Deng Xiaowen a Cleaver from Dazu

[pkjames]

i made a typo. "鱼(fish) 米(rice) 之 (of) 乡 (village)"

 

[OneS]

A new Fuchsia Dunlop book will be a must-buy for me. Love the way she has sunk her teeth into Chinese cuisine and made it more accessible to the western world as a result. But I still prefer gyutos to cleavers, what can I say ?

 

[Noodle Soup]

I'm a big enough fan of Fuchsia that when I was in Chengdu I made a pilgrimage to that huge sharpening stone she talks about sharpening her cleaver on in the court yard while in the Sichuan cooking school. It is some kind of natural stone but I've never seen anything like it for sale in the markets. Just the universal Silicon carbide stones found all over Asia.

 

[Kamelion]

That cleaver in Fuchsia's book, I had to go and dig mine out to double check, is similar in design, but I think it is not the same brand/model I got from James. Like James said, they are related in some sense anyway.

22 is probably a good price with shipping included, but don't expect anything miracle out of the blade. It will be a serviceable knife, and probably fun to use.

Thank you for the answer. I think I will give it a go for that price.

 

[Kamelion]

I am also thinking about buying a bigger, stainless steel cleaver (like the CCK 1101 or so). What do you guys think about these boys:

SmartWife 8Cr13 Cleaver for $ 28.45 (I have the carbon version of this cleaver, see this post.)

or

SHIBAZI 4Cr13 Mov-2 Cleaver / SHIBAZI 4Cr13 Mov-1 for $ 31.41 or 40.03 respectively.

What are your opinions about the choice of steel? The Shibazi cleavers do look fairly thick at the spine. Some 7 mm (can this be right? do not read chinese …) against the 3mm of the SmartWife Good, not good?

 

[Noodle Soup]

I have a Shibazi that I think is the same model. Bought off "he who's name must not be spoken" several years ago. It is a big heavy work horse I save for special occasions but its not my favorite for everyday use. Great knife for making stock when there are chicken bones to be chopped though.

 

[Tonsku38]

I got mine Deng cleaver today and it feels very promising. It is much thinner then I have expected and cuts quite nicely after quick sharpening. I will test it better tomorrow at work. I think edge needs little bit of thinning. It was very f&f was very rought but I rounded some sharp edges on spine, choil and handle and now it feels much better. Definitely worth of every cents.

 

[Kamelion]

I got mine Deng cleaver today and it feels very promising. It is much thinner then I have expected and cuts quite nicely after quick sharpening. I will test it better tomorrow at work. I think edge needs little bit of thinning. It was very f&f was very rought but I rounded some sharp edges on spine, choil and handle and now it feels much better. Definitely worth of every cents.

So did you buy this one?
DENG Forged Kitchen Chef Knife Traditional Handmade

 

[Tonsku38]

So did you buy this one?
DENG Forged Kitchen Chef Knife Traditional Handmade

Can't get that link open but if you search deng knife from aliexpress it's second on the listing. It has very rought handle and there is white backround in picture. I like it so much I also ordered Shibazi S210-2.

 

[Kamelion]

Can't get that link open but if you search deng knife from aliexpress it's second on the listing. It has very rought handle and there is white backround in picture. I like it so much I also ordered Shibazi S210-2.

Strange that the link does not work. But it is the one with the name "Free Shipping DENG Forged Kitchen Chef Knife Traditional Handmade Clip Steel Slicing Meat Vegetable Multifunctional Knives" and the Model Number DJ-11, and with some sort of blade protection on the picture, it seems? It comes first on the list when I search however. Does this link work?

I think I will wait with the Shibazi, since a friend will buy a Chan Chi Kee for mi later this year in Hong Kong. Now the question is, carbon steel or stainless ..?

 

[Noodle Soup]

So did you buy this one?
DENG Forged Kitchen Chef Knife Traditional Handmade

if I'm not mistaken, I have one these knives that I bought in Southern China a few years ago. Same handle and blade style anyway. Never have used it much as it is a fairly small blade for a cleaver and it always seemed easier to reach for a larger knife.

 

[Noodle Soup]

Digging my knife out and taking a second look it seems to be a little different. Same size but not quite as thick in the spine and the blade stamping seems to read a little different. It might be from the same maker but just a less expensive model.

