The Best Cheese Knives for Everything From Asiago to Zamorano
No cheese board is complete without the right knives. The best are traditionally made of stainless steel, as the metal keeps the cheese from sticking to the blade. Such has been the way since the 1940s, when engineer Harold Joseph Fairchild created one of the earliest examples of a cheese knife. He was reportedly having trouble cutting through Velveeta and needed a solution for the task.
You’ll likely be slicing a higher-end fromage than Fairchild, so it’s better to have a few more utensils on deck, starting with a thin knife with holes for soft cheeses such as Brie or Camembert and a large, chunkier one for hard varieties like Parmesan or Pecorino. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though—a spreader, a plane and a chisel knife are also worthy investments.
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But it’s not all about function. A great looking set will impress guests much more than a hodge-podge dug up from the drawer. Here, four sets of cheese knives that are a cut above.
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1. Jean Dubost Cheese Knife Set
French cutler Jean Dubost’s three-knife set consists of a cleaver for bigger cuts, a standard cheese knife with a pronged tip for picking up your portion once it’s sliced and a spreader. The stainless-steel blades will chop without much trouble, but it’s the olive wood handles that make this collection a real standout. Pair with a cheese board of a similar grain for a standout presentation.
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Buy: Jean Dubost Cheese Knife Set
2. La Cote Cheese Knife Set
This multicolored range from La Cote comes with six knives—two each of three varieties, all with differently-colored handles. Each stainless-steel cleaver, long knife and soft cheese knife is equipped with a Pakkawood handle, an incredibly durable engineered material. Some of the wood finishes are very bright, while others are more muted in tone, adding interest to your cheese plate’s overall palette.
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3. Boska Monaco+ Cheese Knife Set
You’re buying a cheese knife set for cutting purposes, but that doesn’t mean the blades can’t look nice, too. This set from Boska includes three knives, each of which is functional and beautifully designed. But that’s not all. The patterned blades all feature a special non-stick coating that ensures no cheese is left behind. Even better, they come with their own stylish leather carrying case.
Amazon
Buy: Boska Monaco+ Cheese Knife Set
4. Wüsthof Cheese Knife Set
If you’re on the hunt for your first cheese knife set, then Wüsthof’s blades are a great place to start. Made with high carbon stainless steel that’s both very sharp and easy to maintain, this no-nonsense collection consists of a standard cheese knife, a plane knife and a soft cheese knife (plus a bamboo board). In other words, it will do the trick for most wine and cheese nights.
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