When would you chose to use a Cleaver (Chuka bocho) vs a gyuto

[ditomura]

After reading about ARM, I was thinking about getting a chuka bocho. I have a Shun Chinese vegetable cleaver that I rarely use because handling a smaller knife is easier for me. I was wondering if I would use a cleaver more if I had a better one. I have a bunch of Japanese knives (gyutos, a sujihiki, and a petty). When would you use a chuka bocho instead of other knives?

 

[Cliff]

I reach for a Chuka when I have a bunch of prep to do, often in place of a 240 or 270 workhorse. The cleaver is especially good if space is tight and/or there are others in the kitchen. It powers through things like juliennes for a bag of onions, piles of leeks, mushrooms. I still grab a big gyuto when it comes time to process a lot of greens, though.

 

[M1k3]

When would you use a chuka bocho instead of other knives?

For me, it's usually when it's April.

 

[chiffonodd]

For me, it's usually when it's April.

When the flood of post-ARM rejects hits BST at fire sale prices. One man's trash!

 

[tostadas]

When would you use a chuka bocho instead of other knives?

Only on days ending in "y"

 

[JPAU]

When the flood of post-ARM rejects hits BST at fire sale prices. One man's trash!

Does this really happen or is this wishful thinking? I love a tall Nakiri …

 

[BillHanna]

Does this really happen or is this wishful thinking? I love a tall Nakiri …

We shall see…..

 

[chiffonodd]

Does this really happen or is this wishful thinking? I love a tall Nakiri …

I can only speak for myself because I bought am still buying way too many and will probably be listing multiple rectangles over the coming months. I know I'm not the only degenerate knife addict around here, so, doing the math . . .

 

[ditomura]

The replies are funny, I should’ve asked why instead of when. Like anything else, it’s probably just personal preference. I like to use the cleaver when cutting through a head of cabbage because the tall height and weight seems make it go through straighter and easier.

 

[SwampDonkey]

The bang per mm is better if you've got a smaller board. I really like the relative flatness of profile combined with the extra heft of a tall nakiri/chuka so it still feels like a 240 gyuto but is more compact, and you can scoop soooo much more product off to the size. I love 240-250 gyutos but anything under 220 mm I prefer a rectangle. The weight and forward balance help with the cut too.

This is "only" a 60 mm tall nakiri (Wat Pro) but you can still see its relative scoopability vs a 45-50 mm tall gyuto. I found the 75 mm tall Shindo chuka I have to be a real sweet spot of nimbleness to usefulness, though 90 mm tall CK small slicer still feels quite handy.

 

[chiffonodd]

I found the 75 mm tall Shindo chuka I have to be a real sweet spot of nimbleness to usefulness

wait wait wait wait the WHAT

 

[SwampDonkey]

wait wait wait wait the WHAT

Perks of being a Senior Cultist

CKTG has them under their Enjin brand but it's made from SRK8 (shirogami substitute) but @TokushuKnife was able to source 4 of them in his lovely aogami 2. It's got a hammered S-grind which is purdy sweet

 

[panda]

pretty much never

 

[chiffonodd]

Perks of being a Senior Cultist
View attachment 309979
View attachment 309980
View attachment 309981
CKTG has them under their Enjin brand but it's made from SRK8 (shirogami substitute) but @TokushuKnife was able to source 4 of them in his lovely aogami 2. It's got a hammered S-grind which is purdy sweet

So is that the special edition tall nakiri on Tokushu or is there an actual so called chuka out there?

 

[SwampDonkey]

So is that the special edition tall nakiri on Tokushu or is there an actual so called chuka out there?

That's it!

 

[chiffonodd]

That's it!

::enters meditative trance to wait for restock::

 

[Vertigo]

pretty much never

I had fun with All Rectangle Weekend, but at the end I took the chuka out of my roll for a while. We're on a break.

I understand why some people love em, but I need my pointy pointy stab stab.

