Another world class Chef named Hung Huynh on Top Chef was also fast, not as neat but fast. All I can see is flying chicken. I imagined one landing on someones head. If I tried it, the only fast part would be the trip to the ER to sew my fingers back on. If I had the patience of the celebrated French Chefs who do cranial surgery on a chicken I would starve to death by the time we cooked them.
DISMEMBERING
Again, the butcher's cleaver is not for fine cutting or chopping. Never sharpen them to a razor's edge, they can chip because they are brittle when sharpened. Cleavers have a hole because they were usually hung from a meat hook, or a hook on the butcher's belt. Many self wounds were inflicted when worn on the belt.
CHINESE CLEAVER
The Chinese cleaver is made in a myriad of sizes, blade widths, metallurgy, handle design and purpose. In China and most Eurasian countries there are also style points such as seen on Thai Knives. Regardless it is the tool of choice likened to a Swiss Army Knife.
thick blades that are not very sharp; they are meant to be used for splitting bone.
Chinese Cleavers are the Asian version of the French chef knife. They should not be used for chopping bone, they are slicers and treat them as you would a chef knife.
This amounted to a very expensive way to deliver raw steel of good quality including stainless
The phrase originates from the Book of Isaiah, who prophesies of a future Messianic Age where there will be peace amongst all humankind: It reads: They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. — Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3.
Each shell usually took out a building or bunker adding to the cost of each shell in damage and casualties. Thats the usual bottom line in war. Kinmen, found itself a storage center for high-quality steel. The industrious Chinese being basically steel and iron users and needing all they could find turned this windfall into the hands of knife-maker Wu Tseng-Dong. Kinmen had a new business.
Quemoy has become famous for its production of boon boom cleavers as they are nicknamed. A single shell, these are heavy 155 mm casings, I know I loaded a few, generally produces 60 cleavers from one bomb shell. They do a good tourist trade for the kitchen and for the souvenir market.
These knives are hand forged steel. Smelted down to a red yellow mass and using his knowledge of hand working steel, he literally rough shapes a billet of the steel. He flattens it on a mechanical hammer through several stages, flattens it and shapes it more, rolls and works it into shape for the hand grinding and shaping process.
He was quoted as saying , this is a learned skill. "We must judge the heat of the steel very accurately, and the color of the red hot steel tells us what we need to know". I thought to myself, heres one thing the computer doesn't know or does it?
WHERE TO BUY:
These knives are still hand forged, ground, shaped and sharpened. Walk into any kitchen in the world where real Chinese food is prepared, and you'll most likely find only 3 knives - A Vegetable Cleaver, a Meat Cleaver and a fruit knife. All variants differing in size, width and shape.
I love cleavers, the lighter, vegetable slicers and a midsize. I'm not prepping Pork carcasses in my kitchen. Some of the vegetable slicers look like square carving knives. Again, another variant or style.
In 1998 the Maestro WU cleavers and others designs went to Western style knives for export. One or two companies seems to have the stock in whats called the "Maestro Wu" lineup.
Today Mr. Wu
continues his craft and sells his knives internationally. He is respected worldwide for his ingenuity. Visitors to his shop can actually assign a shell and observe a knife being forged from it. His knives are collected by knife enthusiasts for their quality and theirinteresting and meaningful history.
The collection includes both the "Bombshell" and "Damascus" lines.
"Chef Knives To Go" did have some seconds on sale but they appeared to go quickly. Another source is Jende Industries LLC. who are known for their custom Reed Knives. This opens another
window because I get asked a lot of times what is a Reed Knife? Reed knives are used for cutting the "Reeds" used in wind instruments, like the Oboe, Brasson, Clarinet, and it's a whole other story.
CALL FIRST
I strongly suggest you call these two vendors first and see if what you wish is in stock and or available. Both sites have videos and other photos of what available in these unique blades.
There are many manufacturers featuring these knives today as the vegetable cleaver became popular as a universal tool in the kitchen.
It can do more than some of the other styles and in the hand of a competent chef is both handy for what it can do and fast.
TWO THINGS TO REMEMBER
1) Basically two styles, a meat splitter/cleaver and a vegetable slicer/prep tool. One of each will do almost all kitchen tasks.
2) Every part of the knife is put to use.
• The sharp edge of the blade is used for cutting.
• The blunter top edge is used to pound and tenderize meat.
• Turned on its side, the cleaver is an excellent tool for smashing garlic and ginger.
• You can even use it to transfer food from cutting board to wok.
• An added bonus is that the flat end of the handle nicely substitutes for a pestle.
MORE TRADITIONAL CLEAVERS
Four we liked for the way they worked and in some cases the value for the frugal buyer.
Forshner
Henckels
Shun
wusthof
OTHERS
CCK