The Chopping Block

The indispensable counterpart of a cleaver is a good, solid chopping block. Mrs. Chiang’s mother did all her chopping on a traditional Chinese chopping block, a 3-inch-thick section of log with the bark still on it. A less exotic American chopping block or board is perfectly adequate, as long as it has a large surface and is heavy enough to withstand the blows of a Chinese cleaver.