Spyderco Chinese Chef Knife?

[Toucan]

Count me in for a Spydie cai dao! I've asked in the past too.

Most of my cai dao are ~$25 carbon steel ones with wood handles, but a stainless one with polypropylene would be nice. Gotta be at least 8", and thiiiin. Chopping veggies with a thin cai dao feels like dropping a guillotine through butter, but quicker.

The height may seem odd if you've only ever used western chef knives, but it allows the blade stock to be ground thin over a large distance. You get a decent amount of mass, but less wedge effect. Cuts really glide. Plus, you can use it as a bench scraper way easier than a narrower/shorter knife. Also just blasts through smashing garlic. There is also a fun technique using a cai dao in each hand to mince/obliterate pork into a paste for filling dumplings. It gives the meat a really springy texture once cooked.

[Jurmuscle]

Count me in for a Spydie cai dao! I've asked in the past too.

Most of my cai dao are ~$25 carbon steel ones with wood handles, but a stainless one with polypropylene would be nice. Gotta be at least 8", and thiiiin. Chopping veggies with a thin cai dao feels like dropping a guillotine through butter, but quicker.

The height may seem odd if you've only ever used western chef knives, but it allows the blade stock to be ground thin over a large distance. You get a decent amount of mass, but less wedge effect. Cuts really glide. Plus, you can use it as a bench scraper way easier than a narrower/shorter knife. Also just blasts through smashing garlic. There is also a fun technique using a cai dao in each hand to mince/obliterate pork into a paste for filling dumplings. It gives the meat a really springy texture once cooked.

It is so nice smashing garlic and dicing onions. It also makes moving ingredients easier than a traditional chef knife lol. I have no regrets selling off all my Wusthofs and my Masamoto Deba in place of my 1 Chinese chef knife. Admitadly I do use my wife's Utility knife a bit but for quick cut jobs when I dont wanna go through trouble of oiling my carbon steel after.

I seen a guy on YouTube make hotpot fishballs the same way. If I get a second one (the second being a Spyderco) I would love to try the dumplings.

[ZrowsN1s]

Well I don't believe it would be any thinner than the Murray Carter knives, so it would basically be a slightly taller version of the Spyderco Nakiri, unless I'm missing something else about the design.

I'm always the first to say, the more knives the better! More variety is always good. But... is it really worth bumping a different knife out of the que? I think this is a pass for me.

[Toucan]

Well I don't believe it would be any thinner than the Murray Carter knives, so it would basically be a slightly taller version of the Spyderco Nakiri, unless I'm missing something else about the design.

I'm always the first to say, the more knives the better! More variety is always good. But... is it really worth bumping a different knife out of the que? I think this is a pass for me.

Thinness is really only part of why they work so well. being tall and thin gives it a surprising amount of heft/mass without being bulky or wedge-like because the taper takes place over such a long distance. It gives the knife kind of "best of both worlds" in that sense. Also, as others have mentioned, you can basically scoop up entirely whatever you've been chopping with the knife, which sounds not super important, but makes work flow much quicker/smoother.

Cai dao also typically have a lot less belly than the Murray Carter nakiri. There is basically just enough curve in the center of the blade so that the edge meeting the cutting board doesn't jar the handle if slightly not parallel. Most nakiri are this way, but I think the Carter one rounded the outer corner to be more familiar for people that prefer rock chopping. That is fine, but it does mean the user needs to rotate the knife a bit more when cutting to make sure the edge fully contacts the board. For how I am used to cutting with a nakiri, that is a bit tedious and an extra consideration I don't want to have to make.

[skeeg11]

Good to hear so many are familiar with the virtues of Chinese vegetable knives. The only problem is that most knife blocks only have one slot to accommodate them at a maximum height of 3 3/8". You can fit two in one slot if one is reversed so to speak, but then you have metal rubbing on metal. (one thin Chinese vegetable knife and one Chinese meat cleaver) For me, two knife blocks in the kitchen are necessary.

[Scandi Grind]

Reading all the comments here are making me think my next kitchen knife purchase might be to try a Chinese Cleaver out.

[SchoonerBum]

A Chef Salt, whether Chinese or a western chef knife, would be awesome. I love my 14c28n chef knives, and admittedly that's probably good enough, but I'd buy any kitchen knife that Spyderco made in a true salt model.

[Iole]

I saw Martin Yan mentioned. He knows his way around Chinese cooking. The goal of the cleaver is to prepare food to make stomachs happy.

[skeeg11]

The way he brandishes a pair of cleavers is a wonder to behold. He's an original slice-o-matic.

