CCK Cleaver Tall Bunka Style 200mm "Shibata Special"

It depends on the blade thickness. A knife maker's guide sorts the chuka cleaver (中華包丁) into three thicknesses, each suited to different foods.

The thin kind (薄刃), the lightest, is for the everyday foods a supermarket sells; the medium-thick kind (中厚刃) can also cut hard foods such as bone-in chicken and fish bones; and the thick kind (厚刃), the heaviest and meant for experienced users, suits bone-in block meat and frozen food. Check the thickness of your blade before you cut any bone.

The Japan Stainless Steel Association defines stainless as an iron-based alloy with 10.5% chromium or more that rusts less.

In two carbon knife steel examples, Proterial lists no chromium for Shirogami 2 (White 2) and 0.20 to 0.50% for Aogami 2 (Blue 2), so both sit below that threshold.

Chan Chi Kee (陳枝記) is a family knife shop on Shanghai Street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The current owner says his grandfather started the shop before the Second World War, and the shop calls itself 百年老店, a century-old shop.

It sells its own range of Chinese cleavers and kitchenware, and staff grind and finish cleavers at a small sharpening station in the back of the shop. The shop also says there is only one Chan Chi Kee: 只此一家, this one shop only.

CCK numbers its cleavers with a series code plus a size number, so KF1303 is size No. 3 in the 桑刀 small slicer series. Within a series the last digit is the size, with No. 1 the largest: KF1301 is 24 x 10 cm, KF1302 is 21 x 9.5 cm and KF1303 is 20 x 9 cm.

Other series follow the same pattern. KF1901 to KF1904 is the stainless chopper with a wooden handle, from No. 1 at 21.5 x 10 cm down to No. 4 at 19.5 x 8 cm, so within a series a higher last digit means a smaller knife.

Pick by the job first. CCK's 片刀 slicers and 桑刀 small slicers are for vegetables and boneless meat. The 文武刀 chopper, named for its civil and military sides, slices at the front and chops small bones at the heel, and the 骨刀 bone chopper is for bones. The range also includes 九江刀 choppers and 燒腊刀 BBQ choppers.

CCK's range comes in carbon and stainless steel, with wooden, steel or coloured plastic handles depending on the model, so steel and handle are your second choice, after the job. Then pick the size number that suits your hand and board.

Carbon steel reacts quickly, so a carbon CCK can rust if it sits wet. Wash and dry it straight after use, and oil it lightly while it is new.

A smooth grey, blue or brown patina forms on the blade and protects it, so there is no need to polish it off. Rough orange that rubs off is rust; remove it and keep to the wash, dry and oil routine.