Why Is There a Hole in a Meat Cleaver - IMARKU
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Why Is There a Hole in a Meat Cleaver

If you’re familiar with basic cooking tools, you’re also probably familiar with the meat cleaver. For the uninitiated, these are heavy-weight knives with a hole in the middle. You would primarily use meat cleavers to cut chicken in smaller chunks, marinate meat smoothly, compress drumstick meat, et al.

But leaving the functions and role of the cleaver aside, have you ever wondered why it features a hole in the first place? The answer to this is simple. Most meat cleavers have a hole at the center so that you can conveniently hang them in your kitchen.

Because these devices are extremely heavy, you cannot fit them in a regular storage unit or a drawer. This is also the reason why you can’t sneak them anywhere in proximity to kitchen blades.

To address these issues, the makers of cleavers always install a central hole. Thanks to the hole, you can now conveniently hang the device anywhere to your liking. This enhances the storage options and helps keep the device safe.

In the following few sections, we will discuss this in detail and find out more about why do cleavers have a hole in the first place.

Why Is There a Hole in a Meat Cleaver?

As previously mentioned, meat cleavers are an extremely heavy device, and you would want to store them the right way. Because it is not always ideal for storing meat cleavers in drawers, thanks to their size, you would like some mechanism to hang the device. The hole lets you precisely achieve this goal. It enables you to hang the cleaver anywhere to your liking conveniently.

This way, you end up saving on space while also creating enough room for your hefty meat cleaver. Hanging them also means you are not stuffing them in your drawer or keeping their blades in proximity to other knives. Because either of these actions can damage the cleaver and affect its long-term durability, it is always a better idea to hang the device.

Reasons for the hole in a meat cleaver

Most professional chefs and meat slayers handle these cleavers daily. These professionals use the cleaver to slice or get thin cuts of meat. They also use it to break down bigger chunks of the bones, spine, and meat into minced and thawed consistency.

Available in all shapes, sizes, and structures, you will find these cleavers in the home of any professional chef. Interestingly, you will notice one similar aspect when it comes to the meat cleavers seen everywhere. In almost all cases, these cleavers are hung from the kitchen wall. This is one of the major purposes of the hole that is carefully installed into every meat cleaver. But what additional roles does the hole serve? Why do manufacturers specifically install these holes in meat cleavers? Let’s learn more:

  • The hole is one of the biggest protection suites of the cleaver.
  • Most meat cleavers feature a hole to enable easy manoeuvrability and quick/safe hanging.
  • When you hang the meat cleaver, you keep it in a dangling position at a significant height. This ensures that the edge of the knives are fully controlled and can be conveniently retrieved when needed.
  • A certain degree of resistance will be established every time you attempt to chop out a larger chunk of the meat into a smaller piece with your meat knife. This in turn will come in the way of your perfect cuts. What’s more, it will slow down your cutting motion regardless of your expertise or comfort level with the knife.
  • This is exactly where the hole comes to help. Thanks to this hole, your knife has a form of resistance that leaves you with easier and smoother slices of meat. This is also why almost all large knives feature a hole or hollow part at the center.
  • If you handle large chunks of meat daily, you probably understand how difficult it gets to slicing the meat. Things get worse with frozen meat. Here, your knife tends to stop, preventing you from achieving smooth cuts. The solution here is the hole of the cleaver.
  • Because of these holes, you can now conveniently slide in your fingers and drag the knife to cut through the tough stuff like iced chunks of flesh.

    In addition to the mentioned reasons, the hole also serves the following few functions:

    Improves the Aesthetics

    Regardless of how often we tend to overlook aesthetics, its aesthetics leaves a lasting impact on our minds at the end of the day. That is also why manufacturers spend such a significant chunk of time designing the structure of different objects.

    Most cleaver knives feature a heavy-duty design along with a central hole. The appearance is further backed by their promising and sturdy rectangular blade, which is also extremely wide. These minute factors add to the aesthetics of the knife and the hole precisely serves a similar purpose.

    In addition to the practical role of the hole also adds a range of style and suaveness to entire like. This way, you have a beautifully finished knife that also serves all ranges of practical functions and operations.

    Minimizes Friction

    This is yet another reason why most meat cleavers come with a hole. When you use these devices to cut through tough bone, it might develop a degree of friction. Within the next few seconds, you will be left with meat cuts but with shards that may potentially choke the consumer.

    To address this issue, meat cleavers come with a hole. Because these holes significantly minimize and limit friction, you are left with cleaner meat cuts without shards. This also improves the tool’s overall usability quotient and makes it convenient to use and operate.

    Uses of a Cleaver

    As with the many different types of knives, meat cleavers come with diverse and versatile functions. In this section, we will take a closer look at these roles.


    Section Meat More Conveniently

    The defining aspect of cleavers is their sharp and wide blade. While these blades may be used for a range of different functions, the primary role is to trim out meat skin and fat. You would also want to use this dive to cut poultry meat.

    With the suitable cleaver in place, you can conveniently chop out the problematic sections like ribs and bones. Thanks to the heavy-duty blades, cracking bones is even simpler.

    In addition to this significant benefit, you might also want to use cleavers for the following reasons:

    • To chop, mince, and dice vegetables and meat
    • To enjoy more excellent balance and control while cutting meat
    • Extremely durable and will last you for the longest time
    • Easy to handle and master
    • The handle can be doubled up as a pestle to grind ginger, garlic, and other herbs or dry spices

    Thanks to these many benefits, cleavers are now a significant part of all amateur and seasoned cooks. So, if you want to chop meat faster and hone the best cooking techniques, you might as well consider getting these knives for yourself.

    Cleaver Recommendations

    If you are planning to invest in a quality meat cleaver, the iMarku cleaver would be our top recommendation. Made from professional grade steel. This is an exceptionally lightweight cleaver that offers you just the perfect balance while slicing or mincing heavy meat chunks. It’ll barely take you twenty minutes to half an hour to debone large meats. Make sure to check out the best cleaver knives to buy in 2023 for more tips.

    The key feature of these cleavers is their diverse and versatile functions. You typically use these tools to chop, mince, slice, and dice meat and vegetable chunks. Thanks to the vast and super-sharp blade, you can cut through any food item with ease and convenience. Because the blade is manufactured and built in Germany, you can rest assured of its overall quality and rust-free properties. Cleaver or butcher, which one is your choice?

    The entire knife is highly durable and using it to cut through dense veggie, or meat chunks would be a breeze! We are also incredibly impressed by the solid handle of the knife. Crafted from high-quality Pakka wood, the handle offers a solid grip and is extremely comfortable holding and operating. Because the handle is slip-resistant, you can comfortably hold it for the longest time without feeling tired.

    Overall, this is an excellent product to cut your veggies and meat regularly. Because the cleaning guidelines are equally simple, maintaining these cleavers for the long term is practically hassle-free. 

    Bottom Line

    So now that you have an answer to the question, why do cleavers have a hole? Wait for no further and get a quality meat cleaver right away! Since we discussed the anatomy and, more specifically, the hole of these cleavers in detail, you now probably have a better idea of storing and maintaining the device.

    Additionally, we have also shared guidelines on the potential uses of these cleavers, and if you perform one or more of the listed functions, you should certainly consider taking a meat cleaver seriously. Finally, we also recommended an excellent cleaver that is both sturdy and comes with a large enough hole for easy storage and manoeuvrability. So, act on your wish list and get these quality cleavers home for more accessible, better, and hassle-free cooking sessions.

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