Chopping Knives and Food Choppers

Chopping knives have been used to cut everything from raw vegetables to chunks of meat. There are a few types, but all have relatively wide or deep blades, unlike a paring knife, for example. A few look like cleavers, with the blade and handle on the same horizontal plane, but most have handles on top to utilize vertical force. Handles are either T-shaped with one tang or have a grip with two tangs—one at each end of the blade, for more control. Some chopping knives have two or even three blades, often curved along the bottom, giving them the nineteenth-century moniker “rug cutters,” a nickname shared by rocking chairs. In the 1920s one was made with a spring-action T-handle, adding force. Chopping knives were used with cutting boards or wooden cutting bowls. Early nineteenth-century ones may be fancy and made with figural cutouts in the deep blade.