A well-prepared cheese board brings flavor and interest to an ordinary gathering, and the right cheese knife makes for masterful preparation; you get cleaner cuts, better textures, and less mess on the board.
Whether you’re a cheese aficionado or want to level up your charcuterie board game, this guide will help you learn about the many specialized cheese tools and knives. We’ll explain the essential shapes and materials of cheese knives, how to use them, and which ones your kitchen needs.
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Why Cheese Knives Exist
If you’re a cheese lover, you know that texture is everything. Cheese texture is why there are different knives for different types of cheese.
Cheese Textures 101
Understanding cheese texture helps you choose the right tool.
- Soft and Bloomy rind: Brie, Camembert, Robiola, Triple Cream.
- Fresh and Spreadable: Chèvre, Ricotta, Mascarpone, Boursin.
- Semi-soft: Havarti, Fontina, Young Gouda, Young Cheddar.
- Semi-hard: Manchego, Gruyère, Comté, Older Cheddar.
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Hard to Very Hard: Aged Gouda, Pecorino, Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Blue: Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola.
Brie and other soft cheeses tend to stick to knives, requiring a thin blade to minimize the surface area they can cling to. Cream cheeses are more spreadable, and you can use a simple butter knife. Goat cheese and other semi-soft cheeses can border between creamy and crumbly, requiring a knife with a chisel shape; its thick edge and wide surface area on its side help with scooping and shaping. Cutting hard cheeses can be tough and fracture blades that fail to offer leverage and control. Blue cheeses need a clean pass that does not smear.
A complete tool kit specifically for cheese is unnecessary; even if you’re a cheese fanatic, you’ll need four knives at most. The goal should be simple: make clean cuts without ruining the cheese or the cheese knife.
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Different Knives for Different Cheeses + How to Use Them
Soft Cheese Knife
Cheeses to Use This Knife For
The soft cheese knife performs best when living up to its name, slicing and spreading soft cheeses, like brie, camembert, robiola, soft goat, and washed-rind cheeses like Munster, which go silky at room temperature.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
The soft cheese knife has a unique look for a specific purpose; it’s more like a specialized tool. Along the belly of the narrow stainless blade, soft cheese knives have cutouts or holes, and sometimes they have an offset handle or even a forked tip. These features reduce the knife’s overall surface area, so soft cheese won’t stick to it, instead staying on the cheeseboard.
How to Use a Soft Cheese Knife
Begin by scoring the rind lightly, turning it on the outside with your non-dominant hand while the sharp edge glides along the side. Press with a smooth, steady motion and let the blade do the work. Wipe between cuts if needed. When lifting slices between cuts, use the forked tip for delicate handling.
Essential or Optional
If you regularly enjoy soft cheese or include it in your spread when you entertain, a soft cheese knife is an essential. If not, a thin kitchen knife can fill in, but you will see more smearing.
Cheese Spreader
Cheeses to Use This Knife For
As their name implies, cheese spreaders are what you need to serve soft and semi-soft, spreadable cheeses, like fresh goat cheese, mascarpone, labneh, Boursin, pimiento cheese, rillettes, and pâtés.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
Soft, spreadable cheeses do not require much slicing, so a super-sharp blade isn’t necessary. A cheese spreader features a short, rounded blade that looks more like a blunt, flat spoon or a butter knife than a cutter. Some cheese spreaders have offset handles for knuckle clearance.
How to Use a Cheese Spreader
Using a cheese spreader is easy. It’s also one of the few tools in this guide that is generally safe for small children to handle. Instead of making a slice, just scoop and spread. The wide blade profile keeps soft cheeses intact and your crackers unbroken.
Essential or Optional
Great to have if you're a cheese lover or often serve spreads when hosting guests. Otherwise, your butter knife can stand in.
Hard Cheese Knife
Cheeses to Use This Knife For
A hard cheese knife has the force and sharpness to wedge cleanly into cheddar, Gruyère, comté, manchego, and aged provolone.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
A sturdy, mid-length blade with a thicker spine and a well-balanced, comfortable handle. Slight belly near the tip for controlled rocking.
