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Hammering the spine of the knife.

784 views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  tweakz 
#1 ·
Gday,

Just curious as to whats the best part of your hand to strike the spine of the knife to get it through say bones and such, without killing the meaty part of where the thumb meets the hand where i currently strike it, or is this simply something your hand gets used to over time like burns?

I recently started at a modern Asian restaurant and found that i had to strike the back of the knife a lot more commonly than where i did with more western cooking as im dealing with a lot more poultry and such. Maybe im just using the wrong part of my hand... any advice would be great!

Thanks in advance, Vigilant.
 
#5 ·
In China, both ways are used. Check here begining at 3:29:



That's a slicer cleaver. I have 3 Chinese slicer cleavers and they can chop chicken bones without blinking.

This guy, instead, uses a chopper, heavy cleaver:

 
#8 ·
Two more, sorry, i'm in the mood. Here's a street guy deboning a duck in minutes with a peculiar technique. He' may not be Pepin but...



And here's how they serve duck at Eleven Madison Park. Your choice.

 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have limited experience in this, but sometimes I find easier ways to do things quicker than most.

Angle of approach seemed to work for me. For example, if I'm sectioning wings; I'll lift it up into a vertical  V before cutting. -That goes for just about any joint I come across. The knife slid through joints much easier that way. Now for going through the backbone for spatchcocking; I bought poultry sheers for that. I understand in a professional kitchen where many need to be processed; you would want to use a knife or cleaver.
 
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