 

[Tonsku38]

Strange that the link does not work. But it is the one with the name "Free Shipping DENG Forged Kitchen Chef Knife Traditional Handmade Clip Steel Slicing Meat Vegetable Multifunctional Knives" and the Model Number DJ-11, and with some sort of blade protection on the picture, it seems? It comes first on the list when I search however. Does this link work?

I think I will wait with the Shibazi, since a friend will buy a Chan Chi Kee for mi later this year in Hong Kong. Now the question is, carbon steel or stainless ..?

Now it works and that is same knife. Handle was very uncomfortable but I thinned almost half away and now it works fine. Here's a video of me chopping sone onions with it. https://www.instagram.com/p/BIYEHEqBsz5/

 

[Noodle Soup]

Seems to work for you!

 

[schanop]

I giggled a bit when postman buzzed on the door today.

New book is beautiful, a lot of text and pictures. Roughly it is probably similar ratio for text and pictures as in "Every grain of rice"

Then in spirit of knife knuts, I quickly flipped through to see if there is any picture of a cleaver.

 

[schanop]

Here's is a nice long interview with Ms Dunlop, done very recently.

http://www.thegannet.com/interviews/meals/lunch/2016/07/fuchsia-dunlop/

 

[OneS]

Nice article, thanks for the link.

 

[Kamelion]

So dear forumers,

today the postman arrived with my knife. Unpacked, and quickly inspected it looks nice. I will post pictures tomorrow.

One question though: when washing away the (machine) oil from the factory, protecting the blade from rust, i noticed that my dish brush became black from the black lacquer (or whatever it is). Afterwards i gave it a quick wipe with mineral oil to further prevent rust, and the paper turned really black, and it seems, I can continue wipe more black stuff off.

This layer also smells somewhat smokey, as in a smithery, which is nice, but I wonder: what is this, and do I want it in my food?

 

[Kamelion]

So, do anyone know what cleaver this is, and what steel? Would interest me very much.

 

[Kamelion]

Then in spirit of knife knuts, I quickly flipped through to see if there is any picture of a cleaver.

[/QUOTE]

So, does anyone know what knife this is?

 

[XooMG]

So dear forumers,

today the postman arrived with my knife. Unpacked, and quickly inspected it looks nice. I will post pictures tomorrow.

One question though: when washing away the (machine) oil from the factory, protecting the blade from rust, i noticed that my dish brush became black from the black lacquer (or whatever it is). Afterwards i gave it a quick wipe with mineral oil to further prevent rust, and the paper turned really black, and it seems, I can continue wipe more black stuff off.

This layer also smells somewhat smokey, as in a smithery, which is nice, but I wonder: what is this, and do I want it in my food?

I recommend doing several wipedowns with oil, a decent wash with soapy water, and a few more oily cloth rubdowns to see how much you can take off. Much of it is likely grinding dust.

 

[Noodle Soup]

you are luckier than me. I ordered two cleavers off the Chinese link on these posts over a couple of months ago and have not received them. The website said I needed to wait until Aug. 13th to file a claim. Well, guess what it is Aug. 13th. The original order said 10-15 days (back in June) and all my attempts at tracking say "in route for delivery"

 

[turbochef422]

I ordered one and forgot about it and two months later a smashed little box appeared. The cleaver was all good and I'm very happy with it but it took a looong time

 

[schanop]

So, does anyone know what knife this is?

I believe it is Chan Chi Kee 1812. She said in her interview in the gannet link above that it was bought in Hong Kong.

 

[Kamelion]

I believe it is Chan Chi Kee 1812. She said in her interview in the gannet link above that it was bought in Hong Kong.

Thanks! On this topic—forgive me if I do not follow the theme of the thread strictly here—do you, or anyone else, know what kind of cleaver Fuchsia is using in this article?

She has talked about CCK cleavers, so that seems to be a reasonable possibility. However, do you think it is a carbon or stainless steel? She has written about her preference for some carbon content, but for me this looks rather stainless steel, even if the patina is interesting?

This leads me to my follow up question: do you know how reactive the carbon steel knives from CCK are? And: how much carbon is there in the stainless steel range?

