Discourse on why I love Chinese Cleavers re-post

[stringer]

is that true or you are joking ?

It's true. Restaurant supply olive oil often comes in an aluminum can. If you don't add a ventilation hole then it won't pour smoothly. It will glug, glug, glug, as it alternates letting out air and oil. It's honestly about the only thing that I use the heel of any knife for.

 

[stringer]

Also glass jars with metal lids. If the vacuum seal is very strong it can be very difficult to open. But if you break the vacuum by poking a small hole in the metal lid then it's much easier to get the jar open.

 

[r0bz]

It's true. Restaurant supply olive oil often comes in an aluminum can. If you don't add a ventilation hole then it won't pour smoothly. It will glug, glug, glug, as it alternates letting out air and oil. It's honestly about the only thing that I use the heel of any knife for.

what i meant if its true is do you really use the heel of the cleaver in order to poke the metal jars ?

 

[stringer]

what i meant if its true is do you really use the heel of the cleaver in order to poke the metal jars ?

Yes it's true. It's a bad habit but I use the heel of whatever knife is within reach. But this is also for giant restaurant supply stuff. Like giant jars of pickles. I wouldn't try it on a little jar of jam.

 

[r0bz]

Yes it's true. It's a bad habit but I use the heel of whatever knife is within reach. But this is also for giant restaurant supply stuff. Like giant jars of pickles. I wouldn't try it on a little jar of jam.

do you find any other usage for the heel section of the chinese cleaver ?
i almost never use it

 

[stringer]

do you find any other usage for the heel section of the chinese cleaver ?
i almost never use it

Honestly about the only other thing I can think of that the heel of a knife is useful for is choil shots. And this is one of those weird things where the cooler the choil shot the less useful the heel of the knife is for anything else.

 

[r0bz]

choil shots

you mean taking pictures of the coil ?
i am not talking about the point of the heel cut the section of the blade at the back
look at the vid i mean that part of the cleaver

 

[stringer]

you mean taking pictures of the coil ?
i am not talking about the point of the heel cut the section of the blade at the back
look at the vid i mean that part of the cleaver

I use that part for peeling veggies and fruits like squash and melon.

 

[r0bz]

I use that part for peeling veggies and fruits like squash and melon.

it works better than the front part as its thinner ?
do you push down when cutting the squash or how do you do it ?
thank you for the answer!!!!!!!

 

[stringer]

it works better than the front part as its thinner ?
do you push down when cutting the squash or how do you do it ?
thank you for the answer!!!!!!!

It works just fine. You can use any part of the edge to do any kind of cutting task. Slicing, dicing, peeling, etc. That's what it's designed for. Very well suited. It just takes practice and technique

 

[stringer]

it works better than the front part as its thinner ?
do you push down when cutting the squash or how do you do it ?
thank you for the answer!!!!!!!

But yes. Take the top and the bottom off and then with the squash or melon on the board, peel off strips working your way around.

 

[stringer]

Here's a link to me peeling an acorn squash with a nakiri. Same idea.

 

[r0bz]

I use that part for peeling veggies and fruits like squash and melon.

what i meant to ask is what is the advantage of using the heel section in order to do that

 

[stringer]

what i meant to ask is what is the advantage of using the heel section in order to do that

I use the whole edge of a Chinese cleaver or gyuto or nakiri, not just one part. At the top of the squash I start near the toe and at the bottom I end near the heel. The advantage of using the whole edge over just using the middle of the belly all of the time is that it spreads out wear. If you just used the middle of the knife it would dull quickly in that area.

It also allows for more lateral slicing motion than a straight up and down style that emphasizes one part of the blade. Lateral slicing movement makes knives work better and requires less downward force.

Being able to use the whole edge is an important technique to learn. I make adjustments to my technique on the fly depending on how the knife is going through the product. If I'm cutting peppers with the tip of the knife and I notice it dragging then I'll move to a different part of the edge and see if that works better.

 

[Noodle Soup]

Here is another series which I found interesting. It shows a variety of cleaver skills used for different Chinese dishes.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00a0G6_TRLWslO7tZFYKNscl7gRR7I2S

Watched the sharpening vid on this list. He has a different technique than I've saw before. I also found it interesting that unlike most people here, he likes a cleaver with a fair amount of belly and was worried about sharpening it away.

 

[KingShapton]

Watched the sharpening vid on this list. He has a different technique than I've saw before. I also found it interesting that unlike most people here, he likes a cleaver with a fair amount of belly and was worried about sharpening it away.

The interesting thing about the sharpening video is that he only uses a coarse sil-carbide combination stone, estimated # 120 and # 320.

