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Whether you make a classic New York-style cheesecake or Spain’s beloved Basque version, it’s hard to resist a slice of the sweet, creamy dessert. There are a lot of tricks and tips to perfect any given cheesecake, but one of the most useful is how, exactly, to cut a clean slice. Luckily, the best rule of thumb is one of the simplest — certain to ease your next baking endeavor. To make the perfect, crumb-free cut, simply warm up your cheesecake’s knife before using it.
The best way to do this is by dipping your knife in hot water before it even touches your cake. The reason this trick works so well is that it combats one of the most common cheesecake annoyances; more often than not, you’ll cut into your pristine surface, only for pieces of said cake to adhere to your knife and disrupt any chance of a clean line. A warmed knife will ensure a smooth cut, not only preserving your cake’s appearance but also keeping the cake together and cohesive, from the serving plate to your very own portion.
Use a sharp, heated knife to cut meticulous slices of cheesecake
Cheesecake may be best served cold, but a little bit of heat goes a long way in serving up that cheesecake. To ensure clean lines and crumb-free cuts, all you need is a sharp blade and a bowl of hot water. Either fill a bowl with hot water or run your knife under the sink and dry it before each cut. You ultimately want your knife to be warm, as heat allows for smoother, more meticulous slicing. The exact knife you use, therefore, may matter less than its high temperature, as different websites suggest different kinds of knives. For instance, some point to a sharp serrated knife as the best tool for cutting cheesecake. Meanwhile, others keep the knife choice open-ended, suggesting little more than a sharp, pointed blade.
Regardless of your chosen knife, return to the hot water trick to heat and then dry between every slice or whenever you notice pieces of your cake sticking to your blade. If you’d rather not repeat this process multiple times, you can use a designated pie slicer — available on Amazon — to divide your cheesecake in one go. Just make sure to run it under hot water first.
