Even though it's as boxy as the Western cleaver, the Chinese version is less a cleaver than an oriental chefs knife. It is lighter, thinner. and, with its razor-sharp tapered edge, it slices and dices rather than hacks and hews Its usual dimensions are 8 inches by 3 inches, al though different sizes and shapes are designed for particular purposes. The elongated rectangle has a greater cutting edge that's especially good for mincing the wider curved-edge cleaver, which can be rocked, is superb for chopping, and the popular boxlike cleaver, with its straight edge, excels at slicing and cutting. Wester cleavers are classified according to blade length, but the Chinese are delineated according to weight, with each allotted a specific number. Number 1 cleavers usually weigh l10 ounces and are used primarily for decorative cutting. The recommended Number 2 cleaver generally weighs 12 ounces and is used for mincing, dicing, shredding, and slicing. The Number 3 cleaver, at 20 ounces, is the heaviest and can quarter poultry and be used for hard chopping. Chinese cleavers are available in carbon and stainless steels and recently, in a very fine, single, medium-weight high-carbon stainless steel from some of the German knife makers.
The Chinese variant of the European cook's knife, this cleaver looks like a huge razor blade, and in a way, it works like one as well, cutting vegetables in no time with a straightforward downward movement. Its cutting edge is thin and light, and once you become accustomed to it, you can slice, dice, mince and julienne as adeptly as with your cook's knife (experienced users can even rock-chop with it). The wide blade acts as a support for the food being cut and can also be used as a scoop to move vegetables from the chopping board to the pan.
A meat cleaver is easily identifiable because of its thick blade, which only slightly narrows down from the spine to the cutting edge. This edge is beveled at a wide angle, making it durable even if not extremely sharp. It can weigh between 2 to 5 pounds and is perfect for cutting through bones as it provides a lot of force on the downward stroke. If you are looking to split chicken thighs for cracklings or to halve a breast, this knife is the best option. It can also be used to pound veal for scaloppini or beef for carpaccio. The heel can be used to chip apart a frozen block of shrimp, a job which would damage any other knife. Too large to fit into knife blocks and drawer inserts, meat cleavers usually have a hole in the blade where they can be hung up on a hook.
