When cutting cheese, the object is to give each person served the opportunity to taste every part of the cheese including the rind, if it is edible. The texture, size and shape of a cheese determine which cutting instrument to use and how to go about cutting it.
Kitchen knives will cut most cheeses well. Use a small paring knife to cut soft cheeses that come in small wedges. Use a large kitchen knife to cut a variety of cheeses. Dip the knife in hot water before cutting and the cheese will stick less to the blade.
Special Kitchen Implements for Cheese
Sometimes to make a really attractive cheese presentation, it is helpful to use a special cheese tool. One choice for cutting soft cheeses like brie and camembert is a knife that has large openings in the blade. These knives also work well with semi-hard cheeses such as cheddar and swiss. Though these knives prevent the first few slices from sticking to the blade, unless the residual cheese is regularly wiped away it might stick.
Cheese wire cuts soft, semi-soft ( edam and port salut, for example) and most other cheeses well. Simply hold it taut and pull it down through the cheese. Cheese wire attached to one or two handles makes an implement sometimes called a cheese slicer.
Another implement for slicing cheese is the cheese plane. Just move it across the surface of the
cheese. Cut hard cheeses such as parmesan with a large kitchen knife or a pointed cheese knife resembling a bricklayer’s pointing trowel.
Removing the Rind
Not all cheeses have rinds. Fresh cheeses such as mozzarella, cream cheese and ricotta do not. In some cases, choosing to eat the rind is a matter of choice. For instance, some people like to eat the rind of brie, others do not. Some rinds are made from nuts and other edible ingredients and may be eaten. But do not eat rinds or outer coverings made of wax, cloth, twigs and other inedible ingredients. Remove them before serving.
How to Cut Cheeses by Shape
To serve soft cheeses like French epoisses packaged in round wooden boxes, pierce the top of the cheese and then serve portions with a spoon. Give each guest a knife for spreading the cheese onto bread or crackers. For cheeses shaped like a pyramid, cut them as if cutting a cake, cutting each slice to the center of the cheese. Cut triangular cheeses along the long side in pieces of equal thickness. Cut logs of cheese into coin-shaped pieces.
When cutting a square of cheese, cut across one side. Or cut the square into two rectangles and then cut each rectangle along the short side. Or cut the square into two triangles and then cut along the long side. Alternatively, when cutting hard and semi-hard cheeses as for finger food, they may be cut into cubes.
To cut a tall round cheese such as cheshire, most cheesemakers suggest cutting it into wedges as if cutting a cake. Another opinion is to have the deli slice it into smaller circles to retain is original shape and then let guests cut their pieces as they would a cake. Ultimately, the size of a piece of cheese will determine how it is cut. One implement sold for cutting large pieces of cheese is a large knife with two handles.