Someone who knows how I feel about my Chinese cleaver sent me the link to this NY Times article. French-trained Molly O’Neill finally realized how useful a cleaver can be in the kitchen. No more fumbling around for the perfect knife for the job. Cleavers are multi-purpose, and once you learn to trust yourself with one, you’ll find yourself dicing, chopping, mincing, scraping, and slicing all sorts of ingredients from tomatoes to chicken without heading to the knife block or gadget drawer. People always ask why I, the garlic fiend, do not own a garlic press. I don’t need one. With one whack and a few minces, the clove is at my mercy. I will confess to owning other knives though: an excellent bread knife (see, Chinese cooks don’t usually need to cut bread), a Henckels paring knife (OK, I won’t peel fruit with my cleaver — well, maybe on a dare), and a Henckels sashimi knife that I got because it was on clearance and I’m a sucker for a bargain. However, when it comes to cleavers, my technique pales in comparison to that of my mother’s. Remember, always keep those knuckles in.