Understanding What a Vegetable Cleaver is and Why You Need One in Your Kitchen?
The best Chinese vegetable cleavers are very lightweight as compared to the typical Western chef’s knives. It is easy to handle with very sharp edges and required less force to slice and chop vegetables. Chinese vegetable cleavers are light in weight and fit well in their hands. The handle needs to be solid with a very strong blade able to retain the sharpness for a longer time. Bones are hard and need a good amount of force to cut them but on the other hand, vegetables are soft and don’t require too much arm force to slice. That is why Chinese Vegetable cleavers blades are thinner as compared to typical western blades but have an incredible effect.
7 inches blade size is the most common size when it comes to Chinese vegetable cleaver selection. It is enough to handle most of the vegetable cupping and slicing task in your kitchen. People with big hands might need a little larger blade size to
perform kitchen tasks effectively. 8 inches is the second most common blade size for such people to slice vegetables without wearing out arm muscles.
When selecting the right Vegetable cleaver, one should also pay attention to the handle of the cleaver. Some of the cleavers have a round shape handles and they can be a bit slippery if you are using them for the first time. For a beginner, there are Chinese vegetable cleavers that came with an ergonomic design handle which is much similar to the western one.
Are Chinese Cleavers Good?
As mentioned at the start Chinese cleaver are not the common cleaver used for smashing bones and cutting hard food. Chinese cleavers are very sharp, light-weighted, easy to handle with thinner blades. The best use of Chinese vegetable cleavers is to chop and slice vegetables, but they can also perform other kitchen duties like mincing, grinding, cutting, dicing, chopping, and slicing. Chinese cleavers are best for vegetable and soft food cutting.
Why do Chinese chefs use cleavers?
In our daily kitchen life, we use a wide variety of knives to perform different tasks. In every food lover kitchen, one can find a beautiful set of knives including chef knives, paring knives, carving knives, boning knives, fillet knives, and many others, each to perform a special kitchen task. On the other hand, Chinese chefs use a Chinese Cleaver to perform all the tasks that we think are not possible without a set of knives/tools. The Chinese cleavers are used to perform all kitchen cutting and slicing tasks such as chopping, grinding, mincing, and slicing. For most Chinese chefs and home cooks, it is the go-to knife in their kitchen. The Chinese cleaver is used commonly in many countries including Thailand, Vietnam, and other Asian countries but its origin is China. The Japanese also adopted the Chinese chef Cleaver in the 19th century with some modifications to make it more refined.
Top 7 Best Chinese Vegetable Cleavers to choose from
TUO Vegetable Cleaver- Chinese Chef’s Knife
- Dimentions: 13.03 x 3.94 x 1.18 inches
- Weight: 10.4 ounces
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Pakkawood
- Handle Color: Wood
- Dishwasher Safe: No
- Gift Box: Yes
- Brand: TUO Store
Mueller 7-inch Cleaver Knife
- Dimentions: 13.03 x 3.94 x 1.18 inches
- Weight: 12.7 ounces
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Pakkawood
- Handle Color: Wood
- Dishwasher Safe: No
- Gift Box: Yes
- Brand: Mueller Austria
TUO 6-inch Chinese Chopping Knife
- Dimentions: 11.42 x 2.9 x 0.1 inches
- Weight: 12.2 ounces
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Pakkawood
- Handle Color: Wood
- Dishwasher Safe: No
- Gift Box: Yes
- Brand: TUO Store
SHI BA ZI ZUO 7 Inch Chinese Vegetable Knife
- Dimentions: 12.01 x 3.66 x 0.59 inches
- Weight: 13.1 ounces
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Steel and ABS
- Handle Color: Silver Black
- Dishwasher Safe: No
- Gift Box: Yes
- Brand: SHI BA ZI ZUO Store
Vegetable Cleaver 7" Chinese Chefs Knife
- Dimentions: 7 x 3 x 2.3 inches
- Weight: 11.18 ounces
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Wood
- Handle Color: Wood
- Dishwasher Safe: No
- Gift Box: Yes
- Brand: Andame
Kitory Chinese Vegetable Cleaver
- Dimentions: 13.15 x 4.21 x 1.18 inches
- Weight: 15.8 ounces
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Pakkawood
- Handle Color: Wood
- Dishwasher Safe: No
- Gift Box: Yes
- Brand: Kitory
KITORY Vegetable Cleaver 8'' Chinese Chef's Knife
- Dimentions: 13.58 x 4.76 x 1.06 inches
- Weight: 11.5 ounces
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Pakkawood
- Handle Color: Wood
- Dishwasher Safe: No
- Gift Box: Yes
- Brand: Kitory
If you are looking for an all-in-one Cleaver, then this must be your first choice. The cleaver features a cured blades to perform different kitchen tasks. The sharp edge can be used to cut vegetables with ease, the most curved and middle part of the cleaver is a perfect solution to smash garlic. The very bottom of the blade can easily cut meat.
