"Kathleen" > wrote in message
...
> Okay, so I got this cleaver as an X-Mas gift last year. I'd been wanting
> one because some of the chicken stock recipes I'd been playing with
> specified hacking up a chicken to extract maximum yumminess.
>
> Is it just me, or is this a really messy business? I use my regular
> chef's knife to dismember the fowl into the familiar components then use
> the cleaver to hack them into smaller pieces.
>
> The cleaver is sharp and heavy. Feels good in the hand. But trying to
> chop a drumstick, for instance, into smaller sections causes a certain
> amount of splatter.
>
> Am I doing something wrong or is the need for a full frontal apron and
> safety glasses normal?


A cleaver is overkill for cutting up a chicken. A simple sharp chef's knife
is all you need. Yes, cleavers are messy and chickens tend to be pretty
moist. I have two cleavers and never use them.

Paul