will give it a go.
 
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