Cleavers have a pretty narrow association with butchering large cuts of cow meat, or horror movies where butchering is also a theme. This broad hulk of a knife is often misunderstood as a specialty knife—reserved for hacking through meat and bone—but it’s actually a versatile tool. Here are some of the major uses of the cleaver, and some uses that might surprise you.
All knives are tools for cutting in one way or another, and it’s the shape of the blade and positioning of the handle that generally indicates what type of cutting it does best. The cleaver has a tall, boxy blade, and a handle situated off the top of the blade. Let’s talk about the blade first.
Unlike a boning knife, which is made with a flexible metal composition, cleaver blades are strong, broad, and unyielding. The blade is often thicker than a chef’s knife, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be; many thin modern cleavers are strong and still lightweight. The cutting edge of the blade can be slightly curved or completely straight. A curved blade means you can slice with a rocking motion, and a straight blade means the knife is best at downward strokes. This tall, strong blade is what makes the cleaver ideal for making straight cuts through large items, be it ribs, or gourds.
The handle of the knife is positioned at the top of the tall blade giving you the ability to leverage its weight. This is most helpful for putting power behind big cuts and forceful chops, and the extra inches of space between the handle and the edge of the blade ensures enough space for your fingers to maintain a safe grip. Aside from accidentally cutting yourself with a cleaver, no one wants to knock their knuckles against a hardwood cutting board either.
Chinese cleavers classically have shorter handles in comparison to the length of the blade. The weight and balance of the knife in your hand is blade-heavy. This can make the chopping motion easier and feel more like gravity is taking care of business. Other cleavers that are made with longer handles feel more centrally balanced in your hand. This can give the user more control if they’re new to handling cleavers, and the larger grip can feel more comfortable in-hand.
When shopping for your next cleaver, keep in mind your basic knife-shopping knowledge. Check to see if it’s full tang—does the blade’s metal extend completely through the handle? Find out what kind of metal it’s made of. Most cleavers are hard-wearing stainless steel or high-carbon steel. Both are good choices because they’re strong, however high-carbon steel can be more brittle, which could chip more easily if you’re hacking through tough materials.
Consider what kind of handle is best for you. It’s best to shop in-person so you can feel the weight of the knife in your hand and hopefully do some test cuts. Ask the staff about sharpening and the angle of the edge so you can keep the blade in good condition at home.
Big cuts. The wide and tall blade of the cleaver makes it ideal for splitting through large, tough items—that’s why it’s useful when butchering. While you can make quick work of quartering chickens, there's more than meat to be cut. Use the cleaver to finally split through the tough rind of cold-weather squashes, like butternut and acorn, or slice up watermelons and cantaloupe with ease.
Fine cuts. As long as you keep your blade sharp, your cleaver will be just as capable of finely cutting chives as it is at sectioning smoked ribs. Both curved and straight blades can be used to neatly slice onions or garlic, mow down a pile of herbs, finely chiffonade stubborn cabbage, or cut six servings of your homemade soba noodles.
Everything else. Your cleaver should stay in your rack of most-used knives. Along with the cuts mentioned above, you can prep all your vegetables, use the wide side of the blade to crush garlic, and scoop it all up into the pot using that bountiful real estate. I appreciate how the blade is kind of shaped like a bench scraper, but sharper. Flour up the blade to divide dough for rolls, or use it to slice pizza. Let’s not forget that you can also make homemade ground meat by roughly chopping through a large cut and continuing until you have a fine mince. With a little practice, your cleaver could be the multi-functional blade that takes your cooking to the next level.
