A typical Chinese cleaver has a large, rectangular blade bound by a wooden handle. It differs from a Western-style chef's knife in a number of ways. For one, it lacks a pointed tip and instead has a squared-off blade with a broad surface area. A Chinese cleaver is also significantly heavier.
The Chinese chef's knife (Chinese Cleaver) is often mistakenly called a "cleaver" because of the similar rectangular shape.
Because a lot of Chinese cooking is based on fast frying in a skillet or a wok. The meat and vegetables have to be sliced into small pieces fast for this to work. So, a cleaver is quick and efficient.
Simply put, a tourné knife is used for any sort of turning cut -- "tourné" means "turned" in French. So any time you're going to be making a circular cut, this is the knife you should use.
The Japanese version of the Chef's Knife is the Gyuto, and it's different from the Chinese Cleaver in its shape, blade, and versatility. The Chinese Cleaver has a broad, rectangular, and heavier blade, while the Gyuto has a more tapered and thinner blade.
Nakiri are vegetable knives, though they can be used to slice meat and fish, too.
Unmatched Precision and Sharpness: The cornerstone of Japanese knives' appeal is their extraordinary precision and sharpness. Crafted with high-carbon steel, these knives offer a fine edge that makes precise cuts easier, enhancing the chef's ability to execute intricate and delicate dishes.
A normal paring knife can be used as well, but a tourné knife is a handy tool to keep around. It's great for peeling shallots and onions, coring tomatoes and strawberries, and digging the eyes out of potatoes. To start the process, peel your vegetable and trim it to your desired size.
A balisong, also known as a butterfly knife, fan knife or Batangas knife, is a type of folding pocketknife that originated in the Philippines. Its distinct features are two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles.
A bird's beak paring knife—also called a tourné knife—is named for its distinctive, downturned curved blade that resembles a hawk's beak. Designed to be a handheld knife (rather than used on a cutting board), a bird's beak is ideal for making quick work of prep tasks like peeling, hulling, and coring.
Young shoots can be added to salads and eaten raw, though you might prefer to skip the bristly texture and boil them first, the same way you would prepare stinging nettle. Cleavers can be easily molded into a netted bunch, allowing them to be used as a natural strainer and a stuffing for mattresses.
They feature a straight square blade, like a small cleaver and are ideal for vegetable centric cuts such as julienne, brunoise and allumette. Nakiri are ideal for precision vegetable cuts and is a great option for cutting into dense, hard skinned veggies like pumpkins, squash and root vegetables.
Initially, chopsticks were merely twigs used to retrieve food from boiling water. However, they evolved into eating utensils as Chinese cuisine developed, becoming integral to the culture's dining habits.
Reduce Friction
When cutting through bone, friction may trigger unwanted shards which can cause choking. Fortunately, the 'aeration' in meat cleavers reduces friction. This prevents bone shards while making the use of this high carbon tool easy and enjoyable.
A tourné knife is a paring knife with a short, curved blade. They're also referred to as "bird's beak" knives, but a more appropriate name might be Azazel, Inciter of Anguish. You see, the primary function of this demonic blade is to "turn" a vegetable into a two-inch-long, seven-sided football.
China. Knives are considered weapons and are subject to strict regulations. Possession of a knife with a blade longer than 15 centimeters is illegal and punishable by law. Carrying knives in public places is also prohibited.
By the time of the Renaissance, the term stiletto had come to describe a range of slender thrusting knives closely resembling the French poignard, many with conventional dagger-profile blades and sharpened edges, but always retaining the slim profile and needle-like point.
Serrated knives are knives of which the edge is enhanced with small serrations. The best-known example is the bread knife: a knife with an elongated and narrow blade that is rounded at the front and, as said before, has a serrated edge.
"It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape. Otherwise, they could explode—it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens every once in a while. The potato is full of water it's trying to turn to steam, or water vapor. The skin acts like a pressure vessel.
Japanese cleavers are excellent for cutting vegetables and proteins, thanks to their weight and thin edges. However, they are not meant for butchery. Avoid cutting through bones to prevent damaging the steel blade and to keep your knives sharp.
Two common shapes in the US are the gyuto (which means “beef sword”) and the shorter santoku knife. Pat Alfiero likes and uses both single and double bevels, but his chef's knives, paring knives, and butchering knives are all 50-50. “It's just easier to maintain and sharpen,” he says.
Both styles provide their own set of benefits. German knives are thicker and heavier to provide added strength and durability for your heavy-duty chopping, while Japanese knives are made of carbon-rich steel for a lightweight blade and razor-sharp edge that offer edge retention and ultimate control and precision.