Japanese and Chinese cleavers are traditional kitchen knives that are primarily used for slicing meat.
They can also be used to slice vegetables, but not as easily as a chef’s knife. Japanese knives are lighter, thinner, and sharper than the Chinese cleavers.
This means they are easier to use for more delicate tasks like chopping shallots or splitting fish filets in half lengthwise.
If you’re looking for a heavy cleaver or blade to take on tough jobs like breaking down chicken joints or lopping off pork ribs, then you should go with a Chinese cleaver instead.
These knives are bulkier and sturdier than their Japanese counterparts.
With their heavier weight, these blades stay sharp longer without being sharpened as often. Read on to see how these two different knife styles compare..
How they compare
Japanese and Chinese cleavers are traditional kitchen knives that are primarily used for slicing meat. They can also be used to slice vegetables, but not as easily as a chef’s knife. Japanese knives are lighter, thinner, and sharper than the Chinese cleavers.
This means they are easier to use for more delicate tasks like chopping shallots or splitting fish filets in half lengthwise. If you’re looking for a heavy cleaver or blade to take on tough jobs like breaking down chicken joints or lopping off pork ribs, then you should go with a Chinese cleaver instead.
These knives are bulkier and sturdier than their Japanese counterparts. With their heavier weight, these blades stay sharp longer without being sharpened as often.
Conclusion
Japanese and Chinese cleavers are both used in Asian cuisine, but they have a few notable differences. The first is that Chinese cleavers tend to be slimmer and narrower than the blades of Japanese cleavers.
They also tend to be lighter, which means they are better for slicing smaller vegetables. The blades of Chinese cleavers are also concave, which means they make it easier to chop meat.
Japanese cleavers are thicker, heavier, and have blades that are convex. This makes them better for chopping tough vegetables and meat.
The handles of a Chinese cleaver also tend to be shorter, which makes them easier to use in a small kitchen or cooking space.
Which type of cleaver is right for you? It depends on the type of cooking you do and how much space you have in your kitchen.
If you’re cooking large volumes of food, a Japanese cleaver might be a better choice as it can handle more meat at once.
If you don’t have a lot of room in your kitchen, or if you need to slice smaller vegetables, a Chinese cleaver would be a better choice.
