How to slice all the different cheeses on your platter
We’ve all been there: you go to take a slice of a deliciously gooey brie, only to find there’s nothing left but rind.
This is an easily avoidable problem if you follow a few simple guidelines for cutting different styles and shapes of cheese.
Sue Arthur, owner and founder of Over the Moon Dairy in Putaruru, takes us through the basics to ensure every bite makes the most of your cheese.
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A wedge of soft cheese (like brie)
The trick here is to slice the cheese so everyone gets the same amount of rind – which is to say, not too much.
The interior of the cheese gets drier as it moves away from the middle of the wheel, so this way of cutting also means as many slices as possible include a taste of that beautiful goo.
MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times
Sue Arthur with six different cheeses produced at her boutique factory, Over the Moon.
The easiest way to achieve this, says Arthur, is to cut on a pretty sharp diagonal from the point, or nose, of the wedge, and continue that way until you get to the top, which should give a fairly equal distribution.
Some cultures and people advocate alternating the direction of each diagonal cut. That works, too.
What you should never, ever do is slice off the pointy end, or nose, of the wedge. It’s considered very rude to take the best bite for yourself.
Gooey soft cheese like an aged brie is best sliced with a cheese knife that has holes in the blade, to limit the amount of cheese that sticks to it.
Robyn edie/Stuff
Cut a pie-shaped cheese like a pie.
A round of soft cheese (like camembert)
“With a pie-shaped cheese, cut like a pie,” is Arthur’s rule. Everyone should get a triangular slice with rind on the outside edges.
Please do not slice a round of soft cheese like you would a hard cheese.
Soft cheese in a square or…
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