 

[Keithpaints]

The bang per mm is better if you've got a smaller board. I really like the relative flatness of profile combined with the extra heft of a tall nakiri/chuka so it still feels like a 240 gyuto but is more compact, and you can scoop soooo much more product off to the size. I love 240-250 gyutos but anything under 220 mm I prefer a rectangle. The weight and forward balance help with the cut too.

This is "only" a 60 mm tall nakiri (Wat Pro) but you can still see its relatively scoopability vs a 45-50 mm tall gyuto. I found the 75 mm tall Shindo chuka I have to be a real sweet spot of nimbleness to usefulness, though 90 mm tall CK small slicer still feels quite handy.

View attachment 309975

I like how you arrange chopped up stuff on that beautiful board.

 

[aporigine]

Only on days ending in "y"

all my days start with Why

 

[Hualicopter]

I can only speak for myself because I bought am still buying way too many and will probably be listing multiple rectangles over the coming months. I know I'm not the only degenerate knife addict around here, so, doing the math . . .

This is one of the reasons why I haven't impulse bought one yet haha

 

[panda]

all my days start with Why

 

[Keithpaints]

I have posted my only ever Nigiri # of times since bought it November 2022.

I always considered them wannabe cleavers. Had seen crappy stainless ones in person even sharpened them.

Found this one bought without handle
Pictures showed the grind figured how can I lose with a grind like that in blue #2
with Ku finish 89.00. Just put a handle on it had laying around.
55mm edge 165mm.

Boy was I wrong about Nigiri. You just have to get a good one.
I love this blade the random hammer strikes in this forged blade makes it even better.

 

[Keithpaints]

Sorry Nakiri

 

[chiffonodd]

CKTG has them under their Enjin brand but it's made from SRK8 (shirogami substitute) but @TokushuKnife was able to source 4 of them in his lovely aogami 2. It's got a hammered S-grind which is purdy sweet

Do you think that the CKTG srk8 version has a flatter profile maybe?

 

[Genghis_F]

::enters meditative trance to wait for restock::

Zach implied that they were a one off…but Tony suggested they could get him to make more…fingers

 

[dtro]

I do large prep at work. We are looking at 100 covers mid week and 160-200 at the weekend. For this there is nothing better than a cleaver. As for home use my wife uses a small cleaver but I'll grab whatever is to hand, after all I'm normally just slicing a handful of ingredients.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Do you think that the CKTG srk8 version has a flatter profile maybe?

View attachment 310128

Looks flatter. I flattened mine:

The oversized belly of the BIG SHINDO was pissing me off, just awkward on such a tall but relatively short knife. So I got out the sandpaper, 120 grit, and thinning juice (sotol). Took about 4 mm off the middle and flattened things out while still keeping a hint of curve. Back in business!

Before:
View attachment 304740View attachment 304741

After:

View attachment 304742View attachment 304743

 

[stringer]

I like a nakiri or cleaver if I am making stir fry or curry at home. Always preferred gyutos at work. Although I never sprang for a CCK or chuka bucho. Mostly just used the cheap Chinese restaurant supply store versions and vintage ones I find at flea markets. Maybe I would have more love if I wasn't so cheap.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I'm dumb...for some reason I got in my head that chuka was a tall nakiri, not cleaver, so I intentionally kept cleavers out of my previous rambling. It doesn't change too much from what I said before, just upsized. The weight of my Sugimoto #6 at 434 g just does everything for you, it's simply a matter of picking up the knife and setting it down on product. The product will be cut. There's something just reassuring and easy about cleavers too. I'm not quite as fast yet as I am with a 240 gyuto, but they're just excellent jack-of-all-trades knives. You can get a good, thin grind of a ~laser with the weight and power of a WH stuffed into one knife because it's so tall.

But the scoopability!!! That is 220x110 of bench scraper right there. That whole bigass board can be scooped into the pot in like 3-4 tries.

 

[Chasingsharpness]

Every time