To Ulu, or not to Ulu?

[Outback in Idaho]

  Has anyone ever used a Ulu for cooking, skinning etc? Are they worth having?


  Have been looking for something to hep me dice, chop, and prepare food mostly and don't really have anything that is small past paring knifes or my Climber. But one cannot get that rocking motion either, then thought about perhaps picking up a Ulu.

  Found this site that has the Alaskan Ulu with a cutting board & bowl. Am temped, still it's $50 shipped - $39 + $11 shipping. The cutting board looks decent too. Thought I'd ask before purchasing.


PS: Still not found a personal wooden spoon maker.

[Sparky415]

  Has anyone ever used a Ulu for cooking, skinning etc? Are they worth having?
(Image removed from quote.)

  Have been looking for something to hep me dice, chop, and prepare food mostly and don't really have anything that is small past paring knifes or my Climber. But one cannot get that rocking motion either, then thought about perhaps picking up a Ulu.

  Found this site that has the Alaskan Ulu with a cutting board & bowl. Am temped, still it's $50 shipped - $39 + $11 shipping. The cutting board looks decent too. Thought I'd ask before purchasing.


PS: Still not found a personal wooden spoon maker.

I have one and use it for chopping herbs but it only has that one use, a knife with a good curved belly might be more useful 

[jzmtl]

I just can't imagine that thing to be efficient in the kitchen if you know anything about knife handling at all. Maybe in the field it works better.

[MadPlumbarian]

I saw that being used on a tv show once and almost bought one myself but didn't. I think it's pretty cool, but worth $50 idk. JR

[AimlessWanderer]

I have THIS ONE and find it very good for fine chopping, though I don't find it particularly versatile or useful for anything else. Worth having for £9, but I wouldn't pay much more for one

[Noa Isumi]

Like Ron Hood's ATAX or the Tacticool Krambits and most other "must have" self defense knives, kitchen ulus are not for everyone. Though they are marketed that way.
 Most buy them on infomercial or a "that's cool" impulse and find they are not comfortable using them.
I used to use mine for everything then packed it up during a move and there it stayed for several years. I've just moved on in my preferred kitchen knife.
It is a different technique style of cutting and hand motion. Unless you are willing to learn I suggest sticking with a normal kitchen knife. It will be slow and frustrating at first like any knife skill.
 That said with practice these things will do everything from dice herbs to skin deer.

Most never get past herb chopping which is why you see Multi bladed choppers that are 2 or 3 ulu blades with one handle going back to the '50s and mabey earlier. People used to using dough scrapers/mixers will find the ulu more familiar in the hand and easier than those used to traditional cleavers and chef knives.

A good place to start is youtube just search "ulu knife technique"
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnjh-GZ_8Es5bg1QMxxaOpwPGAAXeMkqJ

Also look for some of Gram Kerr's old shows he uses a sharpened scraper/knife constantly as a kind of square ulu. This is particular of his later '80s/90's shows. If you haven't heard of him, he was one of the big TV cooks from the 60's through the 90's and still runs a youtube channel and has written tons of cook books.

[jzmtl]

Even in the infomercial it's pretty slow and awkward,  I don't even cook that much and I can do better with a cleaver.

[Megan]

What exactly are you looking to chop with it?
You mention wanting a rocking motion, chopping etc. And since what you're looking at is so large- obviously space isn't an issue.
Long ago I had a mezzaluna for chopping. But that was before I learned proper knife skills.

I use a Global Santoku knife for most of my chopping.


Once you work on your technique you won't need a whole lot else. I of course prefer different style knives for skinning etc.

But for dicing and chopping food- a knife like this is the way to go.