Knives are used for a variety of cutting and slicing jobs during the cooking process. There are different types of kitchen knives available, depending on the role they play. A cleaver knife, for instance is used to cut meat. As such, you need to take time and choose the best from the available choices. Here are some tips that will be of great help when you are selecting a meat cleaver.

The blade

The blade is, of course, the most important part of the knife. Traditionally, these blades were made out of carbon steel. Unfortunately, this metal is prone to rusting, and the fact that the kitchen is an environment full of constant moisture doesn’t make things better. When the knife starts rusting, the food will start having an unbecoming metallic taste. It is therefore recommended that you look for a cleaver knife with a blade made of stainless steel, or a combination of carbon steel and stainless steel.

Sharpness

Cutting and slicing meat is a tough task that needs a very sharp knife. It is therefore important to ensure that the blade of your meat cleaver is sharp at all times. Carbon steel was preferred because it stayed sharp for a very long time. Use of a dull knife forces you to try and use more force that could lead to kitchen accidents. When sharpening a cleaver, smooth sandstone or sharpening steel can be used. Steels are preferred because they realign the edge of the blade at the molecular level as opposed to removing parts of the metal.

Maintenance

It is important to preserve the cleaver blade at all costs. First, ensure that the blade is sharpened in a manner that does not eat it away, leading to the knife thinning. Then, make sure that you clean them by washing them with warm and soapy water and by hand. The cleaver should be dried thoroughly before storage because stainless steel is not completely rust proof.

These are a few of the things that will eventually determine the quality and durability of your cleaver. Lastly, you should avoid using the cleaver on things that have acidic agents such as tomatoes and fruits because they corrode the blade and make it dull.