How to Slice Brie Cheese

You'll need a long, sharp knife to cut your Brie. Some cheese knives have a curved tip with a double point, used to serve cheese after slicing. This type of blade isn't necessary to cut Brie, although it can be handy. If you find that the cheese sticks to the blade of your knife, dip the blade in hot water before cutting. If there's more than one type of cheese on your board, use a different knife for each; the taste and aroma of a more pungent cheese can easily overpower mild Brie.

Whole Brie cheese takes the form of a large wheel over a foot in diameter. As a result, you're unlikely to be slicing a whole wheel of Brie. Instead, your cheese will probably take the form of a wedge cut from the wheel, with a curved outer edge and a narrow point at the other end.

To cut a slice of Brie, cut along the length of the wedge from the point to the outer edge; since the point is the trickiest part of the cut, start there to improve precision. Effectively, you should be cutting the wedge into a number of smaller wedges. A good slice of Brie should contain cheese from near the end of the wedge, cheese from the outside and some of the outer rind; these differ in flavor and texture, and you want to be sure that you include all three.

The rind of Brie is edible, and you should include some in every cut; it provides a flavor and texture that contrasts with the soft, creamy cheese. Not everyone is a fan, of course, but don't cut the rind off unless you know the person you're serving doesn't want it.

As with all serving customs, there are no absolute rules for slicing Brie. Most authorities agree that you should never cut off the tip of the wedge -- "pointing the Brie" in this way is a terrible faux pas. However, some recommend making the first two cuts diagonally across the wedge near the tip. Although this does "point" the wedge, it has the advantage of creating more reasonably sized pieces if you have a long wedge.