How Do You Keep Cheese From Sticking To The Knife?

Cheese is a top choice when it comes to preparing a party treat or just a snack at home. It's easy to find in so many different shapes, sizes, flavors, and smells! One of the only difficulties with cheese is figuring out what to do with it once it's in your kitchen. No cheese preparation is more troublesome than figuring out how to cut it without having it stick to your blade. To help, we have researched all about how to properly slice this snack so that all you have to worry about is what else you're serving with it!

There are a few different tips and tricks that you can use to help combat this issue. The most efficient way to solve this problem would be to make sure you have the proper knife for the cheese you're cutting. However, if you only have a standard knife, there are some things you can try:

  • Use water
  • Try non-stick cooking spray
  • Coat it in oil
  • Get the right knife for the job

Whether it's a soft cheese or a hard cheese, the last thing you want is to be inconvenienced while trying to cut it. Cheese sticking to knives is an age-old kitchen problem that unfortunately is still around today. We want to help alleviate this issue for you! Before picking one of the tips above and running off to slice up some cheddar, there may be more you need to know. Make sure that you keep reading down below for an in-depth solution to this issue!

A fresh homemade cheese on a wooden board with a knife, How Do You Keep Cheese From Sticking To The Knife?

How To Stop Cheese From Sticking To Your Knife

Cheese sticking to your knife is one of the longest-running kitchen inconveniences around. This is especially true when all you want is nice, even slices for a cheeseboard or just to serve for a party! Luckily, there are some ways to help deal with it. They vary in effectiveness, but they all help make your cheese preparation go a little smoother.

Use Water

One simple way to help keep the cheese from sticking to your knife is to use water! Specifically, using water to get the knife to a different temperature makes cutting a bit easier. For the best result, you should use cold cheese and warm to hot water.

Either soak the blade that you will be using in warm water or let warm water run over it from the faucet for a minute. If it starts to stick again while you're still cutting, then run it under the warm water once more!

This technique is more about the temperature than the water. The water is just a quick way to get the knife to a different temp quickly. You could also heat it in different ways. Just don't make it too hot, or else you're going to melt your cheese as you cut it. The drastic temperature change just makes the cheese and the knife more resistant to sticking.

Try Non-Stick Cooking Spray

This idea may seem obvious, but you might be surprised. It's also very easy to use too much of this product and end up with cheese slices coated in grease. That's why it's important to remember that a little goes a long way with non-stick cooking spray.

Just spray a very small about on the blade or directly onto a paper towel. Then spread it evenly across the blade with a paper towel, making sure to get as much excess spray off as possible.

Coat It In Oil

Using this tip is the same as using non-stick cooking spray. However, not everybody uses that product for many different reasons. If you're going to use this tip, you can use any cooking oil you may have.

Olive oil is always the go-to for these types of jobs, but you can use everything from vegetables to avocado oil. Just like with the cooking spray, a little goes a long way. Put a drop on your knife or cloth and spread it evenly across the blade of the knife.

Get The Right Knife For The Job

Getting the right tool for any job is usually the easiest and most convenient way to solve a problem. This fact still rings true when it comes to cheese. If you don't have the proper cutting tool, any knife will technically cut all types of cheese. However, just because you can do something doesn't mean there isn't an easier way to get the job done.

There are a surprisingly large amount of cheese knives to choose from. Some do a great job overall, and others work best for specific cheeses. For this specific issue, you should get a cheese knife with holes in it. Many of the options come with holes in the blade. The purpose of this is to reduce the surface space that the cheese has to stick to.

Here is a great video that shows how to cut different cheese with the right tools properly!

Click here to shop for cheese knives on Amazon!

More Cheese Cutting Thoughts

Aside from learning how to cut cheese without it sticking, there are also some other things to think about. This includes why cheese sticks to knives in the first place and if you can cut cheese with something other than a knife? It's important to be able to answer any questions that arise while working through a problem.

Why Does Cheese Stick To A Knife?

The primary reason for this issue is moisture. Specifically the moisture within the cheese. This is also why many fruits and vegetables stick to knives when cutting or chopping.

Cheese just sticks worse because of its unique structure. The porous but moist structure of cheese makes it the perfect situation for suction to occur. All of the tiny holes in the cheese suction onto the flat blade of a standard knife as it's cut. That's another reason why many cheese knives have holes in them!

How Do You Cut Cheese Cleanly?

Piece of cheese with knife

What kind of cheese you are cutting is the deciding factor with this question. There is a surprisingly large amount of cheeses, and many of them have different shapes and structures.

This means that you have to cut them all a little differently. Softer cheeses act more like spreads than something that needs to be sliced. Harder cheeses can easily become slightly smashed as they're cut.

To learn the best way to cut each specific cheese, you can look up that types of cheese. You can also check out the video above for a reference guide.

What Knife Is Best For Cutting Cheese?

This is another question where you have to know what type of cheese you're dealing with. There are many different cheese knives to match the many different types of cheese. Some knives cut soft cheeses well, and some the harder types of cheese.

Other knives are meant more for spreading than actual cutting. For a more comprehensive guide to the different cheese knives, k try this article What Kind Of Knife Is Best For Cutting Cheese? [6 Options]

Can You Cut Cheese With An Electric Knife?

While you can technically try to cut cheese with an electric knife, it is now recommended. The constant movement and carving motion that electric knives do will just make the cheese stick more. Electric knives will also not give you very attractive cheese slices.

They will do more harm than good if you're trying to make a nice-looking cheeseboard or something similar.

What Is The Best Way To Slice Block Cheese?

There are many different fun shapes that you can cut block cheese into. This is usually very attractive for all types of parties and events. However, if you want simply cut nice slices of cheese, then that is simpler.

The first thing is to decide how big you want the slices to be. You can first cut the whole block of cheese in half vertically or horizontally if you want small slices. Then simply cut even slices until the block is gone.

Finishing Up

You can use a few different tips and tricks to help stop the cheese from sticking to your standard kitchen knife. The most straightforward way to solve this problem is to get a proper cheese knife. Since they are made for this job, they do their best at preventing issues with it.

You can research the best type of cheese knife for the type of cheese you have or buy a good cheese knife for all types. After you learn how to slice up your cheese correctly, the only other thing you have to figure out is how much of this delicious treat you want!

To learn more about the best ways to deal with cheese in your kitchen, make sure that you click on the links below!

Is A Cheese Knife Sharp?

Why is There A Hole in a Cheese Knife?

Cheese Board Vs. Charcuterie Board – What Are The Differences?

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