Knife Knowledge/Knife basics: Chinese Cleaver vs. Everything... Every Knife!!!

[@rogersliu1200]

As a Chinese, what I can say is that Chinese is not one knife for all, but it's rather a good Chinese chef can do everything with one knife 😂

[@nadm]

That was an excellent point. I appreciate that.

[@slchang01]

if you look around most Chinese kitchens, this cleaver is the main knife they use for just about everything...They use to have a heavier bone/meat cleaver along with this one, but not anymore because the meat sellers are happy to cut it up for you with their cleavers. The average kitchen size is not large, so people just happy to have one that can do it all without having to find limited space for all those different knives...

[@adifferentangle7064]

Chinese is a one-knife cooking style. That doesn't mean all Chinese only cook with one knife, it means that the tradition of cooking was developed with one knife. This is because cooking in villages was done by people who did not have a lot of wealth, and prior to 1900 (or late 1800s) the process of making steel in China was more expensive compared to the rest of the world - they were still using the folding method to take out impurities, as Japanese still do today. Still, most villagers will probably have only one knife in their kitchen.

[@projectknifehand]

Soooooo one knife for all :)

[@tianl98765]

It is one kitchen knife for all cooking. But for things like peeling an apple, we definitely don't use this.

[@nukyoj]

One of the greatest things about the chinese knife to me, is that you can scoop up your chopped ingredient in 1 or 2 scoops. Transfer relatively long distances in the kitchen (to your pan/wok) without slowing down to keep balance of the ingredient on the knife and move on to chopping the next ingredient. It minimizes the time of being out the flow of chopping.

[@nadm]

I completely agree. I remember when I saw them doing it I thought that it was just so efficient. Excellent! Thank you for commenting.

[@Aidan42781]

I've also found some odd niche utilities such as brushing or pressing the flat side of the blade against fresh pasta sheets (tortellini, lasagna) for manual shaping/stretching/touchups that you can't really do effectively with a German or Japanese style knife, just as one example.

[@LuoJun2]

My Chinese wife introduced me to the cleaver. I use it for everything except opening the mail. Added bonus is I can use it for a bench scraper while I’m chopping stuff, so that saves time and effort in the kitchen and space in the drawers.

[@nadm]

Everyone always says they use it for that scraper. That's awesome

[@hairybear7705]

And you introduced her to the chopper?

[@Sunny-hc1bf]

I'm currently working in China in the area of archeological conservation, both in city and remote areas and I love to cook so I know a bit more about traditional Chinese knives. There are two main kinds of knives used by Chinese chiefs, one is the thinner clever you showed to cut vegetables, and the other one is the thicker clever you mentioned which can cut through meat and bone with ease. Those two are made and sharpened differently, the traditional vegetable clever uses much harder carbon steel and is sharpened at a set (smaller) angle, this allows it to retain its sharpness much better and is more comfortable to use for a longer period of time. The thicker clever are used by chiefs to cut through meat and bones, they are capable of cutting through multiple rib bones with one chop and are made with milder steel to prevent the blade from chipping, the cross-section of the edge is also shaped like the top half of a water drop, it makes it significantly tougher and is easier to grind with a single stone (after prolonged use the stone will develop a concaved shape making it easier to use on a meat clever). Traditional Chinese butchers use two knives, one is the meat clever, and the other one is a knife shaped like a cow's ear, this knife has a much narrower edge and is used to both slaughter the animal and debone the meat. I do not know what type of steel this kind of knife uses. The traditional Chinese fruit vendor uses a knife very similar to the western chef's knife, only smaller, about 6"-7". The chief of the restaurant I frequent told me that he's tried the western style chef's knife but wasn't pleased with it, they aren't familiar with rocking their knife so it always leaves a layer of vegetables attached at the bottom. But more importantly, the Chinese vegetable clever provides better leverage when cutting through tougher vegetables such as potatoes or carrots, and it's faster and safer to use when cutting through a bundle of vegetables, such as chives or green onions as they can keep their fingers against the back of the blade. Hope this helps, thank you for your video!

[@nadm]

I definitely appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thank you for watching the channel and we always appreciate any education we can get from our viewers. We are not above learning and I am humbled by your comment. I’m glad we did represent the product somewhat well. I have bought several other Cleaver since then, and I do agree that the thicker softer metal seems appropriate for the heavier chopping knife. I was glad to learn about the fixed angle on the slicer. I was pretty sure, but not completely. I also believe in more of a convex edge on the thick chopper. We did a video on that for a different nice but a lot of thickness behind the edge would be sufficient. Good luck in your travels and once again, we appreciate any comment you have any video. Sometimes people don’t understand that it’s not what you say, but how you say it. You said it very well!

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Great insight, but please, it's cleaver* (clever = smart).

[@nadm]

@@einundsiebenziger5488 that I typed that wrong somewhere? I don’t know if Siri made a mistake while I was dictating. I apologize.

[@DavidLee-yu7yz]

@@nadm There were too mistake by the translation but not a problem as was understood, and was well articulated, Chinese Ancient Society and Archaeology must be wonderful to be working in and learning from. A Chinese friend told me many years ago that the Ancient Civilization of China and it's culture was far superior to the Japanese. As they (said Japanese) adopted what little they understood about China and made it their own and so much of the Chinese Tradition was lost, maybe deliberately as we will never know.

[@sandraankenbrand]

Since I've been living in Hong Kong I use only this one knife. Moving often it's absolute perfect for my lifestyle

[@nadm]

Nice!

[@watcherquek263]

Exactly. My dad had even used the same knife to do Chinese sashimi (鱼生）but the ultra thin version cutting through the fish bones. The only time he uses 2 knives is to mince pork belly, double-barrel style. He cooked for the family over 30 years using only 1 type of knife: the cleaver

[@nadm]

Thank you for that.

[@charlesmangum2100]

Love my Chinese cleaver.

