How to Use Cheese Knives

Use cheese knives to slice a variety of cheeses.

Serious cooks who enjoy specialty gadgets may include one or more cheese knives in their arsenal of tools. When you serve and eat a variety of different cheeses in various textures, using cheese knives can help you slice cheese into attractive slices. Some cheese knives for cutting soft cheeses have holes along the blade to help keep the soft cheese intact as you slice it. Many cheese knives have a special tip that enables you to pierce a slice of cheese after you slice it to place it onto a serving platter.

Things You'll Need

• Cheese knives
• Cutting board
• Cheese

Instructions

1. Select a cheese knife that is appropriate for your cheese. Use a soft cheese knife with holes for slicing semi-soft or soft cheeses; the holes will help the cheese from sticking to the blade. Use a standard spatula-style cheese slicing knife--also called a cheese plane--for slicing hard cheeses.

2. Place the cheese onto the cutting board.

3. Push the cheese knife straight down through the cheese to use a standard cheese knife. These cheese knives are suitable for slicing thick or thin slices of firm or soft cheeses. The tip of the knife typically is crafted into a fork shape. Insert the tip of the cheese knife into the slice of cheese to move it to the serving platter.

4. Grasp the cheese plane with your dominant hand and position the blade of the tool on top of the cheese block. With firm pressure, slide the tool downward, at a 45 degree angle, to slice the cheese. The plane has a slot in the center, which is where the blade is. The cheese slices will come through this slot when you pull it along the block of cheese. Cheese connoisseurs who prefer their cheeses sliced quite thinly will find this tool and technique perfectly suited.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that cheese tends to harden as air touches it. If you slice too much cheese too far ahead of serving it, your cheese will begin to dry out. It avoid dried-out slices, place your cheese out on a cutting board, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap and make the cheese knife available for guests to slice their own cheese.

References

• Recipe Tips: Cheese Knife