{"id":2282,"date":"2024-08-26T04:24:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T04:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/a-knife-expert-shares-5-tips-for-choosing-and-care-for-your-cheese-knives\/"},"modified":"2024-08-26T04:24:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T04:24:54","slug":"a-knife-expert-shares-5-tips-for-choosing-and-care-for-your-cheese-knives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/a-knife-expert-shares-5-tips-for-choosing-and-care-for-your-cheese-knives\/","title":{"rendered":"A Knife Expert Shares 5 Tips for Choosing and Care for Your Cheese Knives"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

If you\u2019re a cheese lover, chances are you\u2019ve got a set of cheese knives somewhere in your kitchen. But the standard trio\u2014a stubby, shovel-shaped spade for chunking cheese, a flat spade for slicing hard cheeses, and a thinner, fork-tipped knife for snagging a hunk of Brie or spearing that last cornichon\u2014aren\u2019t necessarily the best options for serving cheese, and they\u2019re almost certainly not the best for breaking down larger pieces into bite-size ones. So what\u2019s a cheese lover to do?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"

\n

Josh Donald photo credit Molly DeCoudreaux.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We got in touch with knife expert Josh Donald, co-owner of San Francisco knife shop Bernal Cutlery<\/a> and co-author of Sharp: The Definitive Introduction to Knives, Sharpening, and Cutting Techniques, with Recipes from Great Chefs<\/em><\/a>, to get some tips on sourcing, storing, and maintaining quality cheese knives. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Good cheese knives don\u2019t have to be expensive, but they do need to be well-made\u2014and the right shape.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For breaking down wedges or small wheels into smaller cuts, Donald recommends a good, wide-heeled chef\u2019s knife\u2014the same one you\u2019d use for chopping onions or breaking down a chicken\u2014for semi-firm and firm cheeses. A paring knife with a sharp, narrow blade works well for soft and semi-soft cheeses (more on those in a minute).<\/p>\n

For serving, he said, it\u2019s better to invest in one versatile, well-made cheese knife that can handle a variety of styles rather than relying on the stubby, dull set that came with your first cheese board. <\/p>\n

Donald\u2019s favorite cheese knife<\/a>\u2014also a bestseller at Bernal\u2014is the Langloch, made in Solingen, Germany by Robert Herder Windm\u00fchlenmesser. <\/p>\n

\u201cI like that it\u2019s thin,\u201d he said. \u201cOne thing I\u2019ve found with cheese knives used for service is that they\u2019re often a little bit chunky, and if they\u2019re really thick, they just don\u2019t cut hard cheeses very well.\u201d Avoid knives with flat blades with no taper from the spine to the cutting edge. \u201cIt\u2019s probably not going to be a good performer if it\u2019s really plow-shaped.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Langloch\u2019s six-inch blade is large enough to handle prep but not too large to use at table, and the offset orientation leaves plenty of room so your knuckles don\u2019t hit the board while cutting. Finally, oval-shaped holes running through the thin, hand-ground blade\u2014a style sometimes called a \u201cskeleton knife\u201d\u2014keep soft and semi-soft cheeses from sticking.<\/p>\n

Bernal also stocks a more budget-friendly option, the elegant N\u00e9ron Le Thiers<\/a> knife. A more petite option with a curved, cutout blade, it can be used for small, quick prep jobs or on a variety of cheese styles at table. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Temperature is important not just when serving cheese, but also when you cut it<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Unlike most vegetables and proteins, temperature matters a lot when it comes to cutting cheese. \u201cCutting a soft cheese with a rind is very different when it\u2019s cold than when it\u2019s warm,\u201d Donald said. \u201cHow runny or sticky it gets when it\u2019s a little bit warmer can have a big effect as to how well executed the cut will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

While all cheese should be brought to room temperature before serving, a particularly soft, ripe, or creamy cheese will cut more cleanly straight out of the fridge\u2014something to keep in mind as you\u2019re plating up cheese boards for entertaining. Conversely, you\u2019ll have an easier time breaking down a block of very firm cheese like Parmesan into clean slices after it\u2019s had an hour or so to warm up. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In some cases, the best cheese knife is a wire<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For soft, semi-soft, semi-firm, and even some firm cheeses, the best way to make clean, even cuts isn\u2019t with a knife, but with a wire. (Ask the average cheesemonger about their most-used utensils behind the counter, and there\u2019s a good chance a wire is high on the list.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a knife guy, but cheese wires make a lot of sense,\u201d Donald said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of friction and sticking when you cut cheese, so a tool with as little surface area as possible makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bernal has enhanced its cheese knife selection to include an Italian hand wire<\/a> with wooden handles, but this style of wire is more often used to break down whole wheels of cheese. If you buy in smaller quantities, consider a harp-style wire cutter<\/a> that can be used to quarter a small wheel of Camembert, cut butter into uniform cubes for baking, or trim thin slices of firm cheese for a snack plate. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Cheese knives need the same care as the rest of the knives in your kitchen<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Just because they\u2019re cutting a relatively soft, easygoing food, Donald said, doesn\u2019t mean your cheese knives don\u2019t need basic care. \u201cNumber one is, don\u2019t put them in the dishwasher.\u201d The harsh environment of the dishwasher\u2014and clanking around with all your other utensils\u2014can dull blades and damage handles. <\/p>\n

Wash your cheese knives by hand and wash them well. \u201cSoap isn\u2019t bad for knives,\u201d Donald said. \u201cSometimes we get knives in for sharpening that have a kind of Middle Ages odor to them, and that\u2019s not really necessary.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cheese knives that rely on a sharp edge to do their work should be stored so they don\u2019t come into contact with other objects, so resist the urge to keep them loose in your utensil drawer. Consider using a magnetic knife strip or blade covers to protect them and keep them sharp. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t cut on anything but wood\u2014and keep prep boards and serving boards separate<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Finally, Donald said, the same rules we should be following for our prep knives around cutting surfaces apply to cheese knives. Never cut on hard surfaces like glass, marble, or ceramic. In addition to dulling your knives, the risk of accidents goes up when working on this kind of hard, unforgiving surface. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a good idea, in general, to keep boards for prep and service separate. That way, you won\u2019t dull your knives on the marble slab or vintage platter you love to style your cheese snacks on\u2014and you won\u2019t scuff and scratch your wooden serving boards while you\u2019re breaking down a wedge into bite-sized pieces. <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a cheese lover, chances are you\u2019ve got a set of cheese knives somewhere in your kitchen. But the standard trio\u2014a stubby, shovel-shaped spade for chunking cheese, a flat spade for slicing hard cheeses, and a thinner, fork-tipped knife for snagging a hunk of Brie or spearing that last cornichon\u2014aren\u2019t necessarily the best options … Okumaya devam et “A Knife Expert Shares 5 Tips for Choosing and Care for Your Cheese Knives”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}