Cheesemonger Recommended Cheese Knives

We’ve all struggled with cutting through a delicate wedge of soft-ripened cheese like Brie or a squishy ball of mozzarella. They’re gooey and delicious but can be a disaster on your charcuterie board. Every cheesemonger we spoke to on the matter said that it’s a common pitfall to take a cheese cleaver or even a paring knife to these soft cheeses, but those blades will most certainly result in a mess. The gooey bits inevitably ooze out and end up on the board instead of your crackers. 

While the cheese will still taste just as scrumptious, it’ll be messier to eat and less presentable. At the end of the day, Jessica Sennett, cheese educator and founder of Cheese Grotto, says that “working against the texture to obtain a perfect slice is a fool’s errand.” If you want to treat your cheese right and keep your cheese plates looking neat and appetizing throughout a party, professional cheesemongers recommend using wire slicers or skeleton cheese knives, which are specially designed to cleanly cut soft cheeses.

Cheesemonger-Recommended Tools for Slicing Soft Cheeses

Zyliss Cheese Knife

Shannon Bonilla, American Cheese Society certified cheese professional at Wisconsin Cheese, says that “soft cheeses naturally stick to your utensils” because they have more moisture. “A cheese cleaver with a large blade surface would be less ideal,” she warns, and recommends using a knife with holes, which has less surface area for soft cheeses to stick to. This Zyliss cheese knife is only $10 and comes with its own blade cover to keep it safe in your drawer. She especially likes that it has a “pronged tip to help with serving.”

Artenostro French Cheese Knife, Set of 2

If you want a more classic look to the handle, this set of dinner party-worthy cheese knives comes recommended by Sennett. The set includes one knife with a green handle and one with a black handle. The handles are also riveted for extra durability and the offset blade makes it easier to glide through a delicate cheese.

Fox Run Marble Cheese Slicer

As gentle as you may be with a skeleton knife, some cheeses are simply too delicate for knives. For “ultra-delicate cheeses that might get squished with a knife,” Bonilla suggests using this cheese slicer built into a marble slab. It utilizes a taut wire to gently and cleanly slice soft cheeses. She says it’s a “great way to make cuts without crushing your precious ball of mozzarella.”

Stainless Steel Cheese Slicer with Wire Cheese Cutter, 4-Pack 

These handheld wire slicers take up barely any space. The 4-pack has two slicers with Y-shaped handles and two with U-shaped handles. Sennett emphasizes that “minimal surface area” is key when slicing soft cheeses, adding that these wire slicers introduce the least amount of surface area possible. Plus, they’re only $2.75 apiece, dishwasher-safe, and can be tucked away into a drawer when you’re not using them.

Perhaps the best way to slice any kind of cheese is whichever way gets it to your mouth fastest. But if you’re one to keep a tidy charcuterie board, cheesemongers recommend grabbing a skeleton knife or cheese slicer.