Reason for asking is, that a friend of mine is going to HK and could buy me one, and I am pending back and forth between 1102 and 1112.

Do you have any great recommendations, guys? Again, forgive me for this passus about Dunlop and CCK!

 

[schanop]

Thanks! On this topic—forgive me if I do not follow the theme of the thread strictly here—do you, or anyone else, know what kind of cleaver Fuchsia is using in this article?

She has talked about CCK cleavers, so that seems to be a reasonable possibility. However, do you think it is a carbon or stainless steel? She has written about her preference for some carbon content, but for me this looks rather stainless steel, even if the patina is interesting?

This leads me to my follow up question: do you know how reactive the carbon steel knives from CCK are? And: how much carbon is there in the stainless steel range?

Reason for asking is, that a friend of mine is going to HK and could buy me one, and I am pending back and forth between 1102 and 1112.

Do you have any great recommendations, guys? Again, forgive me for this passus about Dunlop and CCK!

1812 is a stainless cleaver. According to http://www.chanchikee.com/ChineseKnives.html, 1812 is very similar to 1302/1303 in size, an in-betweener. I used to have 1111 at one point, a big slicer but gave it away to a Chef in Melbourne.

The other cleaver from the article, I am pretty sure, it is the same one as one in her "Every grain of rice" book. Guessing 1911 with all scratches from sharpening/thining.

If you want 11xx, perhaps 1103 is a good choice. It will be full carbon which will sharpen up easily, and it won't be too big. Patina and reactivity is normal, I think. It won't be that different to other carbon steel knives apart from area of exposure.

 

[Kamelion]

1812 is a stainless cleaver. According to http://www.chanchikee.com/ChineseKnives.html, 1812 is very similar to 1302/1303 in size, an in-betweener. I used to have 1111 at one point, a big slicer but gave it away to a Chef in Melbourne.

The other cleaver from the article, I am pretty sure, it is the same one as one in her "Every grain of rice" book. Guessing 1911 with all scratches from sharpening/thining.

If you want 11xx, perhaps 1103 is a good choice. It will be full carbon which will sharpen up easily, and it won't be too big. Patina and reactivity is normal, I think. It won't be that different to other carbon steel knives apart from area of exposure.

Many thanks! Seems plausible, with the 1911. And that knife is indeed stainless, isn’t it?! This would also make sense given the scratch- and sharpening marks, but no patina. Given that I have bigger hands, and that I know the size of the 13xx series, I thought that the 11x could be an equivalent. Closest would be 111x then. I have two carbon steel knifes, see above, and even if i like them, the reactivity can to times be a bit cumbersome, and since Fuchsia seems to use the stainless, I took it as a go

So, do you know how stainless the CCK stainless series are? Or which steel alloy? Etc. Sometimes also the stainless have a fairly amount, of carbon, therefore being a good compromise (sometimes also, the carbon knifes are not very reactive, of course), but if the are really hard to sharpen, maybe I will give it another thought.

 

[Kamelion]

I recommend doing several wipedowns with oil, a decent wash with soapy water, and a few more oily cloth rubdowns to see how much you can take off. Much of it is likely grinding dust.

Helped a little bit; after washing with soap, the paper towel didn’t collect much black when wiping dry. However, when rubbing it in with oil, it again turned really black, so the stuff seems to be fat soluble. Now, how hard should I rub? I mean, probably it won’t kill mi, on the other hand, I don’t want to much of it in my food …

 

[XooMG]

I'd lay the blade flat and just go at it pretty harshly. The worst that might happen is that the black finish will deteriorate, but that'd happen anyway. The loose stuff for me has always been tenacious in rougher finished blades, but I can usually get it to calm down after a while.

 

[Noodle Soup]

you are luckier than me. I ordered two cleavers off the Chinese link on these posts over a couple of months ago and have not received them. The website said I needed to wait until Aug. 13th to file a claim. Well, guess what it is Aug. 13th. The original order said 10-15 days (back in June) and all my attempts at tracking say "in route for delivery"

Just an update. My cleavers showed up after about 3 and a half months. Nothing wrong with the knives but that sure is slow delivery. And I have my copy of "Fish and Rice" so I need to start cooking!