Sarah Bradley, a former chef on the American TV show Top Chef, has shared a simple and effective tip for safely slicing hard cheese and other dense foods. She told Parade that it’s better to use a serrated bread knife instead of a regular kitchen knife, because the latter can slip and hurt your hands. The main trick is to use a tea towel: while you’re cutting the cheese with both hands, you cover the sharp tip of the blade with the towel and hold it in place with your other hand. So, if the knife slips, the impact will be absorbed by the fabric rather than the skin. Try to slice the food using smooth, rocking movements, using your body weight to help. The chef says this method is also great for safely handling hard vegetables, fruit and avocados.
Sarah Bradley, who was on Top Chef, has shared a great tip for keeping your kitchen safe. She says it’s a good idea to use a tea towel when cutting hard cheese to protect your hands from the knife. Parade says this tip works for cutting other hard foods too.
On her Instagram, the chef showed how to cut hard cheese correctly and safely. She says it’s best to use a serrated bread knife. And for extra safety when cutting cheese with both hands, hold the sharp tip of the knife with a tea towel.
She also said she’s seen people cut their hands with knives loads of times when trying to cut a hard piece of cheese with a normal kitchen knife.
That’s exactly why it’s better to cut cheese and other hard foods with a serrated knife, while holding the blade with a tea towel. If the knife slips, it’ll hit the tea towel instead of your palm. When you’re cutting cheese, make smooth, rocking movements with your knife, using your body to guide it.
She told Parade that they teach this trick to newcomers in their kitchen. She says that using a tea towel is also a good way to cut hard fruits or vegetables. For instance, when you’re cutting an avocado.