Cheese Knife

Choosing a cheese knife

Cheese, like people, comes in all shapes and sizes.  From your sturdy, supermarket chunk of Cheddar through your crumbly Wensleydale, from a festive, barrel-shaped Stilton to gourmet goat’s cheese, there is something to suit all tastes and budgets.

Some people will just reach for the nearest knife in their kitchen to chop into cheese, irrespective of its texture or shape. But this is not necessarily going to do your knife, or your cheese, any favours. It’s best to use a cheese knife that is designed to cope with the type of cheese you have chosen.

Soft cheese knives
Soft cheeses need a sharp cheese knife, as they tend to be sticky and cling to the blade of an unsuitable knife.  Using a suitable soft cheese knife will mean the pieces of cheese will have a crisper shape than if you had used a standard kitchen knife.

Knives for cutting soft cheeses tend to have stainless steel blades to help ensure the cheese does not stick to the knife.  They also often have holes in their blades, which is another feature designed to stop your Brie or Camembert clinging to the knife.

The shape of a cheese knife tends to be different from that of a standard kitchen knife.  Most knives have a blade that tapers at the tip, but a cheese knife is thinnest closest to its handle, with a blade that gets wider further away from its base.

Hard cheese knives
Hard cheese knives need to be very sharp too, so that they can cut the cheese into a sharp, precise slice.  They often come with a forked tip so they can also be used to serve the cheese.  Often, cheese forks are included in cheese knife sets as a serving utensil.

Parmesan cheese knives
Cheese connoisseurs would have a fit if you presented the Parmesan in a supermarket tub, or in a lump with a household cheese grater.  They know that the cheese tastes and smells best when broken into small portions.  A Parmesan cheese knife is specially designed for cutting this very hard cheese and others like it.  A Parmesan cheese knife has a short, stubby blade that is designed to break off small portions of the cheese.

Cheese cutters and slicers
Delicatessens and even supermarkets will often use cheese cutters to slice cheese.  Fine stainless steel or aluminium wire is stretched across a frame and hand pressure is used to cut through the cheese.  Devices using cheese wire can be bought for home use too.

Cheese slicers have a design based on a carpenter’s plane and are designed to cut moist, oily cheese.

Buying cheese knives
There are cheese knives, sets and cutters to suit all needs and budgets.  Whether you’re just looking for a simple set to cover both hard and soft cheeses, high quality cheese knives or cutters for your business or a sharply designed knife to impress guests who have come for dinner, there’s a cheese knife out there for you!