How to Use a Hard Cheese Knife
For semi-hard to hard cheeses, stand the wedge on its rind. Use the knife’s heel to start the cut, then rock forward. Thin, even slices highlight crystalline textures and aromas.
Essential or Optional
Essential. If you buy one cheese knife, make it this one. It is amust-have in any cheese knife guide.
Parmesan Knife (AKA Spade or Almond Knife)
Cheeses to Use This Knife For
Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, very old Gouda, and dry pecorino.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
A short, stout, pointed blade shaped like a teardrop. Built to pry rather than slice.
How to Use a Parmesan Knife
Score the rind, insert the point, and twist gently to fracture the cheese along its natural grain. This technique creates beautiful, irregular nuggets.
Essential or Optional
Optional unless you love very hard cheeses. If you do, it earns its spot quickly.
Cheese Cleaver
Cheeses to Use This Knife For
Farmhouse cheddar, mimolette, and aged cheeses like Gouda.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
A compact, rectangular blade with extra mass near the spine.
How to Use a Cheese Cleaver
Set the edge where you want the cut, then apply steady downward pressure. The weight helps you power through dense wheels without crumbling.
Essential or Optional
Optional. While it’s satisfying to use, a solid, hard cheese knife or your chef’s knife can handle the same tasks.
Pronged Utility Cheese Knife
Cheeses to Use This Knife For
Havarti, young Gouda, young cheddar, Colby, Morbier.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
A general-purpose blade with a narrow profile and two-pronged tips or “tines.” Some have scallops along the sides to reduce sticking.
How to Use a Pronged Cheese Knife
Slice semi-soft and semi-hard cheeses, then lift the slice with the tines. This tool is handy on boards where you want one tool to cut and serve.
Essential or Optional
Nice to have if you build mixed boards. If your soft knife already has a forked tip, this becomes more of a convenience than a need.
Wire Cheese Cutter / Cheese Wire / Cheese Harp
Cheeses to Use This Tool For
Fresh mozzarella, blues, delicate terrines, butter. Not ideal for hard cheeses.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
Either a handheld U-shaped frame with a taut wire or a board-mounted slicer with a hinged arm.
How to Use a Cheese Wire
Pull the wire straight through for uniform slices. Replace the cheese wire when it stretches or kinks.
Essential or Optional
Optional. Very tidy and precise, but limited to soft and medium textures.
Plane-Style Cheese Slicer
Cheeses to Use This Tool For
Jarlsberg, Edam, young Gouda, semi-hard sandwich cheeses.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
A flat plate with a slot and a thin cutting lip. Think of it as a carpenter’s plane for cheese.
How to Use a Plane-Style Cheese Slicer
Draw the tool across the surface to shave thin ribbons. Adjust the angle for thickness.
Essential or Optional
Optional. Great for uniform slices at breakfast or for sandwiches.
Cheese Fork
Cheeses to Use This Tool For
Cheese forks delicately handle firm and hard cheeses so they don’t crumble while serving them to guests.
Appearance (Shape + Design)
Two-pronged fork. Not a knife, but it’s part of a classic cheese knife + fork set.
How to Use a Cheese Fork
Stabilize firm cheeses while cutting or transferring chunks to plates.
Essential or Optional
Cheese forks are optional for the average home cook; they’re most useful on crowded boards at big events.
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Techniques That Make Every Knife Perform Better
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Don’t let your cheese board slide all over the place! Stabilize it by placing a thin,slightlydamp towel on your working surface, then placing the board atop the towel. The towel provides an excellent grip and prevents incidents.
- Wipe blades between each slice you make with a softer, more clingy cheese, or they will stick when you need clean, precise cuts.
- Before you try to slice into a cold block or wheel of cheese, set down the knife and allow the cheese to settle to a cool room temperature. The texture will soften, making your cuts cleaner, and the flavor will bloom.
- If you can, reserve one knife for one cheese at a time to prevent cross-contact; flavor can bleed together, especially with blue and washed rinds, and that’s usually not preferred.
- Cut to share the heart. With wedges, cut from the center outward so everyone gets rind and paste in fair measure. For a brie wheel, cut like a pie. For logs, cut coins. For blue wedges, slice from the point outward.
