For Trimming Meat and Peeling Vegetables

Grip the handle tightly, with thumb and index finger holding the sides of the flat of the blade. The cleaver is almost horizontal. Then, as the free hand lifts pieces of gristle away from meats and fowl, the cleaver blade is gently inserted and follows the hand, cutting the gristle as the hand lifts it. When peeling, as with water chestnuts, the cleaver is steady; the free hand manipulates what is to be peeled. The blade edge is always away from you as you peel.

A cleaver, because it is made of carbon steel, should be washed and dried quickly to prevent rust. Under no circumstances should you place it in a dishwasher. If your cleaver should show a spot of rust, it should be rubbed with steel wool, dried, and touched with a bit of vegetable oil.