I have a cheap #2 sized stainless Chinese cleaver. Food release is completely non existent. Zuchini or potatoes will stack up until they come over the top. Are there ways to improve the food release? Can I change the geometry or the finish?
Improving food release on a Chinese cleaver.
- Thread starter bennypapa
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If it's a cheap stainless cleaver. . . it depends how thick. If it's thick enough, make a convex bevel for food release. Or you can make it a wide bevel, which is even better -- makes sure the shinogi line is as crisp as possible. You can search up for what those terms mean.
Basically, make less surface area in contact on the slice. You can rub vegetables slices on the blade. That helps for me. . . but I haven't seen anyone else try it. Ginger and potato skins and radishes seem to work, with a little water.
Basically, make less surface area in contact on the slice. You can rub vegetables slices on the blade. That helps for me. . . but I haven't seen anyone else try it. Ginger and potato skins and radishes seem to work, with a little water.
Jville
I used to work in a Mexican restaurant
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I would probably just buy one with a grind that produces food release. I have a thin cck, and a fujiyama. The cck is terrible and food release is not the fujiyamas strength either. I also have a takeda with phenomenal food release.
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OH and if its reaaaallly cheap, you can try hammering it onto a pattern to make the sides kinda bumpy. Kurosaki does this to make his blade finishes. Though you gotta make sure the blade is still straight and not warped: the spine, the edge, and the whole blade face. Then polish that over. Then that acts like grantons cause now you have less area to stick to. Only do it if you're willing to really mess up the blade!
Yeah, what jville said.
Yeah, what jville said.
Creating a shinogi line on this thing may be a challenge for me much less making it crisp but I'll have a go at it.
Thanks
Do NOT do this. It's done before hardening on annealed steel. Doing it on a hardened blade is risky, both for the knife and yourself, sharp shards can fly at you.
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Forgot that its monosteel. Severe apologies.
Would soft iron san mai be okay though?
Would soft iron san mai be okay though?
No I wouldnt do it to san mai either, that was what I had in mind actually. The japanese makers that do it cold does it on annealed blades.
Keith Sinclair
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Thin vegetable cleavers usually have poor food release just the nature of the beast. When you get into medium Chinese cleavers you can get thicker spines thinning all the way to the edge. These are somewhat better in release. Chinese chefs use cleavers for everything my guess is they don't even think about food release it is more of a knife nerd concern.
