Cleaver

The cleaver is an all-purpose cutting instrument. Once you gain facility with a cleaver, you will see how it can be used on all types of food to slice, dice, chop, fillet, shred, crush or whatever. Most Asian chefs rely upon three different sizes of cleaver - light, medium and heavy - to be used as appropriate. Of course, you may use your own familiar kitchen knives, but if you decide to invest in a cleaver, choose a good-quality stainless-steel model and keep it sharpened.