Cleaver

When my late parents came to visit us in 2000, the first thing that my mother bought me was a Chinese cleaver. She didn’t like my “western-style” knives. The Chinese cleaver is just as versatile as a wok, it’s used for an array of kitchen tasks: slicing, cutting, dicing, shredding, chopping, peeling, pounding, and mincing. My mother had such great cleaver skills that she even used it as a can opener!

The Chinese cleaver might appear intimidating because of the large blade but it’s such a nifty tool once you get over the initial apprehension because of its size and appearance. I use a Chinese cleaver on a daily basis—the very same one that my mother bought me, which now holds great sentimental value.