Nobody knows their knives better than a butcher. Butchers cannot compromise the quality of their butchering equipment, because they know it will not just cause rework but can result in an injury. In this blog post, we will throw light on information about the meat cleaver – a butchers’ essential!

What is a meat cleaver?

If you are a butcher or even a homemaker who enjoys cooking meat, you must be well aware of the cleaver – also known as the Chinese chef’s knife. It is easily recognizable with its wide blade and a short handle. The grip that a cleaver provides is not only stable but also comfortable. This is a reason why it is used for a wide range of cutting jobs, right from cutting larger joins of meat to small bones.

The multiple uses of a cleaver

A cleaver is a tool that can be used for many jobs in the kitchen. In fact, its entire body can be used for different tasks if you know your way around it. Here, we have listed a few of them.

• The sharp edge of the blade can be used to make sharp cuts of the meat.
• The extensive flat portion of the blade can be used to crush food or gently sweep them into the cooking pot and pan.
• The blunt edge of the blade can be used to tenderise the meat efficiently.
• The base of the cleaver’s handle can be used to crush or pound whole spices.

But to use the cleaver in so many ways, it is necessary to know how to hold it and get a grip on it. There are a few techniques which focus on the grip of your cleaver and can make your cutting jobs easier and faster.

Given below are two different types of grips associated with the cleaver.

The General Grip

This grip is best when you need to do chopping jobs that require very less precision. You just need to hold the cleaver handle close to the blade to get the maximum control over your action. To take the right grip you need to place your thumb over one side of the handle, where it meets the blade and before you grip the knife completely with other fingers. General grip can be used for simple jobs such as chopping vegetables or scaling a fish.

The Precision Grip

This grip is best used when you need precision in your cutting jobs. It can be used while cutting bones or huge chunks of meat. In this method again, you will have to place your thumb where the handle meets the blade but, this time, you need to put your thumb on the blade and not on the handle. Your index finger should grip the blade from other side. This grip is recommended only for seasoned chefs. The precision grip can be used for mincing meat of any kind.

If you want to buy a high-quality meat cleaver, or any butchering knife – The Brennan Group is your one stop shop. With a great variation in lengths and styles of blades, the Brennan Group possesses a rich collection of butchering equipment that is suitable for all kinds of establishments and households.