[@lenp00]

As yes, the cleaver. I bought a ‘dollar store’ cleaver for around $3.00 a few years ago. It’s from a company in Malaysia called Samaria Cutlery. It is without a doubt my go-to kitchen knife. Best $3.00 I ever spent!

[@nadm]

That's awesome! That's incredible!

[@steelydan133]

whats the name? or brand?

[@Mr00Simple]

@@steelydan133 haven't seen the samaria cutlery own $3 cleaver but it does exist. Maybe they have change it to proedge cleaver 6"/7". As the price (with inflation) are the nearest from their own online store.

[@steelydan133]

@@Mr00Simple Thank you

[@lenp00]

@@Mr00Simple Yes, it is the 6" Proedge cleaver. Unfortunately I have been unable to re-source them in N. America.

[@iqbang9236]

In the past, it took a Chinese chef three years to master this cleaver for all kinds the cutting skills and get familiar with all the recipes BEFORE he could start learning how to cook.

[@nadm]

Thanks for sharing

[@jamesward5721]

I agree - I have one cheap chinese cleaver - the steel used is surprisingly good, it holds a razor edge for weeks - I use it for cutting everything & our house is like a restaurant so much food gets cooked (by me). If it was rubbish, I'd go buy whatever knife I fancied, but the one cheap 8" cleaver meets every need. There's drawers full of way fancier knives but I never reach for them - the cleaver does it all.

[@nadm]

BOOM! There you go folks. That says it all! Thanks for coming and thanks for the support.

[@johnboyd7158]

Excellent video. I have been using traditional (French) chef's knives for 60 years. Just added a Nakiri a few years ago and must say it is a game changer. Your skills with the cleaver (Chinese knife) is impressive. Always looking to learn. Thanks

[@nadm]

I am always looking to learn. I know that I know nothing. I'm out here trying stuff and sharing with you what I am learning. This week I learned a lot on the Tormek T8. That'll be coming to you at some point. Filling my head full of knowledge and experience to make the world a better place. Thanks for your support!

[@Hyper_Driven]

I remember growing up watching Martin Yan on Yan Can Cook and all he would use was the cleaver for everything. Maybe once in a while a snail paring knife to do some small cuts on a vegetable for garnishing but that’s it. I enjoy learning and experimenting with the different style of knives and what works best for me, but for most things one knife can work well especially as a home cook. Thank you for the time to share your thoughts in the kitchen. And the blooper was a good add. LoL.

[@nadm]

Some people thought I did a blooper on purpose. I knew his name and then I just forgot at the moment of being on camera. We try to film consecutively so it just wasn't hitting at the time. I think the knife is a great all-around knife but you and I both know that specialty knives are exactly that. They are better for individual task. It's nice to have one knife that can do the majority of the work. It just takes a while to get used to.

[@Hyper_Driven]

@@nadm yea for sure. Speciality knives do come in handy for certain tasks. Especially when you have that one task to do and you have to do it over and over and over again preparing for many servings of the same dish. Using the cleaver to do those small tasks over and over might get tiring. Although for a home cook using the cleaver to do those tasks can be easily accomplished, the specialty knives do have their place. Plus it’s fun using the different knives for their intended use to be more efficient and for practice.

[@zengken9227]

Chinese here, I use three knifes in most of the time. Two cleavers for raw material and cooked food respectively, and a chopper for hard bones. Used to use one cleaver for all until I found some garlic flavor in watermelon...Then I got another smaller knife for fruits only.

[@nadm]

Thank you for that. I do love it when I see them use the knife for the type of dumplings. That's really cool too!

[@J_LOVES_ME]

I picked up a Yukihiro Sakai Hinokuni Shirokuro chuka and that thing is like a laser! It cuts so effortlessly that it's almost like not even cutting! Absolutely perfect weight and thinness. Best knife purchase I've made in a long time. I just cut a giant bowl of potatoes and it sliced them up so thin and so fast, it was almost as fast as doing it on my mandolin. I am sold on these!

[@nadm]

Man that was a mouthful. Congratulations. I kept wondering if I needed to get a mandolin just because of its accuracy and health and it can get.

[@es330td]

My mother bought me Martin Yan’s knife nearly 30 years ago. It is still the first and often only knife i use.

[@nadm]

Nice! I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@waynethebarber1095]

I do all the home cooking. (64yo guy) I got a cheep Nakiri style knife and fell in love with it. Then it want dull ( getting a stones set soon!) Then I got a taller Chinese knife and love that too. I had to get a thick backed Chinese cleaver to learn about the thin blade. I don't use my other 2 butcher blocks of knifes anymore. I know I will yes a boning knife when it comes to cutting up a deer. But that's it. My other 3 knifes were bought from a Chinese grocery store. From the back wall in a pile of boxes. I plan to learn how to sharpen better so I can keep them sharp. Someday I may pay more. But that won't be soon. I have watched your videos on sharpening, and have learned a lot. Thanks for all you do here.....

[@nadm]

Thank you for coming. That was a cool story. I appreciate you very much. Congratulations to your success.

[@marupengod]

/Home cook but have been using the chinese cleaver for a full year now and absolutely love it. Have been using it exclusively for a while now too.

[@nadm]

Nice and congratulations

[@StupidBadyXD]

Once you go Chinese chef knife, you never go back lol. Is just so versatile, and good skill with 1 knife > 100 different knife for 100 different task.

[@wngimageanddesign9546]

"Your Kung Fu is most impressive." Yup, if you can master the technique of a cleaver, it's a very versatile knife....it's remarkable to watch a chef wield one.

[@nadm]

I agree. It takes a minute but you really can do it all

[@ghw7192]

I like anything with a blade, so I have bunches of different types of knives and all of them get used, but decades ago, Martin Yan was marketing the Chinese cleaver he uses, so I bought one. I use it a lot, but I sometimes wish that the blade as wider. It looks like I might have an excuse, I mean reason to get another knife! A very informative video! Thank you!

