Q:

I recently received a set of three differently shaped cheese knives. Which should be used for which cheese?

Hilary Drake, Stamford, CT

A:

You’ll find that each knife is specially shaped to handle a certain texture of cheese. A skeleton knife has a 3- to 5-inch blade with large holes cut out of the middle. Because there’s far less surface area on the blade for creamy cheese to stick to, this type of knife is great for soft cheeses like Brie. A forked knife is an all-purpose cheese knife and can be used for most cheeses, from mozzarella to Cheddar. Think of the forked tip as a toothpick and use it to pick up a piece of cheese you’ve just cut and transfer it to your plate. Just don’t eat from it. The triangular-shaped knife is short and stubby, ideal for digging chunks out of hard cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano.You won’t get nice, neat slices with this type of knife, but that’s not the goal.