Is there a single correct way to slice each type of cheese? It would be wrong to limit the creative impulse – after all, if you want to cut your cheese with stars, cut it boldly! When it comes to cheese, all existing rules serve as recommendations and give us tips on how best to approach different varieties, each of which has unique taste characteristics and rich history. It has its traditions and unique ways of serving.
If you don’t know how to cut cheese properly, first study its size, texture, and shape. Whether the cheese is hard or soft, you need to choose the right knife for cutting. Using a quality knife with a good blade will get perfect cuts. It is not advisable to cut the cheese; cut it with a smooth, neat movement. Even if you don’t feel like having multiple cheese tools, try to use different cheese knives for different varieties to avoid mixing flavors and aromas.
Remember that for serving cheese, it is best to use bamboo cheese board from Royal Craft Wood.
How to cut cheese for canapes
Perhaps no party is complete without canapés on the table. Classically, canapés are tiny sandwiches on skewers served before dinner, usually with cocktails. But even if this, at first glance, is a little bland, the appetizer does not seem boring to you. Cooking canapes is an excellent opportunity to experiment and get new gastronomic experiences. Don’t be afraid to combine sweet and savory flavors soft and crunchy textures. Cheese goes well with olives, tomatoes, grapes, and strawberries.
The main rule is that canapes should be small, no more than 4 centimeters in diameter and the ingredients should be commensurate with each other. Most often, cheese is used as the basis for canapés. Cut hard and semi-hard cheeses into cubes and soft varieties into triangles.
How to cut cheese into triangles
The triangle is the most suitable shape for round cheeses like brie and camembert. But here, too, there are two approaches. First, cut the cheese in half using a sharp knife and continue cutting the halves into two pieces until you’re happy with the size and number of pieces. The second is to cut out a triangle as if you were cutting a piece of cake. This serving option is best if you do not cut all the cheese in advance for the cheese plate but have it freely available to guests, leaving the cutting tool.
With this method of cutting, the cheese comes into minimal contact with oxygen, remains fresh for as long as possible, and is cut according to the guests’ degree of need and the request. But small round cheeses (picodon, pardon) can be cut in half into two parts, or diagonally, divided into four identical pieces.
Cutting hard and semi-hard cheeses into triangles is also easy. If a piece of cheese was cut off from a large head and has a triangular shape, then put it on the table with the broadside and cut into thin triangular wedges of the same size. If necessary, you can cut the wedges into mini-triangles. It will be more convenient for guests if a piece of cheese on a cheese board is designed for one bite.
A large square or heart-shaped piece of cheese can also be easily cut into triangles. First, cut the cheese in half vertically and horizontally, and then diagonally, corner to corner.
Goat cheese in the form of a pyramid is served in the same way – starting from the center of the cheese, cut off a piece like a slice of a pie. This way, you will get beautiful triangular mini cheese pyramids.
How to cut cheese into cubes
One of the most popular forms of slicing cheese is everyone’s favorite cubes. It is easiest to cut semi-hard and hard varieties using a cheese knife or cleaver. Lay a piece of cheese on a cutting board sideways and cut it into slices, 1-2 centimeters wide. Then stack the finished slices on top of each other and cut them lengthwise, the same thickness as the first time. The last step is to turn the cheese over and cut it into cubes. Some soft cheeses can also be cut in this way, such as feta or bronze.
How to cut cheese into thin slices
You need a special cheese knife with holes to get skinny slices of soft and semi-soft cheese. Thanks to this design, the blade cuts the cheese smoothly without damaging the texture. Remember that you don’t need to cut the rind off cheeses like brie or cambozola – every slice of cheese cut for serving should have one. In general, cheese rinds can be divided into two categories. The first category includes the rinds, which are part of the whole – they reveal the full potential of the taste and aroma of the cheese.
The second category can be compared to wrapping – it protects your cheese until the very moment you decide to taste it. This means that if the cheese is coated with wax or other inedible materials, the rind must be removed. But it is better not to remove the edible crust, cut it around the edges of your cheese, but leave it at the base – so each piece on the serving board will have the same look and balanced taste.
A cheese planer will be an indispensable assistant to get the thinnest slices. It is enough to run a piece of cheese with this spatula, and you get the perfect thin slice. Hard or semi-hard cheeses are great for this slicing method. And with softer cheeses, a small hand-knife string, resembling a lyre in its shape, can handle it.
How to cut parmesan the right way
Knives aside – parmesan is a specialty cheese. Here a particular tool will come to the rescue, more like a spear than a knife. The fact is that, due to its grainy internal texture, parmesan is not cut but instead opened. As a rule, a large parmesan wheel weighs about 40 kilograms, and its size reaches an average of 45 cm in diameter. The opening of such a vast wheel is possible in two ways – vertical and horizontal.
Regardless of the method, the cheese is opened exclusively with special knives. The same almond-shaped sharp knife is recommended to be used at home. The king of Italian cheese crumbles and breaks beautifully with this durable knife, revealing its porous, uneven texture. By “slicing” the cheese in this way, you can maximize its taste and aromatic qualities.
But the Parmesan peel is best trimmed. Yes, it can be eaten, but it has a relatively coarse texture and is not usually served on cheese plateaus. Please do not rush to throw away the Parmesan crusts; they can be used to prepare some dishes, for example, add to broth or pasta sauce.
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