[@nadm]

I really appreciate you checking out the channel and taking the time to comment. That’s very interesting that you bought the one he sold. I’d love a link and see what it looks like.

[@ghw7192]

This was at least 35 years ago and was done through PBS, so no links exist that I can find. Maybe on eBay, but online searches have so far pulled up the wrong cleaver. Sorry.

[@hellosheila]

10:03 I love how your dog put it's head down in shame just as you said "I need to work on this".

[@nadm]

Lol, she knew I was much better with the Usuba. Definitely couldn't figure out how to do it with the cleaver. I've gotten much better. She just knows she's gotta be patient with her dad. No attention!

[@Giants4641]

Yan can cook. He was one of the 1st TV chefs n only used the big butcher knife. Man i loved warching martin yan. I still catch some of his stuff

[@nadm]

Yes, sir! I had a brain fart that day, but I was very aware of it. I have appreciated everyone coming to my rescue. I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@Giants4641]

@@nadm good luck !

[@nycgweed]

Great video and on the mark! When I was in Hong Kong years ago I was amazed by the cleaver assortment as well!

[@nadm]

Oh wow! Thank you for that! Congratulations on living there. That's awesome!

[@_blood_moon_proto_1500]

i just got a knife of this type, its a cheap mass produced one that pro chefs seem to like, but its my first personally owned knife and i look forwards to testing it later today, it'll only see very light vegetable and mushroom prep today, but it still stands as its first test, i am looking to my first experience with this kind of knife it'll also be my first time cooking with sous vide and pan searing meat, it'll also be my first time properly using my new iron skillet too.... yes i am getting into home cooking despite being a trained to be a cook years prior

[@nadm]

I'm sorry I'm late to comment on this but you're gonna definitely enjoy your new cooking technique. I love it but it's called dead food if you don't pan sear it afterwards so I'm glad to hear that you're doing that. Take the food out and pad it dry and re-season it and you are good to go. Good luck with everything. I'm so excited for you. I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@_blood_moon_proto_1500]

@@nadm ouch, either way, its quite alright and yea, sous vide went down well, my dad loved the steak and everyone is obsessed with my vacuum sealer too, although i seasoned the meat before sous vide cooking, it worked amazingly, also i love my Chinese slicing cleaver, so versatile and soo good, and thats talking about its out of the box sharpness, i've done a good bit with it and i love it for that, i just gotta get a whetstone, which will be fun.. considering the knife was £40 and that left my skint for the month

[@banshong3997]

Fyi, Chinese have one cutting board, made out of a thick tree trunk. It doesn't warp, it's easy to clean and it's gentle on the cutting edge because being made of wood it doesn't dull the blade edge compared to hitting against a hard surface. Also using wood helps to keep bacteria down as wood has antiseptic properties

[@nadm]

I would love for you to send me a link. That would be amazing. I don't know if something you gotta do yourself or if you could buy one.

[@seanlee3863]

I have a whole knife set and this is the knife I end up using the most, the height of the blade makes it easier for me to guide it with my fingers and can scoop up large quantities of food to transport it to the pan. Also great for smashing vegetables like a cucumber to make a cucumber salad or cold dish if you want some rough surfaces that grips sauce. I just got a wok and been using it for just about everything. You should do a review on woks

[@nadm]

It's nice to have specialty knives. Some knives are better at certain task. But it is good to have that one kmife that you can just use for everything.

[@cpk313]

I have a few Fujiwara knives, they are very good

[@nadm]

Very nice. Very sharp! Very brittle… I love hate relationship.

[@Lokesvararaja]

As a non-mainland non-subland Chinese, as from older tradition, we don't use cleaver only at least until recent 200 years, some of us still use our original glaive. It goes back to the Three Kingdom era.

[@nadm]

Wow!

[@hehehoho3770]

I've been using mine (bought at a supermarket for cheap) for years now and it's almost always the only one I need.

[@nadm]

I agree. If you're skilled then you're good

[@SuperSaiyan73]

Your wife forgetting to record was very funny. Glad you left it in!

[@nadm]

We were and sre still learning. Thank you!

[@jamesyeh7106]

I’m Taiwanese, when my godmother taught me to cook she taught me to do everything with just a single knife a Chinese Cleaver-a chopper. She always said if you’re a good cook or chef who knows how to properly use a knife it’s the only knife you need nothing more

[@nadm]

Thank you for that. God bless!

[@pengzhang5081]

很抱歉 没有台湾人 台湾岛屿上的是日本纳粹分子的后代 和大洋洲矮黑人的后代 入侵中国🇨🇳台湾省 Ok 哈哈哈 😄

[@waynethebarber1095]

I have both kinds of knife. Mine are cheep, but they both work. I love them both. I have other knifes too. I go by what mood I am in...

[@nadm]

I completely agree. You never know how you feel that day and sometimes you just want something special.

[@dawggonevidz9140]

I switched to this style of thin cleaver about 5 years ago. I'm just a home cook, all I do is cook for myself, but I have to say it's nice to just have one knife to rule them all. Most of my meat is packaged and already deboned, and in spite of people saying it's a veggie knife, the thinner cleaver works fine for cutting red and white meat and fish. I fly through chicken breasts to make stir fry strips, and rapidly process beef roasts to go into marinates before they hit the dehydrator. I'm even happy deboning and portioning chicken wings with it or breaking down a whole bird for roasting, it works. Thing is, I didn't get some fancy one. I bought mine in a village in Thailand for about $1.50 while I was holiday and packed it in my luggage to bring it home because I liked using it so much. True story here, I told everyone it was a Thai style chef's knives for the first year I used it, didn't know it was a Chinese traditional thing until I saw one on youtube. Oh, edit, a lot of people don't realise it but the "point" at the heel (the end of the blade next to the handle) can be used for incredibly fine detail work once you get the technique of using it that way down pat.

