A cleaver is a large, heavy kitchen knife with a thick rectangular blade, designed for cutting through meat and bone. Unlike the thin, sharp knives used for slicing vegetables, a cleaver relies on weight and force. When a butcher needs to split a chicken or chop through ribs, they raise the cleaver and bring it down with controlled strength, letting the blade's mass do the work.

The cleaver's distinctive shape, wide and squared-off, serves multiple purposes. The flat side can crush garlic or ginger with a quick smack. The broad blade helps transfer chopped ingredients from cutting board to pot. In Chinese cooking, skilled chefs use a cleaver (called a cai dao) for nearly everything, from mincing herbs to julienning vegetables to breaking down whole fish.

If you've ever seen a chef confidently chop through a thick cut of meat with one decisive motion, you've witnessed this tool doing exactly what it was designed for.