Chinese Cleavers

[Sam Sloane]

I recently came across a few videos using Chinese Cleavers.....

I have to say, they seem to be both robust, and very usable....maybe more so than western knives....

What experience does anyone have with them???

Sam

[Mike Brubacher]

My mom was a great cook and quite handy with a cleaver Sam. Her recipe for chicken soup began with - (1) cleaver, (1) tree stump, (1) chicken. I forget the rest but the soup was always delicious.

[Ken S]

I have a Chinese cleaver which I like very much. As I don't eat much meat, I use it primarily for vegetables.

It was quite sharp when new. When I sharpened it, I neglected to check the original bevel angle. I discovered that it was less than my standard 15° for both bevels. I will restore the original bevel angles (or at least best guess) in the next sharpening. I sharpen it in the standard Tormek knife jig, however, I have to use the Extended Support Bar from Robin C Bailey. It is both taller and longer than the standard issue Tormek universal support bar.

Ken

[Mark Reich]

Mike, if you had watched your Mom instead of playing with chicken heads, you would have seen more cleaver action. Dicing chicken is a cleaver's favorite game.

Chopping veggies is another area where cleavers shine, Ken. Especially if you thin the edge from the original bone chopping bevel.

[Ken S]

Good point, Mark. I think my cleaver would be considered a vegetable cleaver. I would guess the original bevel angles were around 12°.

Ken

[Mike Brubacher]

There is little doubt, Mark, that I am the victim of a misspent youth. Your point is well taken about chopping up chickens. I have a friend whose wife makes her own dog food. She uses a cleaver to chop up the whole chicken, pressure cooks the entire mess and then I get to sharpen her cleaver from time to time.

My Mom's chicken chopping practices weren't probably of much help to Sam since I doubt  seriously that her cleaver was made in China. I would guess that when she acquired it, Mao had just begun his long march.

[Mike Brubacher]

...and speaking of chicken wings, Mark, how is yours?

[Sam Sloane]

watch this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz9dOWpokkc

[Bud]

If you want to reduce the cost of medical care in the US, turn that guy into a surgeon!

[Mark Reich]

Thanks for asking, Mike. My wing is pushing turkey level.

Mike, I doubt our formative years were much different. I was thinking about what I did with all the chicken heads available on chicken harvesting days, once all the dogs and cats were bloated.

Sorry I wasn't much help to you, Sam. Chinese cleavers, like all the rest of the cleavers in the world, come in all shapes and sizes. There are cleavers for taking cattle apart, which are two handed instruments that weigh at least a few pounds, down to fine vegetable cleavers, which are similar to Japanese nakiris. Very efficient for transporting chopped veggies from cutting board to pan.

My experience is fairly limited to keeping them tuned up.