[@nadm]

I grab this thing all the time. It cleans up well and it's got nice weight and you can scrape up the food very easily and it's hard to beat for under $100. I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@6AxisSage]

The latest knife in my collection is a chinese vegetable cleaver and its my new favorite! Now I want one with a super blue core!

[@nadm]

I think it's an excellent addition to the collection. I do think it takes a certain amount of skill and confidence but something you just have to get used to. Congratulations on your purchase!

[@sonkekoster3105]

I love my chinese cleaver. I agree it's good for everything in the kitchen. I had some cooking classes in china and learned how to use it. The Kurosaki cleaver is a dream. I will look out for it.

[@nadm]

Congratulations on taking that class. That’s awesome! He’s got a new cleaver out now that’s really nice. You should definitely grab it

[@realtorkevinfung]

Martin YAN is the chef. I've always wanted to master his tricks but don't cook often.

[@nadm]

Thank you. I am adding your comment to the other 200 people who told me. I knew his name but I just forgot it in the middle of recording. I watched several of his videos many times and have done it close to 18 seconds. I know I'm gonna beat it. I just keep buying chickens

[@KemAMP]

@@nadm Yeah but don't dispose of the carcasses, do stock

[@robertwalker1849]

My first really good knife was a stainless Japanese made Chinese chef's knife aka Cleaver used it for everything for a long time; still do when cooking Chinese food you can do all cooking tasks with it, Bought a vintage carbon steel Nakiri for $35.00 to try out, love the thing terroriflingly sharp.

[@nadm]

Congratulations on being ahead of the game. Also, congratulations on your new find. Don’t hurt yourself.

[@speedstriker]

Chinese here, and yeah, this is totally how it is. At several points, my family decided to buy a "knife set" to better match all the "professional" cooking demonstrations, but eventually, the huge collection of different knives just went from collecting dust on the cooking counter to collecting dust in boxes. The only two knives I still use to cook beside the Chinese caidao(vegetable knife) is the nicely shaped tomato knife and the steak knife. Granted, it's for eating steak, but it's thin shape can be handy sometimes for opening packages and slicing through tendons and joints. Using any other knives is just a pointless hassle and a waste of time and water.

[@nadm]

Thank you for your input! I really love hearing from you.

[@anasevi9456]

I main a Chinese knfe too, shiba made caidao. I only ever use a thin flexible western style filleting knife for when I really want to get every fleck of meat off the bones.. otherwise nothing but my caidao for veg and meat, as i use the leftover bones for stock so they need not be too clean. I think it goes back to the fact that Chinese meat dishes either are fully bone in as with fish, or little bits as with cow/pig/chicken.. unlike a steak, chicken fillet or what not common in western Cuisine.. And somewhat japanese cuisine. Oversimplifying, but as much as i love my caidao i can sympathise with other knives, just I prep best with it.

[@adifferentangle7064]

One knife and a pair of scissors. That's all cutting equipment you need.😆

[@paolohou]

my wife bought me a whole fancy set of german knives but I barely use them. it most likely a decoration compare to my chinese cleaver. lol I can do everything with that cleaver. Especially I can scoop all chopping ingredients to pan directly with my cleaver. and it is fast and clean for preparing my next chopping ingredients.

[@nadm]

I understand that. German, those are also very sharp. If you are proficient with this one ninth that it's all you'll need. My only concern with the inexpensive knife is can you get a nice Edge. I can't wait to hear back from you.

[@robpelarde4734]

I have for 10yrs I luv it, for everything ❤️

[@nadm]

Thank you for that!!! Enjoy!!

[@officialmichaeltan]

This is quality content! Great cultural context, demos, and personality!

[@nadm]

Wow, thank you! We've been around a little while longer now we're starting to relax. We definitely had to take a while to just become calm and enjoy the show. Thank you for coming and the support.

[@cdanielh128]

Thanks for this video. I recently went looking for a cleaver review and no one using it knew how. I get frustrated when people say its too much knife for the kitchen. Tell that to the chinese who have been using these for hundreds of years in the kitchen. When I learned to use one it took center stage in my kitchen. I still have other knives and enjoy my chefs blade which I was trained to use in the professional kitchens but when the mood strikes I grab the cleaver. Gets the job done well.

[@nadm]

Thank you for your expertise! It's great to hear your experience.

[@adifferentangle7064]

Thousands of years, not hundreds.

[@corvairfanatic7106]

Yan Can Cook. Real knife skills and techniques.

[@nadm]

Absolutely. He can cook.

[@Laszlomtl]

"Martin Yan" is the Chinese chef who cuts up a chicken in record time with a clever!

[@nadm]

It's funny that so many people have come to my rescue with his name.

[@christopherposten4177]

there is a Chinese cleaver stule that is thicker near the handle for the purpose of slicing up front and chopping near the handle

[@nadm]

Thank you so much! I did notice that. I now own a real Chinese cleaver. We’re gonna be comparing them in a video coming up.

[@stvdmc2011]

Great demo.....seem like I'll need to go and get a Chinese clever. One all purpose knife.

[@nadm]

It can seem clunky at first so it takes a second to get used to. Good luck!

[@super2068]

There is non credit for me to take. But still I feel proud as a Chinese watching your video and reading the comments to it. Thank you, chef.😊😊

[@nadm]

Well, you honor me with your comment very much. That’s incredible for you to take the time to say that. I’m glad I did you justice. I did order a Chinese Cleaver. I have it. It’s by CCK! We’re gonna shoot another video where we compare the knives. I’m just a humble student, loving learning and sharing with you what I find. God bless you.

