I was in a small shop in Portland and saw them using a cleaver for everything, even boning. Always thought that was a bad idea, but the owner showed me his technique and now I'm rethinking my whole knife set.

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3 Comments

Actually read an article about how a lot of pro butchers in Asia just use one big cleaver for all their work. It's all about skill and comfort with the tool, not just having a special knife for every single job. Makes you wonder if we overcomplicate things sometimes.

ramirez.vera17d ago

Yeah, that totally makes sense. I've seen videos of those butchers breaking down whole animals with just that one cleaver, and it's wild how precise they can be. We probably do get caught up in having the perfect tool for every little task. What's a kitchen task you think we over-prepare for?

fionafoster17d ago

Reminds me of my friend who bought every fancy knife they advertised. Had a special one just for tomatoes. Watched her struggle with a dull paring knife to break down a chicken because her "main knife" was in the sink. She got so mad she just grabbed a cheap cleaver from the back of the drawer and finished the job in like two minutes. Sometimes you just need one good tool you know how to use.