The Best Cheese Knives of 2024

Buyer’s Guide: Finding Your Long-Lasting Cheese Knife

While it might be tempting to have your go at all the cheese knives we’ve reviewed above, it might not be the best step to take budget-wise. That’s why we’ve gone ahead to put together this cheese knife-buying guide. It will help you choose exactly the one you need!

What Are the Different Types of Cheese Knives and Their Purpose?

Cheese knives are categorized into two broad types based on the type of cheese they can cut. Some are designed for soft cheese, and some are perfect for hard cheese.

Soft cheese knife

The soft cheese knife is very popular, and you sure will need it if you intend on doing justice to soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Mozzarella, etc., which are well known for their soft interiors.

Soft cheese knives are usually identified with thin blades or blades with holes. This way, the cheese doesn’t get a chance to stick to the knife’s blade.

Hard cheese knife

Next, we’ve got the hard cheese knife. The hard knife is large and excellent for creating smaller portions of hard cheese; just press down perfectly on the hard cheese. Sometimes, it comes with two handles; ensuring that pressure is evenly distributed when you’re using the knife. Cheeses you should cut with this knife include the Comté, Extra Mature Cheddar, and Asiago.

Gorgonzola knife

Although not as popular as the previously mentioned two, the Gorgonzola knife is another cheese knife that is worth having in your arsenal. This knife is perfect for spreading creamy cheeses like the Gorgonzola, Bleu Cheese, Roquefort, Shropshire, and Strachitunt. An easy way to recognize it is by its rounded blade with a sharp serrated edge.

The Chisel knife/Flat knife

With the chisel knife in your arsenal, you have the perfect alternative to the Gorgonzola. This knife does not only help break the surface of soft cheese; it’s also quite instrumental in spreading soft cheese.

The Chisel knife is wide, sharp at the edge, and flat. It will also work well when you cut semi-soft cheeses like the provolone into smaller pieces.

Pronged knife

If you are faced with major budget restrictions, then the pronged knife should be your go-to. This is a perfect all-purpose cheese knife, and it is suitable for cutting hard, aged, and soft cheese. However, note that this jack of all knives is a master of none, and it is quite unsuitable for cutting extra hard cheese.

Slim-blade cheese knife

What do you get with the slim-blade cheese knife, you ask? Well, for one, you get a cheese knife that is designed to cut cheeses like the camembert, Bourgault bloomy, or washed rind cheeses with ease.

Its thin narrow blade, sharp edge, and raised handles are all it needs to cut soft cheese without disturbing its soft interior.

Cheese spreader/Spatula knife

This list will be incomplete if no mention of the cheese spreader is made.
This knife is known for its dull edge, which helps keep the cheese from sticking to the blade. You’ll notice that the blades here are rounded. Recommended cheese types to use it with include Robiola, Stracchino, and Cream Cheese. It makes spreading this cheese a breeze!

Narrow plane knife/Trapezium knife

When the need to cut chips or blocks of hard cheese arises, the narrow plane knife will come to the rescue.

This knife comes slightly more rectangular shaped than the flat knife and features sharp edges at the long and short sides. You’ll enjoy cutting cheese like cheddar, Castelmagno, and gouda with this knife.

Cheddar cheese knife or cheese cleaver

Cheese cubes are crucial in cheese dinner parties, so trust none other than the cheddar cleaver for your cheese.

This large knife makes cutting through semi-hard cheese a breeze as each side is polished to about a 16–18-degree angle, and it comes with a wide cleaver blade that allows you to apply force and push on the cheese you need to cut. This knife works perfectly for Cheddar, Asiago, and Fontina.

Parmesan/Parmigiano cheese knife

For hard and dry chunks of cheese, bring the Parmesan cheese knife out to play. The blade of this cheese knife might be shaped like an arrow, a bell, or a shark’s tooth. So, it is important you know which is suitable for the particular purpose.

Additionally, you’ll find the Parmesan cheese knife to be quite useful when you need to grate, cut, and pack cheese. Cheese types that you can cut with this knife include Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Grana, and Padano.

How to Choose a Reliable Cheese Knife

Choosing a cheese knife that truly fulfills its function doesn’t have to be a difficult process – it’s tricky but it won’t be anymore, at least for you. Here we present all the information you need on how to choose the perfect cheese knife for a platter!

Examine the quality of the blade and handle material

First things first, quality. You need to ensure that the quality of the blade and handle material is made to the highest of standards.

The knife should perform its function without you worrying about accidents. Stainless steel blades are always the right choice. You can also opt for wooden handles for comfort instead of steel, but you need to note that they do come with the disadvantage of gunk getting caught between the handle and the blade.

Investigate its maintenance and cleaning requirement

While you choose your cheese knife, you should also take note of the maintenance requirements. Many of the cheese knives are dishwasher-safe. This way, you do not need to worry about them fading too early!