[@super2068]

@@nadm The most famous, traditional, over hundred years old brand in China is 王麻子. I don't know how they translate it but it pronounces Wang Ma Zi, meaning pockmarked face Wang. Another equally famous and old brand is 张小泉, Zhang XiaoQuan. But the CEO ruined their own reputation recently. The knife broke when a customer tried to smash garlic with it. So the customer complained on internet. The CEO stepped up, didn't apologize but blamed the Chinese people's cooking method being wrong and told us no Michelin chef in the western world would smash garlic with cooking knife. Then the Chinese internet community blasted Zhang Xiaoquan really hard. A German brand, Zwilling, makes Chinese cleavers too and they had the same problem. They replied that they were sorry they didn't know Chinese cooking method well enough and promised to improve the quality of their products to meet our needs.

[@super2068]

My English must be odd to the people from English speaking country. I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable too much. I just do my best to make myself understood.😂😂

[@nadm]

@@super2068 it is incredible and we thank you so much.

[@turing2376]

I used to use victorinox german-style chef knife for everything with no problem. Even used it for paring knife duty because I didn't have a good paring knife at the time and didn't know much but it worked fine for that too, coring strawberries or whatever. That was just home cooking, but I don't really see this cleaver as so much more versatile, I don't know, at least as a home cook.

[@nadm]

Yes, you can use one. Nice to do a lot of things. Specialty knives. Do a better job but really if you're just get it using a knife, then you can do it all with just one. Pick your favorite!

[@thatbeme]

Thank you very much 🙂❤️

[@nadm]

You’re welcome 😊

[@DrJKee]

Yes it rocks! Both literally and figuratively

[@nadm]

I'm not sure if I'm good at rocking a cleaver but you must be awesome at it

[@DrJKee]

@@nadm with enough practice, anyone can be Martin Yan!!

[@nadm]

@@DrJKee I am now ridiculously fast. I like my technique better actually. I think he misses stuff for the sake of showmanship

[@trappenweisseguy27]

I have a Chinese one piece stainless slicing (not butchering) cleaver that has a little bit taller profile than yours. Brand is “Feiqui” . I used it for a few years but got tired of the weight. Mine weighs 439 grams, which is pretty close to a pound. I just found it fatiguing to use over time. The “scoopability” to the big flat blade is elite though.

[@nadm]

Thank you for that! Mine is lightweight. I'll have to start considering that when I use it. I appreciate your input.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

Mine’s one of the big suckers with the integral stainless handle. Given a do over I’d have bought smaller with a wooden handle.

[@nadm]

@@trappenweisseguy27 someone said that on Facebook. They said go with a round handle instead of octagonal. Because of the weight.

[@bobbyhempel1513]

I find that a medium sized nigiri style knife with a straight edge square heel and nicely rounded toe is great for just about everything in the kitchen. Although I really love my solid stainless steel saladmaster paring knife.

[@nadm]

We each have our own. I like a good heavy chef knife. I do enjoy specialty knives and pairing knives are very important. Congratulations on your phone.

[@bobbyhempel1513]

@@nadm "congratulations on your phone"?

[@nadm]

@@bobbyhempel1513 lol, that’s a Siri mistake. I’m sorry. I meant congratulations to your purchase and your knife. Lol! Sorry about that.

[@paolohou]

I came to Canada in year of 2003. I bought 2 unknown named Chinese cleavers from a chinese supermarket. both together cost 20 bucks or less. I still use them for 20 years. I love cooking so my wife bought me a fancy set of German knives. I barely use them. it is more likely a decoration for my kitchen. 😂 last year, I put the whole set into my garadge because it takes big space on kitchen counter top. I can easily put my 2 cleavers into drawer.

[@nadm]

Do you have both the chopping and slicing?

[@weslee6637]

Im a knife fanatic since a teenager going from pocket knives to now kitchen knives lol. I bought a bunch of blades but i always go back to the good ol cleaver. Every chinese home cook only uses only the cleaver hahs

[@nadm]

Try not to go broke!

[@freeman10000]

If I was forced to choose one knife at gunpoint it would have to be a Chinese chef's knife.

[@beverlyz9215]

Wow! Your techniques are awesome!

[@nadm]

You are very kind. Very kind of Dee. I appreciate your compliment.

[@HH-nz3vc]

There are other knives that Chinese use but the cleaver is generally used for most functions in the kitchen. This applies to home cooks and many restaurant cooks. Serious butchering utilize different shapes and sizes. Out of those two Japanese-made cleavers shown, the bigger one is closer to a typical Chinese cleaver. The smaller one seems like a hybrid of Chinese and Japanese. I have never seen a Chinese made blade with hammer marks unless it was an OEM for a foreign company. It’s not a traditional feature.

[@nadm]

Yes indeed! That's why this was a Japanese made version of a Chinese night. We are on our way to purchase a Chinese knife and then we will do an episode where we compare the two.

[@ObeseChess]

I recently bought a Seisuke cleaver - I liked how it felt in my hand better than the options from SBZ and CCK - and it’s replaced every other knife I own. Very cool video.

[@nadm]

I have the CCK in, so I will be looking into it when I get a chance to use it. Thank you for your input.

[@olan5668]

What minimum sharpening angle for multipurpose chinese cleaver (vegetables and bones)? and what max HRC for this?

[@nadm]

I would tell you that an actual Chinese cleaver would be a little softer than this knife so it doesn't chip. I would imagine somewhere between 59 and 60. I would also not normally sharpen it down to 15° which I'm sure this one is. I would probably leave the edge little thicker somewhere between 17 and 20° with the blade thickness being a little thicker and probably convex. This is a Japanese version of a Chinese nice. He did it to be impressive and aesthetically pleasing while being a good slicer. The Chinese normally make two different types of Cleaver. One is a chopper and one is a slicer. If you're doing a slice or you could definitely go down to 15° but just do not use it on bone. The much thicker meat cleaver would be the one that's convex and slightly softer steel so you don't break it in half.

[@1paultv22]

I have about 8 to 10 Chinese cleavers and I enjoy them all but they are a Jack of all trades and a master of none. All I know is that a meal costs me between $8 and $15 at local Chinese restaurants. At Japanese sushi restaurants where everything looks like artwork, prices start at about $50 and work up to well over $100.

