Cutting a wedge or piece of cheese is child's play. Starting from a wedge, you have to remove the rind and cut the slices lengthwise if it is a soft cheese, crosswise if it is a mature cheese or diagonally if it is a blue cheese, such as gorgonzola. Starting from a piece or a shape, you can get triangular, round, square or rectangular slices. Select the most appropriate knife and get ready to savor your favorite cheese.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Cut a wedge of cheese
Step 1. If you start from a whole or pyramid shape (typical of some goats for example), first cut the cheese into wedges with a sharp knife
If the shape is round or resembles a pyramid, you can easily cut it into wedges that are easy to serve and eat. Use a sharp knife and place the tip of the blade in the center of the shape. Cut the cheese into wedges about 3-5 cm wide. Divide the whole shape into evenly sized wedges, then cut them into smaller slices, depending on the type of cheese.
- This method is suitable for both fresh and aged cheeses.
- From a whole wheel, you should get about 8-16 slices, depending on the initial size and width of the wedges.
Step 2. Remove any wax coating present on some semi-soft cheeses
If the cheese is coated with a protective wax layer, remove it before slicing the wedges. Place the blade where the wax layer ends, sink it into the cheese using medium pressure and cut a slice from the widest side of the wedge. Twist the knife and cut another slice to remove the wax coating from the short side of the wedge.
- You should be able to remove the wax coating in 2-3 pieces.
- For example, remove the wax coating from gouda cheese and Dutch edammer.
Step 3. If it is a soft cheese, slice it lengthwise
If you have purchased a wedge of soft cheese, you can easily cut it with a sharp knife. Slice it lengthwise with the tip of the knife pointing downwards. In this way, you will be able to obtain thin and even slices of cheese.
Make slices about 1 cm thick, according to your preferences
Step 4. If it is a hard or semi-hard cheese, slice it crosswise
Place the wedge on its side on the cutting board and start slicing it from the tip, moving towards the outer crust. Make slices of the desired thickness, for example 1-2 cm. When you reach the end and widest part of the wedge, cut it in half lengthwise instead of trying to slice it to avoid injury.
- If the wedge is very large, it is best to cut it in half before slicing it.
- This method is suitable for example for cutting pecorino, asiago, fontina or a caciotta.
Step 5. Cut the gorgonzola and other blue cheeses obliquely, starting from the center
Use a sharp knife, place the cheese sideways on the cutting board and place the blade in the center of the thinnest part of the wedge. Point the knife outwards and cut the piece of cheese into slices. Continue slicing until you reach the outer edge of the wedge. Aim for slices that are about 1 to 1.5 cm thick.
This method works best with hard blue cheeses, such as spicy gorgonzola
Method 2 of 3: Cut a Block of Cheese
Step 1. Cut the semi-hard cheeses into triangles
If you want to cut the cheese wheel into triangular pieces, first divide it in half to get two parallelepipeds. Cut the two blocks into rectangular slices about half a centimeter thick. Finally, cut each slice diagonally, so you will get two triangles.
This method is suitable for cutting cheddar cheese
Step 2. If the cheese has a cylindrical shape, cut it into round slices of uniform thickness
Discard the cheese and place the knife blade about half an inch from either end. Create a slice by sinking the blade into the cheese from above, with constant pressure. Lift the knife and repeat the movement to create another identical slice (about half an inch away from the point of the previous cut). Repeat until you have cut all the cheese.
- You should get about 10-18 slices, depending on the thickness and size of the shape.
- You can use this method to cut cheese for pizza or a piece of aged goat cheese.
Step 3. If the cheese block is rectangular, cut it into regular slices perpendicular to the longer side
Use a large knife and cut the cheese into slices about half an inch thick. Start slicing from one end of the form by making even and regular cuts, moving after each slice until you reach the opposite end.
- All the slices should be roughly the same thickness, but you can freely decide whether you want them more or less thin.
- This method is suitable for cutting semi-hard cheeses, such as emmental and cheddar.
Method 3 of 3: Use the Right Knife
Step 1. Use a soft cheese knife to easily cut semi-soft cheeses
Soft cheese knives have a long, sharp and forked blade. In addition, they have holes in the blade to prevent the slices from sticking to the knife. Point the knife towards the long side of the cheese and sink the blade in applying steady pressure as you cut.
- For example, this knife is suitable for cutting semi-hard cow's milk cheeses, such as fontina.
- You can use the spikes at the end of the blade to skewer the cheese slices and serve them comfortably.
Step 2. Use a spatula knife to cut cheeses that tend to crumble
This type of knife has a wide, bell-shaped blade, suitable for slicing cheese into large pieces. Insert it into the mold from above and pull it to detach a piece of cheese. Move it as if it were an ice cream portioner.
You can use the spatula knife to cut goat or blue cheeses
Step 3. Use the bow (also called the cheese cutter bow) to slice semi-soft or semi-hard cheeses
The bow is a very useful tool that allows you to easily cut fresh or slightly seasoned cheeses, such as stracchino. To use it, lift it from the handle and place it on the cheese where you want to cut it. Then simply push the handle down to sink the steel wire into the cheese and slice it. Raise the bow to separate the slice.
You can freely choose the thickness of the slices. Generally, the bow is used to obtain slices about half a centimeter thick
Step 4. Use a scoop to cut the aged cheeses into thin flakes
The so-called cheese scoop works in a similar way to the mandolin with which you slice vegetables. Place the piece of cheese on the cutting board, resting it on its thinnest side, then place the cheese paddle in contact with the top side. Slowly slide the paddle from side to side, applying steady pressure. A very thin flake of cheese will come out through the groove.
For example, use the cheese scoop to cut the emmental if you want to get very thin slices
Step 5. Use a hard cheese cleaver when you want to cut very aged cheeses without ruining the dough
It is a sturdy knife, with a broad, pointed blade and a large handle. Direct the tip of the knife towards the center of the shape and sink the blade into the cheese to cut a piece.
Use the cleaver to cut particularly hard cheeses, such as aged cheeses, for example Parmesan
Step 6. Use a curved cleaver to cut hard cheeses into slices or cubes
Similar to the hard cheese cleaver, but smaller in size, the curved cleaver has a wide, sharp and slightly curved blade that allows for clean cuts. It is large enough to slice a whole cheese wheel in one motion. Sink the blade into the mold, pushing it down, to cut the cheese in a single motion. If you want to cut it into cubes, first cut it into thick slices and then slice them in the opposite direction.