In combination with the sharpening technique demonstrated there, this seems to give an easy cutting, convex geometry with a lot of bite.

I tried this technique a while ago, it creates too much stress on my shoulders. I get the same result with an edge-trailing movement and a little lift at the end of the movement without stressing my shoulders. Much more comfortable for me.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Also glass jars with metal lids. If the vacuum seal is very strong it can be very difficult to open. But if you break the vacuum by poking a small hole in the metal lid then it's much easier to get the jar open.

I like to save glass jars for storing don't want to poke holes in the lid. When I was younger could could open most any jar by hand.

As got older stubborn lids would use a jar opener as seen below had it for years still works fine.

Choil shots on cleavers how about frontal on a CCK Kau Kong Chopper

 

[stringer]

Got a new eBay beast tonight. A big old #1.

In between a #2 and my 250 Shi.han for size reference.

 

[Rangen]

If my cleaver needs sharpening, and won't go through the skin of something like a tomato, I know I should change to a fresher cleaver edge, but sometimes I use the heel to notch a starter slit, and keep going.

 

[Rangen]

I try never to one-up anyone. It's just rude. Once I did it by accident. I was at a butchery class, and another guy proudly pulled out his No. 2 cleaver, saying that he got it in Hong Kong. I thought, great, sympatico! I pulled out the cleaver I got in Hong Kong, but it was much bigger. Wouldn't have done that, had I known.

 

[stringer]

I try never to one-up anyone. It's just rude. Once I did it by accident. I was at a butchery class, and another guy proudly pulled out his No. 2 cleaver, saying that he got it in Hong Kong. I thought, great, sympatico! I pulled out the cleaver I got in Hong Kong, but it was much bigger. Wouldn't have done that, had I known.

I teach some culinary classes from time to time. I took a couple knives in to show off the other day. Everyone was asking me where they can buy them. I told them flea markets, eBay, and Instagram mostly.

 

[BillHanna]

Uhhhh. Is that a HANDLE on the most famous Tosa nakiri?

 

[stringer]

Uhhhh. Is that a HANDLE on the most famous tosa Nakiri?

It is more like a tang saya than a handle. It's just for storage and travel. It gets removed when I use the knife

 

[Jville]

Got a new eBay beast tonight. A big old #1.

In between a #2 and my 250 Shi.han for size reference.

View attachment 164603

Have the flood gates been open?

 

[stringer]

Have the flood gates been open?

Nah, not really. The two I am working on now will keep me occupied for awhile. Most of my eBay budget lately has been going toward mystery oil stones.

 

[daniel_il]

Any info about this mac cleaver? Seems like they are out of production for a few years. Trying to realise if its worth getting for 100$

 

[Rangen]

If Mac is making a Mt Fuji cleaver, I'll have to change my whole idea of Mac. Personally I would not hesitate to buy that, were I not already well-supplied with great cleavers. Mac is good stuff.

 

[daniel_il]

If Mac is making a Mt Fuji cleaver, I'll have to change my whole idea of Mac. Personally I would not hesitate to buy that, were I not already well-supplied with great cleavers. Mac is good stuff.

Agree Mac is good stuff. surprised i never seen or heard about this cleaver before

 

[Colorado_cutter]

I wonder if that could be a rebranded TsuBaZo. Aside from the kanji, it looks like the same thing:
https://www.amazon.com/TSUBAZO-Japa...cphy=9010943&hvtargid=pla-1251318198698&psc=1

If so, I can say:
1- I like it, anyway. Flat profile, easy to sharpen. But needs thinning out of the box and I find the handle quite slippery, despite it being oak.
2- It is overpriced at $100. CKTG has it for $35. I got mine on sale a few years back for $13.

At any rate, can't say for sure it is the same knife, but if the measurements agree, I suspect it is.

Any info about this mac cleaver? Seems like they are out of production for a few years. Trying to realise if its worth getting for 100$View attachment 165888

 

[daniel_il]

I wonder if that could be a rebranded TsuBaZo. Aside from the kanji, it looks like the same thing:
https://www.amazon.com/TSUBAZO-Japa...cphy=9010943&hvtargid=pla-1251318198698&psc=1

If so, I can say:
1- I like it, anyway. Flat profile, easy to sharpen. But needs thinning out of the box and I find the handle quite slippery, despite it being oak.
2- It is overpriced at $100. CKTG has it for $35. I got mine on sale a few years back for $13.

At any rate, can't say for sure it is the same knife, but if the measurements agree, I suspect it is.

look quite similar, the mac suppose to be 200mm length.
https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/tkp/20170201-02.html