[@nadm]

I agree that it's versatile but definitely is not a specialized tool. You are correct. They do try to work on more artistic things in the Japanese culture. The Chinese are very efficient.

[@13_13k]

I have nice kitchen knives, a mixture of German, Japanese, and American, and the knife I use most is my Chinese Cleaver made by Lamson in America. Thin, slight belly square front and heel, razor sharp, holds an edge well and I use it for everything from hard chopping to detail and precision work. I have a smaller Chicago cleaver, thicker spine and blade, better for chopping through bone, rounded front corner, good cleaver but not like the Chinese style.

[@nadm]

I definitely think there's the right knife for the job. It's cool that there can be one night that can kind of get it all done. But specialty knobs are exactly that, they specialize in performing a certain task. It's good to see you have all the different ones because the flexible steel is as important as the hard steel. Enjoy your collection. It sounds like it's a great one!

[@13_13k]

@@nadm --- Thank You. I agree with you about what you wrote in your reply. There are definitely the right knives for every job, otherwise there would only be one type of knife available. The knife is a tool and you need the right tool to get certain jobs done correctly and efficiently. I am a knife or blade enthusiast. I have knives for fishing, camping, pocket knives for work (daily drivers) 3 straight razors for shaving, military issued survival knives, hatchets, axes, and kitchen/cooking knives. I have Arkansas and Japanese whet stones cotton and leather strops, for honing and polishing. It sounds a lot cooler than it really is. Hahahahahaha

[@nadm]

@@13_13k enjoy and thank you for your experiences and your expertise. Enjoy your collection. Thanks for your support and we always appreciate comments. You have more experience than I do with a variety of knives with your outdoorsmanship.

[@everydayden5826]

I know this post is a couple of years old now, but Martin Yan out of Boston is the chef that breaks down a chicken in 18 seconds or so with the cleaver. Check out his show " Yan Can Cook " to watch him do it.

[@nadm]

I've definitely seen it many times. I had a brain fart that day. I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@everydayden5826]

@@nadm Best wishes to you and yours with everything going on in your lives. Thank you for taking the time to respond and I'm glad you have seen Martin do his magic. He is amazing !! -- den

[@mmgg18]

talking about Chinese chef knife, you all missed its non-cutting function. it also serves as a shovel you can use to carry a big pile of food to the wok quickly.

[@theredbar-cross8515]

The nakiri design is also seen in Korea in a nearly identical form (but usually with a full tang). It's the older design of the Chinese cleaver for centuries ago. The design evolved in China to be taller and always with a full tang (to support bone cleaving), but in Japan and Korea, it stayed as it was originally. Until the 19th century, the nakiri and deba were the only two kinds of knives found in Japan, one for veg, and another for fish. Another fun fact is that you will never find a Chinese cleaver made in China from carbon steel, alway stainless, and always soft steel, usually 56 HRC or lower. These are meant to bend and be honed and sharpened often. All Chinese families own a whetstone.

[@liahfox5840]

Serbians have a similar knife. One is like the Chinese, but has a curved top like a fish head. You can do pretty much everything with it. As always, the user, the most important aspect. There is no single best. It's what is best for the chef in question.

[@nadm]

Yes they do. You are correct! No one knife is the best for everything. It's nice to have something that's very versatile but specialty knives are exactly that.

[@anthonyisdead]

i brought a chinese style cleaver about 15 years ago for around 8$..still have to this day, still use it everyday.

[@nadm]

That is beautiful and amazing! Congratulations on such a find.

[@anthonyisdead]

@@nadm Thank you!

[@dyrectory_com]

My 'grandfather' also used the clever to intimidate the teens who came into our yard and stole an item. He followed them down the lane way until they dropped what they took. 👍🏼

[@nadm]

SMH!!! Lol

[@Hyper_Driven]

Proving that you can use the cleaver for just about everything. Including self defense. 😂

[@nadm]

@@Hyper_Driven THIS!!

[@philipp594]

Try the biggest cck, you won't mind reprofiling a cheaper knife to your liking and the little extra weight will help when push cutting. His name is Martin Yan - his show is named Yan can cook and has been the longest running cooking show on american television.

[@nadm]

I have purchased that knife. I don't know if it's the biggest. We haven't shot a video with it yet. Yes I know his name but I was forgot it during the filming and it's so funny because everyone's gone out of their way to tell me. He's a great guy and I definitely enjoyed watching his show but for some reason I just could not think of it. Probably a low-carb moment. Thank you for helping and yes I'm excited to use that new knife

[@georgeuychang]

I also use the Chinese cleaver knife all my life, fine it more practical to use.

[@nadm]

Thank you for that. I really do appreciate the comment.

[@luisg6404]

the chef is Martin Yan. he cuts up the bird in like 5 seconds. it's an amazing video if you can find it

[@nadm]

Yes, indeed. I believe it’s 18 seconds. He’s great!

[@wRAAh]

The cleaver is fantastic and very versatile (I bought a beautiful Sugimoto cleaver in the old fish market in Tolkyo), but my goto knife still is the kamagata usuba.

[@nadm]

Congratulations on being proficient with that nice. That's amazing!

[@CrimeVid]

I have far more knives than I strictly need, I swap round to amuse myself, I inherited one of those one piece steel handled Chinese cleavers, only sharpened on the right side, it’s pretty hard too. It is no better than an 8” Chefs knife but I like to use it forChinese food prep, kind of getting in to the the zone ! My real favourite is an 11” Sabatier (Elephant) that I bought second hand twenty years ago,and lord knows how old it was then.

[@nadm]

I was going to buy a Sabatier myself. I haven't gotten around to it. Glad to hear that you like it. I know what you mean by being in the zone. Sometimes you just go to a different place.

