ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food & Equipment Reviews › Cooking Equipment Reviews › Chef's knife (or Gyuto) vs Cleaver
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Chef's knife (or Gyuto) vs Cleaver

post #1 of 8
6/10/12 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 

Curious to know which of the two knives (I suppose some wouldn't call a cleaver a "knife" but for the sake of argument...) which do you prefer to use 95% of the time? At home and/or at work. Love to hear from chefs and ex-chefs. 

Reply

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
The Making of a Chef Innovator, without the Pomp
post #2 of 8
6/10/12 at 4:53pm

probably not helping much but I have no real preference just yet...I probably need to play with the cleaver a bit more to say for sure though....see what advantages it has as I've yet to really make use of any (aside from moving food on the blade and crushing copious amounts of garlic.) I noticed a few of your previous threads mentioning the cleavers...have you actually bought one yet? If not I know of a dirt cheap one you can try.

Reply
post #3 of 8
6/10/12 at 5:11pm
Thread Starter 

Hi Brass, 

 

No. As I mentioned (in a few of my other threads) I'm temporarily staying in LA right now. Won't be buying till I'm home at the end of the year. So I haven't decided. But I think I'll start with a cleaver in the sub-$100 range. I'm sure I could find a sub-$50 CCK or Dexter. 

 

I asked about preference just out of curiosity. And to try to find out if there was any real reason why an experienced chef (or ex-chef) would choose a "chef's knife" over a "decent" cleaver. Or feel the need to have a chef's knife in addition to a cleaver.

 

I'll leave the $500+ Tadeda cleavers for the fanatics. :) Might order this $30 Dexter-Russell I saw on www.amazon.com though. Just for the Hell of it. Maybe I'll prefer using a cleaver (slicer...not a chopper) over a chef's knife (or Gyuto). 


Edited by BDD8 - 6/11/12 at 12:47am
Reply
post #4 of 8
6/11/12 at 4:58am

This is like asking if I'd rather have a car or a truck. I don't want to take a F-250 to the theater and I don't want to drive a Beamer to deer camp.

Two very different tools. Cleavers seem far less popular than Gyutos but I can't ever recall not having a cleaver in my kit.

Either way Gyuto 95+% of the time for me.

 

Dave

I think the most wonderful thing in the world is another chef. I'm always excited about learning new things about food.
Paul Prudhomme
Reply
post #5 of 8
6/11/12 at 10:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DuckFat View Post

This is like asking if I'd rather have a car or a truck. I don't want to take a F-250 to the theater and I don't want to drive a Beamer to deer camp.

Two very different tools. Cleavers seem far less popular than Gyutos but I can't ever recall not having a cleaver in my kit.

Either way Gyuto 95+% of the time for me.

 

Dave

Hi Dave,

 

Why for you a Gyuto 95% of the time? Do they not do the same work? Assuming the cleaver is for slicing (thinner profile..as opposed to a cleaver designed for chopping through bone. What is it about the design of a typical gyuto more suited to your style of cooking? Are there tasks a cleaver wouldn't be able to do for you that a gyuto can?

 

In some kitchens the cleaver is the main knife used (e.g. Chinese restaurants/homes). Utility knife...Indian homes.

Reply
post #6 of 8
6/11/12 at 11:09am

It took awhile to develop sufficient knife skills with a chef's knife so that I could do what I wanted to do as quickly and efficiently as I desired. 

 

I tried a Chinese knife for a few weeks, didn't reach that degree of proficiency, speed, and/or comfort, and have no real interest in using one again.   My feeling was that the wider blade of the Chinese knife was heavy and clumsy, didn't do western style portioning very well, and didn't help me do anything else better either.  To some extent my negative reaction was a product of not spending enough time with it; but on the other hand, why bother?

 

Neither style is inherently better than the other.  I doubt you'll find which kind of knife suits you better by analyzing them without giving each a fair trial. 

 

BDL 

What were we talking about?
 
http://www.cookfoodgood.com
Reply
post #7 of 8
6/11/12 at 1:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by boar_d_laze View Post

It took awhile to develop sufficient knife skills with a chef's knife so that I could do what I wanted to do as quickly and efficiently as I desired. 

 

I tried a Chinese knife for a few weeks, didn't reach that degree of proficiency, speed, and/or comfort, and have no real interest in using one again.   My feeling was that the wider blade of the Chinese knife was heavy and clumsy, didn't do western style portioning very well, and didn't help me do anything else better either.  To some extent my negative reaction was a product of not spending enough time with it; but on the other hand, why bother?

 

Neither style is inherently better than the other.  I doubt you'll find which kind of knife suits you better by analyzing them without giving each a fair trial. 

 

BDL 

I agree totally. I'll find out only by spending time using a cleaver (of which there are many varieties as you know...size, eight, some designed for chopping and others slicing). I've done all my cooking to date with a western style chef's knife. 

 

I posted this question because I was curious to know what experienced chef's and ex-chef's preferred at home or at work. And why. 

Reply
post #8 of 8
6/11/12 at 2:55pm

If you are referring to the lighter Chinese Cleaver type vs. a bone splitter, I have both.. and prefer a Chef's knife. I feel it's easier to use but that may be because that's also what I have learned on ... These days I use an 8 in at home and a 10 a work. The 8 in. is small and nimble enough to use it instead of a paring or utility(Petty) and big enough for most of my larger prepping jobs.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cooking Equipment Reviews

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
The Making of a Chef Innovator, without the Pomp
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food & Equipment Reviews › Cooking Equipment Reviews › Chef's knife (or Gyuto) vs Cleaver