Recommendation? Meat cleaver for a new cook

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vampy

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Nov 28, 2020
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Hello, I hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving (although under rather weird circumstances unfortunately). I'm new to cooking and would like to get better at it. With that being said, there's only a few meat dishes I know how to cook (poorly but still trying to improve!) and would like to purchase a meat cleaver.

The main purpose for wanting a meat cleaver is to cut various meats (for now, it would be meats without bone...mainly wanting to chop meat in tiny pieces).

I did some research on what to look for such as: stainless steel (some argue carbon is just as fine), having a full tang, handle not being plastic but having wood/rubber hybrid perhaps, a blade size of 6-7.25 inches, having the blade forged and not laser cut and etc.

So, what would you recommend to get? I'd like to get one under $100 which seems like a nice max price for a new cook. Providing links to whichever cleaver you recommend is also encouraged =); or just provide the full name since a lot of companies have 100+ variations of one thing.

Thanks and sorry for the lengthy post. I hope everyone has a good rest of the weekend.
 
Victorinox
Mundial
Dexter Russel

Any of these offer a decent cleaver within your budget. I’d suggest a stainless or semi stainless with a synthetic handle. There is nothing wrong with carbon steel and wood it just requires a little more maintenance.

If you consider carbon steel and wood Old Hickory offers a very capable cleaver.
 
I think once you get a cleaver you will end up not using it after a while. They are hard on your big cutting boards. Small cutting boards move around. This is based on you saying you are new at cooking.
 
I got a Henckels "German" cleaver a few years ago for like $60 from their premium line (not one of the cheaper imported lines). While a real beast of a knife for boned meats and plenty keen for normal things, it really wasn't a good tool for making stew meat for example out of a small roast.

When you say "tiny pieces," I think of a more traditional Chef's knife or even a Chinese cleaver. A Masahiro cleaver will serve you really well and is a good compromise between a beast for boned meats and a delicate thin one for leafy greens.

Masahiro's are a bit spendy during the pandemic but, are still right around $100 depending on the exact model and size selected. Don't overthink the carbon steel versus stainless steel issue. For the vast majority of people, a good stainless is generally best even though knife knerds geek out over Aogami Super versus White #1 versus 52100, etc.
 
Sid Post said:
I got a Henckels "German" cleaver a few years ago for like $60 from their premium line (not one of the cheaper imported lines). While a real beast of a knife for boned meats and plenty keen for normal things, it really wasn't a good tool for making stew meat for example out of a small roast.

When you say "tiny pieces," I think of a more traditional Chef's knife or even a Chinese cleaver. A Masahiro cleaver will serve you really well and is a good compromise between a beast for boned meats and a delicate thin one for leafy greens.

Masahiro's are a bit spendy during the pandemic but, are still right around $100 depending on the exact model and size selected. Don't overthink the carbon steel versus stainless steel issue. For the vast majority of people, a good stainless is generally best even though knife knerds geek out over Aogami Super versus White #1 versus 52100, etc.
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Thanks for the info! I read that Chinese cleavers are generally for vegetables though. I guess it would still work since I'm not wanting to cut through any bone. When I said "tiny pieces", think of a mexican street taco where the meat is diced into tiny pieces. I know they usually use cleavers to cut the meat and get it cut that way.

Maybe I'm wrong and I should in fact get a good Chef's knife. Not sure what option to go, (I could always ask for one on my birthday since its in January..kind of like 2 Christmas's right? haha) but what would be a solid Chef's knife then? Or is getting a cleaver fine as well?
 
I would get a big chef knife over 10 inches. I have a 290mm Henckels chef knives I use it for things like that, I think. Anyway, the bigger chef knives are thicker and take more abuse. I would also think you would use a big chef knife more than a cleaver. I would any way. The problem is the big chef knife is kind of expensive compared to other Henckels or Wusthof knives. But it seems like everybody on this forum, spends that kind of money or at least it is common from what I have read.
 
10 or 12" Victorinox chef could suffice. The big German makes above 10" the chefs get $$$$$.
A moderate thickness asian cleaver could suffice. Not all are super thin.

If a big asian market is in your area take the cleavers out the box and see how wide the V is the thicker, the stronger.
 
Cleaver is mostly for chopping through bone, which you said you're not doing.
A nice santoku or chefs knife would be better to start with.
 
Any Chinese general purpose cleaver (as in vegetables and boneless cuts of meat) should work well for what you want. I used mine that way all the time. Bone chopping cleavers are another subject that require more specialized blades.
 
I really appreciate the comments and help! I think what I'm going to do is get a Chinese meat cleaver (I'm sure I'll use this sparingly) and a nice chef's knife.

Are there any recommendations for a good Chinese meat cleaver and chef's knife? I believe someone mentioned a medium thickness one.
---I don't mind if it's a tad expensive, as long as it's a good quality knife that will last me a while (preferably not over $100).
---I also would like to note I rather not have a huge "bulky" Chinese meat cleaver.

Out of curiosity, is a knife made from Damascus okay?

Clarification: I kept saying "tiny pieces" for cutting meat.. What I actually meant was mincing meat haha couldn't think of the word. Think of Mexican street tacos and how finely chopped it is.
 
Warning: carbon steel bias!

I love the stuff, and actually prefer the fact that it requires a bit of extra care to avoid rust. If you spend the 30 seconds that it takes to wash and dry it right after use, it'll last a lifetime. Probably just a grumpy old man thing.

The comments about not using a cleaver much after you get it can very likely be true, IF you get one that has an edge profile that is too thick. One of those likely won't sharpen to the kind of edge that will allow the mincing that you're after.

