Have you ever sliced a piece of cheese and, despite your best efforts, it just didn’t work out quite as you had planned? Well cheese comes in various textures and shapes which can add to the level of difficulty. So, if you are confronted with strange shapes or textures, here are some tips to remember:
Wheels, squares, discs, or pyramid shaped cheese is best cut from the centre. Place the tip of your knife in the mid point of the cheese and cut wedges. This method is also kind of like cutting a cake. You want to take your time, keep your knife steady and always cut straight down.
Soft or semi-soft cheese wedges can be tricky to cut. Start by placing the tip of your knife at the pointed end of the cheese wedge and gently press it down to cut off a slice. Again, take your time with these soft cheeses and always make sure that you use a sharp knife. Hard cheese wedges are cut somewhat differently. First cut the wedge in half along the length. Then cut each slice into blocks.
Logs of cheese should be sliced just as you would salami but thicker of course. Blue cheese can be tricky to slice so do yourself a favour and start from the mid point of the thin point and cut slices almost like a fan. Boxed cheeses are another interesting case. You need to cut a kind of “lid” off the top of the cheese and set it aside. Then use a spoon to scoop the cheese out.
Now that you know all of these tricks, you will never make a mess of a block of cheese again! Remember that there are also cheese slicers and special cheese knives available. These are great tools to have because they are designed for this very purpose. You will not be able to use your slicer for all types of cheese but it does come in handy for many varieties and you can even let your guests use it themselves if you like! When setting up a cheese board, you can get things going by slicing a few pieces of cheese and leave the block on the slicer for everyone to use. Not only does this help keep your cheese fresh, but it also adds to the décor.