How to cut cheese - John Eats Cheese

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Ever bought cheese for a party and suddenly worried your friends will judge how you cut it? Me too. Luckily, a few easy rules cover almost every cheese you’ll put on a board.

Infographic of seven cheese shapes with red dashed lines showing where to cut: round and square cheeses like a cake, pyramids in wedges from the center, hard wedges sliced across, soft wedges in long slices from the tip, logs in rounds, blue wedges fanned out from the tip, and box cheeses with a lid cut off the top

Three rules

Cut even pieces. You don’t need a ruler, but everyone should get a fair share.
Mind the shape and texture. A wheel, a wedge, a log and a box each get cut a little differently. The diagrams below show how.
Use a proper cheese knife. Most kitchen knives are serrated, and a serrated edge leaves ragged marks. A good set of cheese knives (Amazon) is worth it.

The first cut and the second cut

Cheeses made in big wheels usually get cut twice. The first cut divides the wheel into wedges for sale, and that’s the cheesemonger’s job. The second cut is yours: turning a wedge into pieces to serve. Smaller cheeses, like Camembert or a log of chèvre, only get one cut. Here’s how to make it, shape by shape.

Round and square cheeses

Small wheels, round or square, like Camembert, St. André and robiola, are cut like a cake, in even wedges.

A round and a square soft cheese, each with red dashed lines dividing the top into even wedges like a cake

Pyramids

Pyramid cheeses like Valençay and Pouligny-Saint-Pierre are cut the same way: even wedges from the center, as if you were cutting a cake.

A grey ash-rinded pyramid cheese with red dashed lines dividing it into wedges from the center of the top

Semi-firm to hard wedges

Hard cheeses like aged Gouda, cheddar and Comté are sliced across the wedge. Cut the end piece, the one with the rind, crosswise into two even pieces.

A hard cheese wedge with red dashed slices across its width and the rind end cut in half

Soft wedges

Soft-ripened cheeses like Camembert and Brie are too gooey inside for many options, so cut long, thin slices from the tip to the rind. Just don’t cut the tip off on its own: see How do you cut different cheeses?

A Brie wedge with red dashed lines fanning from the tip to the rind for long, thin slices

Logs

Logs like Innes Log or any kind of chèvre are cut crosswise into rounds.

A goat cheese log with red dashed lines showing crosswise round slices

Blue cheeses

Blue cheeses like Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton are cut in half lengthwise, then into slices that fan out to evenly spaced points along the thick edge of the wedge.

A blue cheese wedge with a red dashed line down the middle and more lines fanning from the tip to the thick rind edge

Box cheeses

For cheeses that come in a box, like Époisses or St. Marcellin, cut a circle in the top and lift it off. Then scoop the cheese out with a spoon, using the rind as a bowl.

A washed-rind cheese in a round wooden box with a red dashed circle on top and a spoon for scooping

Wrapping up

Even pieces, the right knife and a cut that fits the shape. That’s all there is to it. Putting a whole board together? See How do you build a cheese board?