Cooking For Engineers

[CynthiSu]

What does everyone use to split open melon, squash and pineapple?

I'm rethinking my knife collection, currently consisting of only a paring knife and a nakiri. My current collection does not allow me to split open big, raw vegetables and fruits. I'm thinking about adding a BIG knife for those tasks.

My question: what does everyone else use?

I'm thinking cleaver or butcher knife.

Thanks for any ideas!

Cynthia

[Dilbert]

I have a 10 inch Wuesthof chef knife that does winter squash just peachy keen....

and watermelon

pineapple normally I whack with the 8 inch chef - it's not so beeg , , ,

[CynthiSu]

I found a deba cleaver that mentions acorn squash as one of the things it cuts. So, my search is over. Thanks for the input!

[Michael Chu]

I use a large chef's knife.

[SirShazar]

For watermelons, pineapples, cantelopes, and honeydews I use a 12" Tojiro chef's knife. For squash I use a combination of knives (utility for peeling, chinese cleaver for splitting, and chef's knife for choppnig).

[GaryProtein]

[DrBiggles]

[chefjeff]

I use a 12" chefs knife, as much as I like those fancy knives, I get Tramontina's w/NSF white handles at the restaurant supply. They're cheap and really work well. chefjeff

[tryditmyself]

Large chef knife.

[Cornelius]

Well, I do own a cleaver, because when you need one, you need one. However, I seldom use it, unless I am, for example, hacking up a raw chicken in order to make stock, and I don't much care how pretty the result is.

By "butcher knife," I think you probably mean a chef's knife. My chef's knives are the most important knives in my arsenal. I have two: a large one, and a smaller one. A nakiri is sort of the same thing, but they are a bit more delicate. If you prefer the Japanese knives, a deba bocho can take the place of a chef's knife. Whichever you choose, a good, sturdy, large knife like this is almost indispensable in any kitchen.

BTW, a deba bocho is also frequently referred to as a kitchen cleaver, but is not at all the same thing as the heavy, sturdy, and rather clumsy thing many people think of as a cleaver.

So, regarding your poll, my answer, apparently, is "yes," until I understand exactly what you mean by the names you are using for the knives.

[IDontUse]

8" chefs should work fine for everything, just keep it sharp. No point in spending money on a cleaver when a chefs knife has so many other uses.

[jwhooper]

I used cleavers for a long time, but after receiving some really good chef's knives one Christmas, they haven't been used much.

Unless I need to chop through bones, or split a large gourd or melon, I can't imagine anything that a cleaver could do better than a chef's knife.

However, I would never get rid of my cleavers. It is just too much fun to hack things in half like Conan the Barbarian.

[Jim Cooley]

I use a cleaver for the squash and a really long chef's knife for the melons.

With acorn squash, I start the cut until the cleaver is firmly embedded in the squash, then lift both knife and squash like a hammer and bring it down on the counter with a good whack.