High carbon Chinese cleaver/chef's knife. Now I just need to upgrade my cutting board. Any tips/tricks you guys have for me?
Wandering around Chinatown and look what hopped into my shopping cart!
- Thread starter craig87c
- Start date
I have a Dexter clever as well. Wonderful investment, enjoy!
As for a cutting board, I am partial to John Boos.
As for a cutting board, I am partial to John Boos.
martym
Unacceptably Lasering Chicken Giblets?
- Thread starter
- #4
Hey that's a gorgeous board! I going to make a decision my wallet regrets and PM Jim about an end-grain board.
martym
Unacceptably Lasering Chicken Giblets?
Thanks!
Its a solid piece of mesquite that dad and I worked on together.
I hope that you find exactly what you want because it will last you a lifetime.
Its a solid piece of mesquite that dad and I worked on together.
I hope that you find exactly what you want because it will last you a lifetime.
I sometimes tend to notice the most mundane and innocuous things. I want everyone to take a look at Siburning's post in this thread. It is pertinent to this thread, and I think I will adopt the idea for my kitchen also.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/98856-Indian-Food
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/98856-Indian-Food
My ex-inlaws are Chinese chefs. They used big round cutting boards that looked like they were just a three inch thick section of tree trunk. I'm not sure what type of wood it is, but I'll bet a restaurant supply place in Chinatown could hook you up.
Nice! I use a Chinese cleaver for just about everything in the kitchen
- Thread starter
- #9
With each side being labeled for meat or fish? That's basically why I want a reversible board.
The place I went to was a restaurant supply company which didn't have any (if you're in NYC, it's at the corner of Main St. And Maple Ave in Flushing). I know of a place near where I work that has these. I'm just not sure of the quality of them. I'm probably going to save my money for a Boardsmith maple end grain board.
Epicurian cutting boards. I have 3 different sizes and styles, and am very happy with them all.
Oh, nice cleaver addition, by the way!
- Thread starter
- #12
The cleaver has made short work of a few onions being saved for later carmelization and of a few chicken breasts that will be fried for biscuits and fried chicken for dinner. Great little (large I guess?) knife for around $40.
Just watch yourself. The worst damage I've done to myself was using a cleaver. Not big swinging chopping through bone. Just working on veg. A little of an angle change at the handle moves the blade over more than I was used to. Nothing cut off and it healed well.
Nice! I'm jealous. My Chinese cleaver chipped badly on a bone I didn't see, while stupidly using it like a butcher's cleaver. Haven't replaced it because I'm trying to be more traditional, but with my long fingers & knuckles, and my tendency to wrap them around the handle, I really miss the cleaver.
The most important thing in that post is the second cutting board for "fresh foods"--the one from the B&B group buy--or really, foods that won't be fully cooked. I always assume that anything on the Pro-Chef is contaminated with bacteria and needs to be fully cooked. The main reason for a fish side is to isolate the fish smell, and some folks also use it for onions and garlic. But that seems silly to me. I actually use that side for poultry. Eventually, I'll get another nice board for meat/fish, and use this cheaper one strictly for poultry, but I would never share a board between flesh & fresh food.
But the OP asked for tips, and my best one's also in the picture. Get a pastry scraper/cutter. While a cleaver is a tempting alternative, well... just use a little discipline and say to yourself it's easy to clean, will prolong your knife, save your fingers, and you don't really want to ever scrape your knife edge along your board anyway.
BTW, if you have sharp eyes, you'll see that shelf liner stuff under the B&B board. There's also a piece under the other board. It prevents the board from slipping. That's tip #2.
For reference:
The most important thing in that post is the second cutting board for "fresh foods"--the one from the B&B group buy--or really, foods that won't be fully cooked. I always assume that anything on the Pro-Chef is contaminated with bacteria and needs to be fully cooked. The main reason for a fish side is to isolate the fish smell, and some folks also use it for onions and garlic. But that seems silly to me. I actually use that side for poultry. Eventually, I'll get another nice board for meat/fish, and use this cheaper one strictly for poultry, but I would never share a board between flesh & fresh food.
But the OP asked for tips, and my best one's also in the picture. Get a pastry scraper/cutter. While a cleaver is a tempting alternative, well... just use a little discipline and say to yourself it's easy to clean, will prolong your knife, save your fingers, and you don't really want to ever scrape your knife edge along your board anyway.
BTW, if you have sharp eyes, you'll see that shelf liner stuff under the B&B board. There's also a piece under the other board. It prevents the board from slipping. That's tip #2.
For reference:
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or if you pick up stuff with your knife and hand use the spine along the endge of the board and watch the sharp end of the knife 
scraper is safest!
scraper is safest!I generally use the same board for meat, veggies, fish... I just make sure I clean it well and always prep veg before meat/fish. Growing up my folks only had the one wooden board that was used for everything and we never got ill because of it
I always use a plastic cutting board for raw meat and bang it right into the dishwasher to sanitize before I use it again. This way I don't dirty up a wash cloth and spread any bacteria around the kitchen.
If I were to use one of my wooden boards for raw meat I would sanitize it with a week bleach solution (1 tsp/ 5ml of non-scented bleach in a quart/liter of water) by spraying the board and leaving the solution on for a couple of minutes before rinsing off. I do this frequently even though I don't use my wooden boards for meat. There seem just too many cases of e coli on produce and it seems like a reasonable measure to take. I also wash the outside of melons before cutting into them for that reason as well.
If I were to use one of my wooden boards for raw meat I would sanitize it with a week bleach solution (1 tsp/ 5ml of non-scented bleach in a quart/liter of water) by spraying the board and leaving the solution on for a couple of minutes before rinsing off. I do this frequently even though I don't use my wooden boards for meat. There seem just too many cases of e coli on produce and it seems like a reasonable measure to take. I also wash the outside of melons before cutting into them for that reason as well.
High carbon? I though Dexter only made stainless knives.
I bought a Dexter cleaver in 1985 for ten bucks and still reach for it almost every day. If you only have one knife, a cleaver is a great choice. They're the best for slicing/butterflying cutlets, and great for smashing garlic or ripping through a mound of veggies. You should be able to find a Sani-Tuff cuttng board in one of the many shops in the Flushing Chinatown. They're effective, reasonably priced, and last decades.
I bought a Dexter cleaver in 1985 for ten bucks and still reach for it almost every day. If you only have one knife, a cleaver is a great choice. They're the best for slicing/butterflying cutlets, and great for smashing garlic or ripping through a mound of veggies. You should be able to find a Sani-Tuff cuttng board in one of the many shops in the Flushing Chinatown. They're effective, reasonably priced, and last decades.
On the subject of Chinatowns,I never have found the "2Girls" Florida water that the east coast Chinatowns carry...If you guys ever spot it let me know,there is nothing in the huge,and famous,San Francisco or Oakland Chinatowns.
