Get ready to unleash your inner chef and wood-chopping warrior with these two incredible Cleavers for Camp & Kitchen! These powerhouse blades are designed for serious work, whether you’re whipping up delicious Chinese dishes or tackling outdoor adventures. Let’s dive into the excitement of these versatile tools that elevate your culinary game and empower your outdoor skills!
Expat Cleaver for Camp
Expat Knives, a division of ESEE Knives, offers high-quality knives from various global regions. Their first collaboration is the American-made CL-1 cleaver, crafted in Idaho. This durable cleaver combines traditional materials like High Carbon 1095 steel with modern technology and features a thick leather sheath. It’s a versatile tool for camp and kitchen use and is ideal for prepping meal ingredients.
My first impression of the cleaver was its impressive heft. Unlike a typical light-weight Chinese cleaver, this one boasted a 6 1/4-inch blade and weighed 25 ounces, perfect for making my favorite chicken soup. In winter’s chill, I quartered a whole chicken, using the cleaver’s sharp edge to cut through joints and chop bones. It effortlessly handled the backbone and the drumstick ends without nicking or dulling.
Preparing the soup required more than just chicken. First, I chopped potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, parsley, and garlic. I appreciated the cleaver’s weight as I used my usual scoring technique, then rocking the blade to achieve nice dicing. I kept the vegetables in larger chunks for the soup, while the cleaver easily chopped herbs and handled a frozen lamb bone without damaging the edge.
Cleaver Meets Wood
The weight on this bad boy was perfect for splitting wood and was similar to using a Japanese Nata (hatchet). I split wood easily for a small wood stove, and the cleaver felt like a hatchet. The thick spine aided in splitting with minimal effort.
PB&J Cleaver for the Kitchen
I encountered a table of rustic knives featuring a large parang at a knife trade show. The sign read PB&J Handmade Knives, Made in the USA. The name caught my attention because I loved peanut butter and jelly as a kid. Phillip Jones, Barry Jones (brothers), and Jake Kirks run PB&J.
The Cleaver features a 7-inch traditional chef’s knife size and an overall length of 11 ½ inches, with a 3/32-inch thick spine perfect for slicing. Made from bandsaw steel, it’s suitable for kitchen knives, filleting knives, woodworking tools, and swords. It often pairs with 15n20, 1095, or 1084 steel for pattern-welded “Damascus” steel.
The PB&J Veggie Cleaver has a full convex grind for efficient cutting. Its attractive handle combines brown crosscut canvas micarta scales with vibrant blue G-10 liners, secured with brass pins for added class.
Camp Hobo Pack
To prepare this foil-pack dish, I scored the salmon skin with a sharp knife for even cooking. I cut the carrots small as they take longer to cook, aligning their timing with the salmon and asparagus. Using a simple round cutting board in the woods, I found the PB&J Veggie Cleaver essential for this dish and many others.
Chili & Chicken Soup
I used the PB&J Veggie Cleaver to make a fantastic chili con carne. I prepped onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, ground beef, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, and black beans. The cleaver, weighing 11 ounces with a full tang, felt comfortable to use and had a sharp, curved edge for smoother chopping.
I began with a chicken leg, easily separating the thigh from the drumstick and removing the backbone to boost flavor. Deboning with the cleaver was efficient, preserving meat while enhancing the dish. Slicing celery, onions, and carrots was just as effortless, showcasing the cleaver’s effectiveness.
These two powerhouse Cleavers for Camp & Kitchen passed my field tests in the forest and kitchen. Give them a try, and you’ll be a believer!
For more information, check out ESEE and PB&J Knives!
