I'm thinking about getting a Chinese chefs knife. Are they

If you're used to using a normal chef's knife it will take some relearning and practise before you get good with it. There are also varying blade thicknesses and lengths, sp keep that in mind when choosing.

I've had mine for about 3 years now, it makes doing prep at work a breeze. Just remember to keep it sharp.

>>7562913
so a cleaver?

>>7562913
what's that video of the funny asian chef using a cleaver making garnish out of apples and everyting w/ a cleaver; can't find it.

>>7562913
That's called a cleaver.

>>7563187
>>7563199

No, not a cleaver. They are very thin, if you tried to use them like you would a western cleaver then you'd end up breaking it.

>>7562913
>Hard to use?
I found them very easy to use for most tasks, plus it's really nice to have that big flat blade for scooping up ingredients and transferring them to the pan/pot/whatever.

In my opinion a Chinese knife has pros and cons compared to a western Chef's knife. I like the longer blade on the chef's knife for opening fruit, cutting steaks, filleting fish. I also find it easier to use than the cleaver for boning out meat. On the other hand, the cleaver is better for fine slicing, chopping, and mincing.

File: ChineseCleaver.jpg (487KB, 4006x2067px) Image search: [Google]

487KB, 4006x2067px

>>7562913
>Are they considered autistic?
How can a knife be autistic?
>Hard to use?
A #1 Chinese cleaver has been my go to knife for over a decade. It's very easy to use, and unlike German or Japanese knives it's not some precious thing. I beat the hell out of it, and when it gets dull I take it to a guy in Chinatown who grinds a new edge on it for $4. It's very easy to use - It's a dream for chopping vegetables and mincing ginger and garlic. You'll probably want another knife for things like filleting a fish and boning a chicken, but in my mind it's superior to a chef's knife for most day to day tasks.

The two big advantages it has come from it's large flat sides. Peeling garlic is a breeze when you crush it by laying the flat of the knife over it and smack it with your fist. (Good first step for mincing peeled ginger as well). Also once you've prepped something you can slide the knife under it on the board, then bring your palm up against the blade to transfer it to the pot/wok/pan. That's a great move, and it's become such a part of my everyday cooking that a chef's knife is frustrating to use for me, because it feels like it slows me down.

>>7564181
>laying the flat of the knife over it and smack it with your fist

I do that when I'm using a chef's knife.
The chinese knife is heavy enough that you can just smack the food directly.

>buying a sharpened bench scraper

>>7562913

They're fantatsic, I have two, can use for nearly every task.

get the lighter, "vegetable" knife rather than the heaver "meat" knives. It's more than enough for poultry and home cooking

>>7564186

They make pretty lousy scrapers anon; the edge isn't flat.

>>7564181
>unlike German or Japanese knives it's not some precious thing. I beat the hell out of it, and when it gets dull I take it to a guy in Chinatown who grinds a new edge on it for $4.
>Peeling garlic is a breeze when you crush it by laying the flat of the knife over it and smack it with your fist. (Good first step for mincing peeled ginger as well). Also once you've prepped something you can slide the knife under it on the board, then bring your palm up against the blade to transfer it to the pot/wok/pan
So, it's a cheap knife, except it's a more exotic style of cheap knife so you can pretend it's something other than a cheap knife. Got it.

>>7564216
The one he has is cheap. Not all of them are. Just like you can get a "chef's knife" for $5 or $500 the same thing is true for chinese knives.

>>7564224
I know that, but he didn't name a single advantage of using one that wouldn't equally apply to the cheapest chef's knife at your local grocery store.

>>7564216
In My Chinatown the run from $10 to the greater part of $100. I got mine a decade ago for $15. Now I see ones like it selling for $20. So yeah, it's cheap compared to German or Japanese knives. But that's hardly a strike against it. I'd much rather have it than a nice German or Japanese knife, because it's better suited for most of what I do. It's cheap because it was made in a giant Chinese factory, like so many things including most of the computer you're using.

The advantage of it being cheap is that five years from now if the guy with the grinder in Chinatown has beat it up so badly that it no longer holds an edge I can go drop a 20 spot at the shop next door to him and be right back in business. For me it's just a tool I happen to use everyday, and enjoy using. It's not a prestige thing.

>>7564240
What about the large flat shape being ideally suited for scooping food off your cutting board?

>>7564262
That's really fucking useful, and part of what I love about the Chinese cleaver. Also the reason I use the big one (#1 size).

>>7564186
Why does this get posted whenever chinese knives are mentioned? Did a cleaver kill your wife?

>>7562913
they're not better or worse than a chef's knife, they're different.
The big flat makes finely slicing vegetables a breeze, you can use it to scoop up ingredients quickly, it also lets you use your non-dominant hand to guide the knife more which might make it easier to use for beginners with very little knife skills.
But, you don't have a fine point for extremely delicate work that you'd normally just choke up a chef's knife for, you can't use any rocking cuts and it feels less nimble in the hand due to the majority of the weight being in front of the grip.
If you're going to be doing line work, getting through dozens of veggies a day all using the same slicing cut it would probably be worth it. If you're a home cook who wants one knife that can do everything from boning chicken to mincing garlic a chef's knife might be better.

>>7564388
>If you're going to be doing line work, getting through dozens of veggies a day all using the same slicing cut it would probably be worth it.

>doing prep cook work when you're scheduled for hot line or garmo
not that the line cooks don't rotate in and out of prep shifts, but thats good way to have a sous chef crawl up your ass and make a nest for the evening. also a good way to earn a week's paid vacation for the pot washer while the guy that was supposed to be prepping gets busted down to the 3-compartment sink for a week because he didn't do his job correctly.

>>7564262
You can do the same thing nearly as well with a santoku, and still pretty well with other shapes

>>7562913

Retard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k-cgnWWqs

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

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


Hard to use, yes. Skill takes time and chinese cleavers require patience, but they are definitely rewarding