The TUO cleaver is a beautiful combination of strength and craftsmanship. A high-quality premium carbon stainless steel is used to craft the full tang blade of the cleaver. The nice-looking wood textured handle is made of African imported waterproof Pakkawood.
Pros
- Great Design
- Lifetime Guarantee
- Mony Back Guarantee
Cons
- Heavy
- Not best for small hands
The second vegetable cleaver on the list is this amazing cleaver designed and engineered in Germany by Mueller. Mueller is one of the biggest names when it comes to high-quality knives. To get a perfect cut this cleaver comes with an 18-degree cutting angle and double side ultra-sharp edges. The cleaver is made using German steel with makes it corrosion and scratch-resistant. It has outstanding edge retention with a luxurious Pakkawood handle. The handle is designed with precision to keep the sharp edges away from your hand while performing a kitchen task. Slightly bend ergonomic Pakkawood handle provides great grip experience and required less force to cut and slice vegetables. This is one of the best cleavers available in the market which is perfect for both kitchen and restaurant use.
Pros
- Easy To Hold
- Comfortable Handle
- Well Balance Weight
Cons
- Small Handle
- Not good for big hands
The third on our list is another great piece of engineering from the TUO store. TUO 6 inches Chinese Chopping multifunctional cleaver can be used for slicing vegetables and fruits, cutting meat, and also as a bone chopper. The front and sharp edges of the blade can be used to cut vegetables while the back heavy-duty part of the blade is used to chop meat and bone. Made with food-grade safe hard German stainless steel helps to keep the sharp edges long-lasting and required minimal force while in use. As always TUO also provides a lifetime Guarantee and a luxury box making it a perfect choice as a gift.
Pros
- Great Design
- Multifunctional
- Lifetime Guarantee
- 56±2 HRC hardness
Cons
- Sometimes received not very sharp
- Small in size and heavy
Yangjian Shibazi Group established in 1983 owns the SHI BA ZI ZUO brand. Since then, Yangjian Shibazi has emerged as the house of an excellent combination of great craftsmanship and modern science. This 7 inches Chinese Vegetable cleaver is one of the amazing tools from the house of SHI BA ZI ZUO. Made with high-quality stainless steel and multifunctional vegetable cleaver can handle routine kitchen tasks with great precision and less effort. You can use it for slicing, chopping, dicing, and mincing fruits, vegetables, and meat. Ergonomic ABS full tang handle fixed with rivets provides easy grip making the handle unbreakable. The front 2/3 part of the cleaver is for slicing and chopping vegetables & fruits while the back 1/3 is designed for the meat and small poultry bones chopping. The vacuum heat treatment makes the blades durable and anti-rust.
Pros
- Wide Blade
- Ergonomic ABS handle full tang
- Handle fixed and stabilized with rivets
Cons
- Hand Wash Only
- Little Heavy
- Need regular sharpening
32CM full length with 20CM blade and 8.5CM width presenting to you 7 inches Chinese Chef vegetable cleaver by Andame. Enjoy the original taste of food with a non-sticking design and wood handle for people who love organic products. Made with high-quality stainless steel, tough, rust, and stain-resistant. The wooden handle feels perfect in hands and provides easy grip and easy to handle. To maintain the long-lasting sharpness and steel quality, it is recommended to clean the cleaver with a soft piece of cloth after each hand-wash. Andame provides a money-back warranty with this beautiful gift piece. You can proudly present it as a gift on special occasions to your loved ones.
Pros
- Non-Sticking Design
- Lifetime Warranty
- Reasonable Price
Cons
- Hand-wash Only
- Not Heavy Duty
Pros
- Full Tang
- Multi-Functional
- German Stainless Stee
- 100% Satisfaction Warranty
Cons
- Handwash only
- Not recommended for frozen food
KITORY Vegetable Cleaver 8” Chinese Chef’s Knife is an extremely sharp, durable, and comfortable kitchen knife. Made from high-quality German stainless steel, it is through vacuum and cooling treatment to assure hardness. The knife is designed ergonomically for maximum comfort and effectiveness in handling. Its tapered bolster avoids sticking on board while cutting. It can handle your daily kitchen tasks of slicing, mincing, and dicing fruits, vegetables and meat, but definitely not bone. This design also improves your chopping and slicing speed because you don’t need to rock the chef’s knife every time you work. Kitory provides 100% satisfaction with a lifetime free replacement and money-back guarantee. The combination of luxury packing and the cleaver will be a great choice as a gift.
Pros
- Multi-Functional Vegetable Cleaver
- 56±HRC Rockwell hardness
- 100% Satisfaction Warranty
- Ergonomic Full Tang Handle
Cons
- Not heavy duty
- Handle not fully fit