[Jurmuscle]

A Chef Salt, whether Chinese or a western chef knife, would be awesome. I love my 14c28n chef knives, and admittedly that's probably good enough, but I'd buy any kitchen knife that Spyderco made in a true salt model.

Fireman said he would like to see it in LC200N or Magnacut. And a few others mentioned they would like a stainless one as well. Maybe would be a great test of what Magnacut can do in the kitchen? I would like a full tang flush with handles. I don't like the tangs that insert into the handle. Maybe G10?

[Fireman]

I use a small Chinese cleaver for almost everything.

[Fireman]

Good to hear so many are familiar with the virtues of Chinese vegetable knives. The only problem is that most knife blocks only have one slot to accommodate them at a maximum height of 3 3/8". You can fit two in one slot if one is reversed so to speak, but then you have metal rubbing on metal. (one thin Chinese vegetable knife and one Chinese meat cleaver) For me, two knife blocks in the kitchen are necessary.

You can buy a block that has a leaver spot I got one from JA Henkels. A knife roll is good because you don’t leave it out where the inexperienced noobs can get their mits on them

[Fireman]

We have local forges that sell these for less than $20, and indeed almost every household has one. Our family though prefers the Western chef's knife for slicing meat and veggies, so I don't see myself getting one even if it was produced.

It's a big world though, and there is probably a market for it somewhere.

I do agree that a knife with better ergos would be attractive to some users. I had custom micarta scales made for the meat cleaver on the right. The scales cost more than the original knife.cleavers_01.jpg

That top pic one is a great size. Where can I get one?

[skeeg11]

Good to hear so many are familiar with the virtues of Chinese vegetable knives. The only problem is that most knife blocks only have one slot to accommodate them at a maximum height of 3 3/8". You can fit two in one slot if one is reversed so to speak, but then you have metal rubbing on metal. (one thin Chinese vegetable knife and one Chinese meat cleaver) For me, two knife blocks in the kitchen are necessary.

You can buy a block that has a leaver spot I got one from JA Henkels. A knife roll is good because you don’t leave it out where the inexperienced noobs can get their mits on them

I've got two JA Henkel blocks on my kitchen counter.

[Ric]

for the amount of steel used in the Chinese slicing knife, I can make a dozen folders

The stovepipe is 4,9 oz the Santoku 5,3.
3 small EDC knives does not outperform a Santoku in the kitchen.
A kitchen knife needs some length and width to be really useful.

To safe steel use a thinner stock

I would love a Chinese kitchen knife done by Spyderco. Does not need fancy steel. VG10 would be fine. Even Spyderco AUS8 would outperform the standard stainless steel.

I cooked with Chinese colleagues in my home.
They were amazed by the many tools we have.
A special spoon for testing spaghetti, a pineapple slicer,... They use one knife, chopsticks, maybe a spoon.

Less tools - more minimal.

I would love to trade 2 Para 3 for a Chinese Spyderco kitchen knife.

[mikey177]

We have local forges that sell these for less than $20, and indeed almost every household has one. Our family though prefers the Western chef's knife for slicing meat and veggies, so I don't see myself getting one even if it was produced.

It's a big world though, and there is probably a market for it somewhere.

I do agree that a knife with better ergos would be attractive to some users. I had custom micarta scales made for the meat cleaver on the right. The scales cost more than the original knife.cleavers_01.jpg

That top pic one is a great size. Where can I get one?

These are from a local forge in the Philippines. Apologies if it wasn't clear.

[sal]

I use a small Chinese cleaver for almost everything.

Reading all the comments here are making me think my next kitchen knife purchase might be to try a Chinese Cleaver out.

Part of why we are skeptical is that many call it a cleaver and use it as a cleaver, which is used to chop frozen food and bones. To use a Chinese Slicing knife as a cleaver is to break/chip the edge.

sal

[TomAiello]

I saw Martin Yan mentioned.

Martin Yan got his start as a student cook at the coffeehouse on campus at UC Davis. Seems like that student cook job worked out for him.

[TomAiello]

Part of why we are skeptical is that many call it a cleaver and use it as a cleaver, which is used to chop frozen food and bones. To use a Chinese Slicing knife as a cleaver is to break/chip the edge.

Definitely. I think the mis-translation has led to a lot of people not understanding how this style of knife works. We use this knife a lot in our kitchen, but never as a cleaver. I'm more likely to use my Southfork for that task than the Cai Dao.

[TomAiello]

Has anyone seen a Magnacut Cai Dao? That would be interesting...maybe I've found a project for this winter. :)