[@tonglianheng]

I use the Chinese slicer to break apart chickens and skin it too. It is in fact the best knife for that purpose. The most important thing to watch for is that you don't chop the bones, you just find the joins, first dislocate them and then just cut into the gap. Skinning is also very easy, you press one edge of the skin on the chopping board with the edge of the blade, which will grab the skin firmly on the board and just pull with the other hand, skin will be pulled off very easily. The relative heft and large size of the knife really provides leverage and strength. You can break apart a chicken, and completely skin it in a few minutes.

[@nadm]

Thank you for your expertise. You can tell you've done that a lot. I love practicing and I look forward to it. Thank you for your support and we really do appreciate your comments. It helps everyone.

[@Masanajae]

It depends on what kind of food you make. If you make sushi you will need yanagiba to slice fish pieces, neta, with out breaking cells.

[@nadm]

I agree. I was just saying that you can do all the different things with his knife. Obviously, having a specific knife or a specific job is the way to go. But if you needed to slice a piece of fish you could technically do it.

[@dennylam269]

True one Chinese cleaver will replace all those knives. But speaking from experience, by the time I was semi-proficient with the cleaver, I had developed a couple of calluses. So, after not having to do much prep work anymore and the calluses disappeared, I now prefer a good old 8" chef's knives for most home cooking.

[@nadm]

We are going to explore a real Chinese cleaver versus this Japanese version of the Chinese cleaver. I agree with you that every night need some type of proficiency.

[@rrosen1]

I have a Chinese cleaver that I bought 25 years ago in Boston China Town for $20. There is nothing better.

[@nadm]

I use mine all the time. I really do grab it all the time. I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@randmayfield5695]

I have a favorite made by the Mybuttitchy knife company of Asia. It has a funny odor but can it cut things up.

[@nadm]

lol

[@reddog694uk]

Oh, You mean Martin Yan ?....Great Vid and at a speed i can cope with, Many Thanks !!

[@nadm]

Yes, indeed! Thanks for coming out and checking this out. Really appreciate it.

[@Jacky_xu]

love your video, very helpful. If you were to chop the chicken into pieces(though bones), which cutting board would you use?

[@nadm]

That is a great question. My first choice is sanitation. The synthetic rubber would be absorbent and antibacterial. I'm a really big fan of the Hasagawa

[@Jacky_xu]

@@nadm wouldn't it leave knife marks and cracks on the hasegawa from this heeavy chopping?

[@nadm]

@@Jacky_xu You would think so. But I really like that board it can take a beating. I mean I really like that board. I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest for chopping in the first place but I’m really not worried about it taking a beating. I think you would feel the blade sticking a little bit. Other than that I would tell you just for ease of use I would use the edge grain. Everyone loves the end grain boards but there’s so many parts and the pieces expand and contract and create cracks. I would personally stick with an edge grain board made of walnut and maple

[@Jacky_xu]

@@nadm thank you soo much for this helpful information

[@donaldbrennan258]

I’ve seen marathon runners who don’t breath as heavy as you peeling a cucumber😂

[@nadm]

Yes and they probably don't have asthma. So that was an older video and I have acute asthma. He must be very nice for them to not have to supper from a breathing condition. It must be very nice for you to not have to suffer from a breathing condition. Should I stop living my life? Should I just never try anything ever again simply because I have a breathing condition?

[@donaldbrennan258]

@@nadm no keep making videos I enjoyed it. Just thought it was funny. I sometimes breath like that after a rough #2. Wasn’t meant to hurt your feelings just a humorous observation.

[@nadm]

@@donaldbrennan258 we are trying to lose weight. We had been really thin and lean when we did bodybuilding shows. I had gained weight from shingles and really needed to lose it. We were working on it before Covid and then Covid. We had lost a tremendous amount of weight before March and we were breathing great and then I was in a very bad car accident. We are on the path again to lose weight. I’m able to walk on my leg but it’s very weak. We know how to lose weight because we’ve lost 120 pounds before but cardio is difficult right now with the bad knee. We will get it under control. We’re working on it. If you wanna keep doing this for a while.

[@JGreen.]

What's the name of that Chinese chef knife? I'm interested to buy one

[@nadm]

Martin Yan!

[@scuzzbee]

Yan can cook is the 18 second chicken breakdown 😀video you are talking about.

[@nadm]

I am very close to the 18 seconds. You'll notice that he does a little shopping after the 18 seconds he does a little tidying up so I'm trying to make sure I go by his timing not my timing

[@georgeuychang]

Nice Job...

[@nadm]

Many many thanks

[@ravenclawph2000]

what brand is your chinese cleaver? thanks

[@nadm]

This one is by the Japanese blacksmith Kurosaki!

[@adrienbrune7140]

Thanks for the vidéo! What would be the top 3 vegetable chinese cleaver, it’s really hard to choose

[@nadm]

Good question! There's one that's actually from China and you don't have to spend a lot of money on. www.chefknivestogo.com/cckbonechopper.html www.chefknivestogo.com/cckcleaver1.html www.chefknivestogo.com/cckkaukoch.html

[@xmuas9681]

Great idea of how to cut chicken

[@nadm]

Glad you liked it!

[@leonzhang7821]

In chinese, the slicer is called Cài Dāo. Vegetable knife.

[@nadm]

Thank you

[@guoxianwu6797]

I am a Chinese and I think cleaver does have some advantage because of the weight. Then again, you can do the same thing when you use other knives. I use a western chef knife daily because of its slimmer size. The chopping and other skills come with experience and knowledge of your food subject. Still, I am a one knife guy provided the knife has to be sharp.

[@nadm]

Thank you for your input. It's so nice to have you here. We like learning from your experience! I do believe that a knife that is made specifically for a task will outperform but it's really nice to have one knife that can do it all.

[@pengzhang5081]

You just are idiot 😅 中国刀具最实用 傻逼 为了讨好老外尽说一些傻逼的话

[@ThePremanand711]

Your pet Mr. Golden retriever is looking so sad or disappointed😔😔. Please make a video with him and all about him. So sweetest he's. And you've got a calendar with his new born pic😁

[@nadm]

She is very upset that we are not playing with her. That's her pouting. She's very good at pouting. She likes us to chase her.

