Honestly, the best cheese knife is the closest one within reach. But a few rules make a cheese board look and work better:

1. Cut evenly so everyone gets a fair share.
2. Keep the cheese's shape in mind. A wheel, wedge, log and block each want to be cut a little differently. Soft cheeses like Brie are cut like a cake, in slices, and you never cut off the tip (that's called "pointing the Brie," and it's a faux pas).
3. Skip the serrated knife. The edge leaves ragged marks and drags soft cheese.

Matching the knife to the cheese:

• Hard cheeses (Parmigiano, aged cheddar): a small spade or a knife with a pointed tip. You can stab it in to start the cut and use it to lift pieces.
• Semi-hard cheeses (cheddar, Gouda): a narrow plane knife or a cheese slicer.
• Soft cheeses (Brie, Camembert): a soft cheese knife or a flat knife. The holes in an open-work blade keep the cheese from sticking.
• Crumbly or blue cheeses (Gorgonzola): a Gorgonzola knife, or a thin flat blade.

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