Buying guide: how to choose the best cheese knives for home
Blade Material
High-quality stainless steel is the standard. It is rust-resistant, keeps a workable edge, and is easy to clean. Harder alloys can hold an edge longer but take longer to sharpen. Ceramic blades can stay razor sharp, but they’re prone to chipping easily and are not ideal for hard rinds.
Edge and Thickness
Thin, keen edges glide through soft and semi-soft cheeses. Slightly thicker spines add strength for hard cheeses. Perforations and shallow scallops reduce sticking on creamy cheeses. If you see a blade resembling a bread knife, with serrations, skip it for cheese. Those teeth like spines tend to tear rather than slice.
Handle and Balance
Choose a well-balanced handle that feels secure in your hand. Poly or composite handles are durable and low-maintenance, but wood offers warmth and grip. Balance and experience matter more than looks; your knife should not tip forward or fight your grip.
Fit and Finish
Look for smooth transitions between blade and handle. Sealed joints keep moisture out. Full-tang construction adds strength for hard cheese knives. Rivets should be tight and flush.
Sizes That Make Sense
Most home cooks are well served by a 4 to 6 inch blade for soft and semi-soft cheeses, a stout 5 to 7 inch hard cheese knife, and a compact 2 to 3 inch parmesan spade. Larger tools are for wheels at shop counters.
Care and Maintenance
Hand wash with dish soap and water, then dry promptly. Avoid soaking, especially with wood handles. A quick pass on a ceramic rod keeps edges aligned. Sharpen as needed with a fine whetstone. A light coat of Opinel food-safe oil maintains the grain on wood handles.
Storage
Knife edges must be protected for lasting performance. Sheaths, blade guards, or a drawer insert work well. Loose drawers dull knives and invite nicks.
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Building a Small, Smart Kit
Here is the simple answer to what kind of cheese knives you need:
- Start with a hard cheese knife. It handles most everyday tasks and earns its keep immediately.
- Add a soft cheese knife if you enjoy bloomy rinds or washed rinds. Fewer smears. Prettier, thin slices.
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Include a cheese spreader when you serve fresh or whipped cheeses. It saves crackers and keeps the board tidy.
- If you love very hard cheeses, add a Parmesan knife. Your four-knife set covers almost everything.
After that, choose by enthusiasm. If you enjoy slicing perfect sandwich pieces, bring in a plane-style slicer. If you love blues, a wire cutter is neat and clean. If you like the feel of a compact cleaver, it is a fun extra. These are nice to have, but not necessary.
Serving Tips That Keep the Board Beautiful
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Choose a board with room to work. Wood or stone both serve well.
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Place knives where the cut begins, not buried in the middle of the cheese.
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Label cheeses so guests know where to start.
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Refresh the board with a quick trim. Clean faces invite the next razor-sharp slice.
What Actually Matters
You do not need an eye-catching cheese knife set that breaks the bank. You need tools that match your favorite cheeses. When it comes to cheese knives (or any knives, for that matter), it’s not fashion that matters—it’s form and function.
Three knives will do most of what most homes need for cheese: a dependable hard cheese knife, a smart soft cheese knife, and a spreader will cover most boards. Add a Parmesan spade if you are serious about aged, crystalline cheeses. Everything else earns a spot only if it solves a fundamental task in your kitchen. The best, must-have cheese knives are the ones you reach for without thinking.
The Final Cut
Cheese knives are simple tools made to respect texture and flavor. Pick a cheese knife or a small set, keep it sharp, and use it often. Whether cutting into a triple cream at a picnic or shaving an aged Gouda at the kitchen counter, the right knife makes clean work of it. That is the whole point of this cheese knife guide. Buy for the way you eat, not the size of a set. A few honest tools are all you need.
We design each Opinel knife to exceed safety, quality, and performance standards. Aiming to offer more than a superior product, we want your experience to be phenomenal as a ‘thank you’ for choosing us.
Maybe you know your preferences and are ready to replace your current cheese knife, or perhaps you need some help making the best choice. Either way, we are here to assist you. Contact our customer service team or use our store locator to find an Opinel retailer near you.
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