Chinese Cleaver

Appears in

By Neil Perry

Published 2008

  • About
Cleavers come in a variety of sizes. Those with thin blades are more commonly used for chopping and shredding, while the larger, heavier cleavers are for chopping poultry and slicing meat. The broad blade of a cleaver is easy to keep sharp with a sharpening steel or stone. A Chinese chef would use the blade for chopping, slicing and shredding, and the handle for crushing. The flat surface of the blade can also be used for crushing and for scooping ingredients from a board and transferring them. Cleavers are very versatile and, although all the cutting for this book can be done with Western knives, I do recommend learning to cut with a cleaver.