I have found, rather recently, that the Old Hickory cleaver is perfect for my needs. After a few modifications. I grind off the secondary bevel that it comes with, and generally thin the edge a bit. I use a 1 x 42 belt sander for the work. The handle comes as raw wood, so I finish it with boiled linseed oil (5-6 thin coats, buffing lightly with a gray ScotchBrite pad between each coat), then seal all of it with SuperGlue, 2-3 coats, again buffed between each.

The thing sharpens to a razor's edge, and I basically use it like a big chef's knife. I don't chop with it, mainly because it will ruin any cutting board. I like the fact that there is so much room between the handle and the cutting board, so I don't wind up squashing my fingers. Big hands.

A good place to get one is here:
https://ragweedforgestore.com/collections/old-hickory/products/old-hickory-76-7-cleaver
Hmm, looks like it's sold out at the moment, but he'll probably get more soon. If not, there are a lot of other sites that have them at about the same price, which is about $25, IIRC.

As for chef's knives, these are quite good:
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...knives/52770-peasant-chefs-knife?item=45K3646

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...-knives/110972-large-chefs-knife?item=45K3647

I've used the smaller version for over 10 years with only 1 complaint: it's a bit too short. The larger one should be about perfect.

Good luck with your cooking endeavors, regardless of what utensils you choose, and I hope you learn to love it as much as many of us do.

Regards,
Joe
 
Seen lots of those shaped cleavers in carbon and some stainless. I call them moderate cleavers and probably perfect for what you want. Heavier duty than a chef knife, not as heavy or heavy duty as a bone cleaver.

Chopping lots of boneless meat. Perfect.
Although as a new cook get a good chef knife first. Most of your cutting will be with that
 
Spideyjg said:
<snip>
Although as a new cook get a good chef knife first. Most of your cutting will be with that
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Excellent advice, and something I should have added.

For a new cook:
- Chef's knife, perhaps several lengths
- Paring knife (Opinel makes very good, very affordable ones in both carbon and stainless steels)
- Slicer (tend to be thinner than a chef's knife)
- Sharpening "steel", both steel and porecelain
- Top quality peeler ("Y" peeler is my favorite)

Unless you're chopping through bone, or are as strange as I am, a cleaver probably won't enter into the picture until you're more experienced.

Understand that the above list can easily lead to "religious" arguments. The "correct" answer is what you are most comfortable/skillful with. That will probably change over time.
 
T
Aardvark said:
Warning: carbon steel bias!

I love the stuff, and actually prefer the fact that it requires a bit of extra care to avoid rust. If you spend the 30 seconds that it takes to wash and dry it right after use, it'll last a lifetime. Probably just a grumpy old man thing.

The comments about not using a cleaver much after you get it can very likely be true, IF you get one that has an edge profile that is too thick. One of those likely won't sharpen to the kind of edge that will allow the mincing that you're after.

I have found, rather recently, that the Old Hickory cleaver is perfect for my needs. After a few modifications. I grind off the secondary bevel that it comes with, and generally thin the edge a bit. I use a 1 x 42 belt sander for the work. The handle comes as raw wood, so I finish it with boiled linseed oil (5-6 thin coats, buffing lightly with a gray ScotchBrite pad between each coat), then seal all of it with SuperGlue, 2-3 coats, again buffed between each.

The thing sharpens to a razor's edge, and I basically use it like a big chef's knife. I don't chop with it, mainly because it will ruin any cutting board. I like the fact that there is so much room between the handle and the cutting board, so I don't wind up squashing my fingers. Big hands.

A good place to get one is here:
https://ragweedforgestore.com/collections/old-hickory/products/old-hickory-76-7-cleaver
Hmm, looks like it's sold out at the moment, but he'll probably get more soon. If not, there are a lot of other sites that have them at about the same price, which is about $25, IIRC.

As for chef's knives, these are quite good:
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...knives/52770-peasant-chefs-knife?item=45K3646

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...-knives/110972-large-chefs-knife?item=45K3647

I've used the smaller version for over 10 years with only 1 complaint: it's a bit too short. The larger one should be about perfect.

Good luck with your cooking endeavors, regardless of what utensils you choose, and I hope you learn to love it as much as many of us do.

Regards,
Joe
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Thanks for that info! I will definitely look into those. I have realized that finding a good knife is a bit subjective because a good knife is something that feels good to whoever is using it. So, I suppose I have to drive my lazy butt to a macys or some store that has various knives and feel them out. Was hoping I could just get one online and not have to go to a store haha.

I have been getting a lot of recommendations for the victorinox brand, so I think I'll look into that to. Many people have mentioned them and said they have pretty good quality chef knives and the price is reasonable.


EDIT: I've also recently seen many people recommending a CCK brand for a chinese meat cleaver. How is that brand? Are there better Chinese meat cleavers out there?
 
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You don't need a cleaver. You need a large Gyuto be it German or Japanese. You find yourself using it far far more often. If you are buying meat in large chunks with bone that's another story.
 
I had a couple of Victorinox brand knives for camping years ago. The ones with plastic handles. I did not think they were as good as Henckels 4-star knives. What Victorinox brand knives are being recommended and are they better than Henckels 4-star knives?

Why is there no love for the Henckels 4-star knives? I have a lot of them and they seem fine to me for cooking.
 
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coxhaus said:
I had a couple of Victorinox brand knives for camping years ago. The ones with plastic handles. I did not think they were as good as Henckels 4-star knives. What Victorinox brand knives are being recommended and are they better than Henckels 4-star knives?

Why is there no love for the Henckels 4-star knives? I have a lot of them and they seem fine to me for cooking.
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The henkels are a chunk more expensive than the victorinox, and the victorinox have better edge geometry (at least in my experience.) also, a lot of people(myself included) do not like the bolster that comes down to the edge.

the henkels are definately a nicer finished knife than victorinox but certainly don't cut any better
 
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