Gizzards

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Hi,



I cut lots of hard items – chicken gizzards (tough sinew) and
lots of raw beef & other meat for my pets.
For my cooking, there are lots of lots of onions, range of vegetables
and ginger The only other really hard
items (apart from gizzard sinew) are pumpkin and galangal, I usually use my Euro knives or for the galangal
and pumpkin. I use a workhorse Chinese cleaver
for hacking chicken necks.



Depending what I’m cutting I usually pull action. I have lots of Euro knives that are sharpened
by a restaurant knife sharpener but I don’t have time to sharpen my Japanese knives
or drop them off and collect them later.



My knives are looked after properly (wiped dry and put away
after use. My good Japanese knives are
kept in a saya so less convenient for others in my kitchen to use/abuse. I don’t mind a WA handle. I’m left handed with a knife.



I’m slicing and dicing a mixture of meats with different textures
at one time but forever changing knives to suit the meat type. If possible I would prefer one knife that I
can use for all the meat at any one time.



Would you recommend an HAP40 gyuto, or which knife, brands types would you recommend
please? I’m not sure how fragile the
HAP40 K-tips are. I don’t need a Damascus
finish as function is more important for me for this knife. I noticed
you have a great range of HAP40s but as you’re familiar with the geometry of
the knife I thought I should seek some feedback from you before ordering
anything. If you think I should
dedicate a knife just for the gizzards due to the tough sinew, please let me
know which ones you recommend.



Thanks,



Jeff

[jmcnelly85]

Softer steel makes sense to me... try a cck cleaver

[cedarhouse]

HAP40 is a powdered metallurgy steel. Usually, they will be hardened to a high hardness to make the most of the steel's properties. While the steel can handle a lot of work at that high hardness, it is brittle and may not take well to really tough chores.

[gladius]

Does the "workhorse Chinese cleaver" not work for you?

[TheLegalRazor]

Does the "workhorse Chinese cleaver" not work for you?

Softer steel makes sense to me... try a cck cleaver

My thoughts also. If the 1303 slicer is not sturdy enough for the sinew, there is the 1411 chopper.

[lsboogy]

I would steer away from hard knives for gizzards - lot's of times there are still rocks in them. I used to do a lot of bird hunting, and would never use anything but a soft blade to cut into them - great field treat, but you gotta get the rocks out

[False Cast]

Victorinox still has a place in the kitchen, and this is it!

[d_rap]

I still have a Vic Fibrox, take it camping, my wife likes it...

But for galangal, harder squash, and certainly for chicken necks it is very thin and light. It's not the beater I reach for for the harder ingredients.

[Jeffr]

Thanks for all your replies. My heavy Chinese cleaver (might be a Cck) makes mince meat of chicken necks and chicken ribs. No dings or chips. The edges of my softer cleavers bend. I do have have smaller Kiwi cleavers that are sharp and wizz through the gizzards but I dont enjoy cutting meat with them due to their shape. I havent used the Kiwis on the chicken necks.

I realise Hap40 is semi stainless, How would the edge of Hap40 be for slicing onions and raw boneless meat in terms of reactivity, food discolouration & odour? I'm attracted to the steel for edge retention. I like Japanese handles. Usually push pull, rarely rock chop.

Are Kohetsu blades manufactured by Gehei? Is there much difference in quality or knife geometry between these brands.

Thanks for comments and recommendatiins.