Cheese knife

If you love cheese you'll want to slice it in a way that shows off its mouth-watering quality whether it be a craggy morsel of Parmesan, an oozing piece of Camembert or a moist, crumbly slice of Stilton. There are several cheese knives available, each with a different-shaped blade designed to cope with various textures of cheese.

The 'universal' knife

The most useful, and perfect for dinner party cheese boards, is the 'universal' cheese knife. The blade has a serrated edge which cuts cleanly through most cheeses, and a forked tip for spearing cheese in order to transfer it neatly to your plate. A unique feature is the holes in the blade, which helps prevent soft cheese from sticking to the knife. Despite its skeletal appearance, the blade is very stable.

Parmesan knife

For people who like their Parmesan in rough pieces, there is a chunky little knife with a leaf-shaped blade. Embed the tip in the cheese and twist. The cheese will crack along is natural grain. This knife is useful for providing tasty nuggets for the cheese board and drinks parties.

Cheese planer

Also handy is the cheese planer, an efficient little tool for shaving wafer-thin slices from firm cheeses. It looks like a short cake slice and has a cunningly angled cutting edge which guides each slice through a slot. It's ideal for sandwiches, toasties, salads and melted toppings.

Care

Keep your blades in tip-top condition by storing them in their plastic covers, in a knife block or on a magnetic strip.