#A chopper knife full
#A chopper knife professional

A Chinese cleaver is also significantly heavier. For one, it lacks a pointed tip and instead has a squared-off blade with a broad surface area. It differs from a Western-style chef’s knife in a number of ways.

“Not only did it get me through college, that exact knife fed a lot of would-be engineers, doctors, and lawyers in our generation.” What is a Chinese cleaver?Ī typical Chinese cleaver has a large, rectangular blade bound by a wooden handle. (It’s also recommended by Serious Eats and Bon Appétit.) “ was the standard for Chinatown chefs,” said Lau. For a razor-sharp carbon-steel cleaver that requires a bit more maintenance, Randy Lau, the creator of Made With Lau, recommends the Dexter Russell Traditional 8″x 3 1/4″ Chinese Chefs Knife. “Basically every single Chinese restaurant I’ve ever worked in or ever stepped foot in has a Chan Chi Kee knife,” says Sin.

#A chopper knife professional

Lucas Sin, chef-owner of Junzi Kitchen and Nice Day, recommends the Shi Ba Zi Zuo Professional Chef Knife, with a durable carbon-stainless blade, and the versatile stainless steel Chan Chi Kee Small Stainless Cleaver. Or, for a sure bet, you could try one of the following expert-recommended options that are ubiquitous in Chinese kitchens: If you’re seeking to invest in a cleaver of your own, you can probably find a good one at a restaurant-supply store or Chinese grocer (if you have one in your area), as long as you know what to look for.

I’ve found it tough to track down my cleaver’s exact origins, but it’s still in great shape, which shows that when treated with care, these tools can become family heirlooms. My own cleaver is a brandless model that my father picked up in a small shop in New York City’s Chinatown 40 years ago (somewhat similar to this one). We reach for it for every task from crushing aromatics to filleting fish-it’s the ultimate do-it-all tool. Also known as a Chinese chef’s knife, the cleaver is a staple of the cuisine, rivaled in utility only by the wok and chopsticks. Quickly, what started as a chore grew into a precious part of our days.įrom those decades’ worth of meals, one knife, shuffled from hand to hand, emerged as everyone’s preferred cooking tool: the Chinese cleaver. Our nightly food-prep routine-smashing knobs of ginger, slicing slivers of beef for stir fry, chopping veggies-doubled as nonnegotiable bonding time. Given its size, I can’t universally recommend the M18. But if you need a chopper, this is the one to buy.As a daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong, I spent every night of my childhood cooking and eating traditional Chinese dinners with my family. If you can, you absolutely owe it to yourself to TRY IT. Even if you have no real use for a blade this big, it’s amazingly fun to play with, chopping wrist-thick saplings in a single stroke. This is the next evolution of a big chopper, and it is one hell of a knife. But this is a chopper that can also do detail work, a chisel that can be an axe, and a spokeshave that can separate deer hips.

#A chopper knife full

This is a full custom knife, and the price reflects it. Hunt, it holds an edge longer and is tougher than it should be given its chemistry. O1 is an old, venerable, high-carbon steel. The stock sheath, a lift-out as opposed to a pull-out, works well and helps hide the edge.įinally, the M18 has T.M. The amazing handle, derived from the Ethan Becker handle seen on his line of KA-BAR knives, gives you positive retention in any grip. The exposed rear tang allows for push cuts and hammering. The lanyard allows you to fasten it to your forearm for detail work. The spine of the knife can be used as a striker for flint, a handle for the spokeshave, and a landing spot for a baton when splitting wood.īut that is not all that gives the M18 its versatility. The curved portion near the handle is a capable draw knife (a.k.a. It can pry, chop, chisel-cut, and scrape easily. The unusual blade shape is actually the secret to the M18’s performance. But in some circles, it’s worth every penny. Right away, note this knife is semi-custom and costs a fortune at $490. Here it is below, next to the mid-sized Bark River Bravo 1 LT, a great knife capable of a lot of difficult tasks. Think Crocodile Dundee in the attempted mugging scene.īut the evolution of the chopper has reached a new stage with the T.M. This trend has resulted in large, thick blades. In some cases, it replaces hatchets and small axes. Hunt M18, the biggest, baddest, most capable chopper I have ever used.Ī “chopper knife” is a fixed blade that can be used for ultra-hard tasks.