[@wabben77]

That looks like an awesome knife. I will have to get one. The only thing I think it would be bad for is filleting fish, but I have a great knife for that already! thanks for the video I didn't know you could do so much with that one big knife :)

[@nadm]

I think someone with more skill can probably do it. I need more practice with that knife.

[@Bars1kTheCaT]

I think it depends on the type of fish. I used mine while filleting a halibut to a great success (so little meat was left on the bones, cats didn't even bother with them), but I think it's because halibut is made of quarters, rather than 2 halfs. For something like salmon I'd use a filleting knife for that flexibility.

[@nadm]

@@Bars1kTheCaT that’s awesome. You got some skills!

[@mrniusi11]

wow, none of the links are for a chinese cleaver. What's the point of any links if you don't link to the main feature in the video????

[@nadm]

Hey buddy, I’m sorry. The company who sold this knife did not have another one on the site. I have shared it with other people in the comments. Only look for some other links to put in the video. I can definitely hook you up with some links to other Chinese cleavers that I am in love with. I apologize

[@rgruenhaus]

The others aren't the same knives! I'm looking for the chopper type knife!

[@nadm]

You are correct. I have since purchased a big chopper. They are not the same.

[@lzl4226]

I'm Chinese and I only use two knives, the cleaver and the standard chef's knife. I have a paring knife that I got off a special deal because I thought I needed it, and then I just never touched it, it does look good sitting in the kitchen though. There's one more trick with the cleaver, you can beat people...... I meant meat with the back of the knife, you can tenderise the meat by beating it, not to a pulp, but gently with the back of the knife. But you can also break bones with the back of the knife..... say you have a leg (not human) bone, preferably frozen but whatever.... you can tap it on it from different angles by rotating with the back of the cleaver, then find a sterdy angle for it to sit on the board and tap it hard again and it will break. Although admittedly I've done it with my chef's knife too, the chef's knife also does everything, other than chopping a leg, or someone's spine..... I meant a chicken leg, and a chicken spine, you need a cleaver for that for sure.

[@nadm]

That was awesome and funny! It’s also true. Never thought of that but that’s cool. I think I would be a little afraid using the back of the knife and then having Blade come up to my face. Still amazing trick.

[@lzl4226]

@@nadm haha, well.... if you tap so hard that the knife bounces back to your face then you're probably doing something wrong. This is also why you rotate the bone and tap it from different points all the way around... so that its structure is weakened and cracked the final blow doesn't have to be so hard to the point that either the knife.... or the bone for that matter bounces up to anyone's face

[@lzl4226]

@@nadm I actually do this a lot with chicken bone, but with my chef's knife. Because I love eating chicken Maryland steak, so I debone them and store all the bones in the freezer for making stock later. When I need to use them, I want to break them so the marrow comes out, and I just go, tap tap tap, whack... the bones break very easily with nothing flying around the kitchen.

[@nadm]

@@lzl4226 nice 😊

[@islandtime2067]

Any idea on the blade angle of the cleaver?

[@nadm]

I have never thought of it. I'll have to try to figure that out. Thanks for asking the question!

[@islandtime2067]

@@nadm .. As a knife sharpener it is something debated all the time. I like a 12 to 14 degree for my cleaver and a little more for something not for shopping veggies.. Depending on the angle is how the knife should be used with things like an EDC going around 30 degrees or so

[@nadm]

@@islandtime2067 I would naturally think that it’s a little thicker just saw the edge isn’t so brittle. I appreciate that.

[@jaimel2037]

Great impression of the ol informercial steak knife ads!.,and yes,you got me,I have my card out ready to buy one!👌😎

[@nadm]

I'm just glad that you got something out of the video. It's definitely fun to use. Please do not mistake a Chinese cleaver for a meat cleaver because they are not the same thing. I'm going to be doing a video soon comparing the two of them.

[@peterlee9691]

I think historically is not that they only needed one knife, but most people all they had was one knife so they used it for everything out of necessity & chefs became proficient in it. Fish scaler, wood chopper......weapon.

[@nadm]

That's a great point.

[@danbaumann8273]

If you wanna see knife skills check out Martin Yan. Amazing. For a French style chef knife it’s Jacques Pepin. I saw him do the same super fast chicken cutting thing as Yan on some tv show. Both of those guys are ninja wizards with their knives. Good place to learn. Great video. I’m most tempted to get one of these Chinese chef knives.

[@nadm]

Thanks for checking out the channel and commenting. I have seen the Martin Yan video for cutting up the chicken but I didn’t really watch any of his other stuff. I’ll have to look into it. Jacques Pepin I think I’ve seen just a little bit as well so I’ll have to investigate

[@gamespot8527]

Good stuff

[@nadm]

Glad you enjoyed

[@alexdelgado4662]

I want this Chinese chef knife but can not find it on the site please help.

[@nadm]

Yeah he’s not making them. I listed some other ones in the comments that other guys make but he doesn’t make it any more

[@mariomartinez9857]

Where did you get the apron? Very nice one

[@nadm]

I would have to go way back and look. I don't use that apron anymore. My kids use it when they visit. One was custom-made for the show and is in the newer videos. It would take me a minute to find out. It was about $30 and I got it from Amazon.

[@nadm]

I can't find the link. I'm sorry

[@nissanelement43]

Lol the Dog is like "Don't mind me, just here for the food"

[@nadm]

I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@nissanelement43]

Lol I think you're mistaking me for someone else. But sorry to hear about your ordeal. I hope things get better for you

[@nadm]

@@nissanelement43 I just wanted to apologize for taking so long to get back to you.

[@markluke8447]

That chef is Martin Yan of Yan can cook. Very talented chef.

[@nadm]

Yes, thank you!