What Is a Cheese Knife? (EVERYTHING You Need to Know)

A cheese knife is a specialized utensil in the kitchen. It is typically used to prepare cheese and shape and cut it. Cheese knives usually come in various shapes and sizes, but they all share one common feature: they are long and thin. They also have a sharp edge on both sides, making them ideal for slicing through soft or semi-soft cheeses such as brie or camembert.

Cheese knives are often made from stainless steel, though other types may be made from wood, horn, bone, ceramic, plastic, or other materials. Typically these knives have wooden handles that have been fitted with an integral bolster so that the fingers can grip them comfortably.

The cheese knife has a pointed tip to penetrate the cheese quickly. Sometimes cheese cutters may have a handle, but if it can work without disrupting your hand or bending over to get at the end of the cheese, then that’s all that you need.

This applies when your cheese is sliced in such a way that it would potentially be awkward to hold with one hand. A thin, gentle knife with rounded tips is best for soft cheese. Cheese knives are suitable for other types of soft cheeses too. If you’re to slice the cheese into thin pieces, it is best to cut it in one go.

If you’re hoping for a bit to persist when it’s cut, then slicing in thin cuts will keep this from happening and will keep your cheese intact.

Types of Cheese Knives

It is always best to use a cheese knife only on the type of cheese you have designed it for. Careful attention was put into the design of each type of cheese knife so that they would be able to perform their unique function effectively. Here is a list of standard cheese knives. They’re organized from soft cheese knives to rigid cheese knives with each type of knife being explained-

Soft Cheese Knife

Are you trying to make cheese bevels in your cheesesteak? Opening holes in the blade of your knife can help avoid this issue.

Sharp edge – Coping holes in the blade

Cheese Hardness: 3-4

Ideal cheese options: Brie, Camembert, Fresh Mozzarella

Cheese Spreader

Cheese spreaders are used to apply cheese spreads and creamy, crème-y kinds of cheese onto loaves of bread and crackers.

Features: Dull edge, rounded blade

Cheese Hardness: Soft

Ideal Cheeses options: Robiola, Cream Cheese

Gorgonzola Knife

A gorgonzola cheese knife is used for making evenly smeared cheese spreads. Its blade is sharp to easily cut through cheese rinds without messing up the other sides of the space.

Features: Convex blade with one sharp primary edge.

Cheese Hardness: Soft and Crumbly

Ideal Cheeses options: Gorgonzola, Bleu Cheese

Pronged Cheese Knife

Pronged cheese knives are a valuable tool for serving and plating soft cheeses. They have a long, narrow blade, so they don’t require much from the cheese. The prongs of the knife can also be used as a spoon for scooping up bite-sized plates full of your favorite dish.

Features: A sharp blade

Cheese Hardness: Soft to Semi-Hard

Ideal Cheeses option: Parmesan, Brie

Slim Blade Cheese Knife

Small and extremely precise, a slim blade knife makes slicing soft cheese effortless. To keep your hand away from the cutting board, the knife needs to have a guard that extends over the handle, and it has that. This allows you to easily reach over, keeping your hand away from the blade. It is always essential for safe food preparation. 

Features: Thin narrow blade, sharp edge,

Cheese Hardness: Soft to Semi-Hard

Ideal Cheeses option: Camembert, Boursault

Flat Cheese Knife

What do you use to cut slices off of aged cheeses? The flat cheese knife or the chisel knife? This answer may seem obvious, but what makes a chisel knife unique? You can then use the sharp end to cut the pieces down even further.

Features: Wide flat paddle-shaped blade, sharp bottom edge

Cheese Hardness: Semi-Soft to Semi-Hard

Ideal Cheeses option: Provolone, Swiss, Gruyere.

Cheddar Cheese Knife

A cheddar knife is like a mini cleaver and is used to slice hard cheeses like cheddar or Monterey Jack. These knives are included in many sets of kitchen tools. The clever design allows you to apply force and balance with your knuckles to push downwards onto the cutting board. You don’t have to contort your body to hit the stitching by placing a handle on your tool. It’s a convenient way for people with hand or arm issues.

Features: Wide rectangular blade, long sharp edge,

Cheese Hardness: Semi-Hard to Hard

Ideal Cheeses option: Cheddar, Gruyere, Colby, Fontina

What Is the Hook on A Cheese Knife For?

Cheese knives usually come with a long hook on the end, allowing you to serve cheese without touching it. This particular cheese knife is excellent for helping many types of cheeses, and since it comes in a variety of colors, you can find one that matches your kitchen décor.

As you know, the purpose of a cheese knife is to cut through soft, semi-soft, or hard cheeses. The holes in the blade allow for a better grip while cutting and give the air a place to escape. The sharp hook part of the knife is where the majority of the weight is placed to make it easier to cut through thicker cheeses.

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How to Correctly Use the Hook of A Cheese Knife?

The hook of a cheese knife is two to four inches of metal at the end. It’s responsible for pulling out the wedge of cheese it’s attached to, then cut into smaller pieces. The best way to use the hook is by placing it on top of a block, holding it upright with both hands, and pressing down firmly with your thumb against the back area where the knife meets the

An essential tool in the kitchen, the cheese knife is multipurpose and can be used for various cooking tasks. It can be used to cut cheese, scoop up food, and more. Thus, it has different uses and is essential in some cooking lessons. However, improper use of the hook can lead to serious injury if not taken care of properly.

How to Use a Cheese Knife?

Cutting cheese with the proper tool is not only a matter of style. More importantly, using the correct knife preserves the integrity of the cheese structure and granular consistency and allows you to extract nutrients like calcium and proteins in smaller, more moving pieces.

The blade used for all cheeses needs to do its job no matter the physical characteristics it comes in contact with. A common one is made of firm, granular material. Even if you’re intimidated by the long list of different knives we have told you above, you’ll find that most cheeses can be cut easily with only three different types of knives.

In a compactor hard cheese is best cut using a knife with both sides sharp; semi-hard with a more sensitive side for slicing, and soft cheese is best sliced using a rounded blade.

Final Words

We have discussed the different types of cheese knives and their uses. The guide also discusses other types that should not be used for specific foods. Hope we filled you with the information you’ve been looking for!