Any techniques to slice provolone cheese better?

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Okay brains trust, this one has been bugging me since I have been trying to replicate a muffuletta. My local supply of provolone cheese is nice Italian stuff but it’s unsliced. Now me, thinking, sure, I’ve got knives at home, no dramas, I’ve got this. Little did I realise the challenge that slicing provolone at home would present.

What I’m after is maybe a 3mm round slice. What I’m getting is all bodgey around the edges up to about 10mm.

My current technique is a pull slice with a straight edged blade, but I’m finding the pressure required to get through the rubbery cheese creates drag / warp on the slices, so the edges end up much thicker.
Sure, the rustic look isn’t bad, and more cheese isn’t a crime, but it’s just bugging me, so I thought I’d see how other people approach slicing provolone cheese to see if it’s a technique thing that I’m missing.

 

[stringer]

Okay brains trust, this one has been bugging me since I have been trying to replicate a muffuletta. My local supply of provolone cheese is nice Italian stuff but it’s unsliced. Now me, thinking, sure, I’ve got knives at home, no dramas, I’ve got this. Little did I realise the challenge that slicing provolone at home would present.

What I’m after is maybe a 3mm round slice. What I’m getting is all bodgey around the edges up to about 10mm.

No real substitute for a deli slicer

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

No real substitute for a deli slicer

I was worried you’d say that…….
Not sure how I’d justify that bench space to the wife…..

 

[WildBoar]

Not sure how I’d justify that bench space to the wife…..

"Honey, I bought this so I can slice provolone better. See this 1/8 inch slice? It's perfect! Here, Baby, I sliced some for you, too."

 

[ethompson]

Deli slicer or cheese wire

 

[jedy617]

Do you like to make the sandwich in your mouth?

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Deli slicer or cheese wire

Cheese wire is an interesting thought. I hadn’t considered that (and would be much easier to hide than a deli slicer )
Is that what you’ve used before on similar rubbery cheeses?
How would it go with the downward compressive force on the squishy cheese?

 

[stringer]

Deli slicer or cheese wire

One like this would work pretty well.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/garde-stainless-steel-small-cheese-blocker/181CHEESBLKW.html

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

One like this would work pretty well.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/garde-stainless-steel-small-cheese-blocker/181CHEESBLKW.html

Ohh right. So the ones that attach to the base not the free hand ones.

 

[M1k3]

https://matferbourgeatusa.com/product/cheese-guillotine/

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

So the guillotine and the cheese wire would be downwards compressive force, with the cheese wire potentially able to apply better contact along the diameter of the provolone cylinder potentially dispersing the force over a greater diameter?

I guess the downside of what I was doing with a pull slice was applying downward force while the pull slice essentially provided torsion to the slice on the way down potentially causing the thicker edges.

I never thought I’d be contemplating the science of cheese cuts, but here I am. KKF is a wonderful place!

Thanks folks, I’ve got a cheese wire on order and will report back with results.

 

[Jovidah]

Cheese wire works because there's no surface on the blade for the cheese to stick to. It's that stickage-to-the-blade that sort of warps and breaks the cheese and distorts your slices.
This is why cheese wires and skeletonized cheese knives exist.
If you have nothing like that a thin narrow filleting knife can also work fairly well.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Cheese wire works because there's no surface on the blade for the cheese to stick to. It's that stickage-to-the-blade that sort of warps and breaks the cheese and distorts your slices.
This is why cheese wires and skeletonized cheese knives exist.
If you have nothing like that a thin narrow filleting knife can also work fairly well.

Ahh that makes sense! Thanks!
Yes looking forward to seeing how it goes on the provolone.

 

[AT5760]

I have a cheap skeletonized cheese knife. It works surprisingly well with softer stuff. Don’t ban me, but I use Velveeta once or twice a year, and it can cut that stuff pretty cleanly.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I have a cheap skeletonized cheese knife. It works surprisingly well with softer stuff. Don’t ban me, but I use Velveeta once or twice a year, and it can cut that stuff pretty cleanly.

When you say “skeletonised”, are there holes drilled in it? Or is it just a really short blade with a very thin edge?

 

[AT5760]

Like this:

 

[stringer]

When you say “skeletonised”, are there holes drilled in it? Or is it just a really short blade with a very thin edge?

Probably like this

 

[Jovidah]

Yea those are also nice for really soft cheeses.
If you don't care for looks, heating up the knife in some boiling water also works well for soft cheeses.

For gouda style cheeses this is actually ideal:

Would probably work well on provolone too but you wouldn't be able to get the nice round slices.

 

[BrunofromBrazil]

Some thinner profile knives, such as suji, jamonera and others are quite good as well, I like it at least!

 

[nopomo]

I’ve managed to get decently thin slices with a lightly-oiled bread knife. Not pretty, but thin.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I’ve managed to get decently thin slices with a lightly-oiled bread knife. Not pretty, but thin.

That’s an interesting idea. I must give that a crack.

 

[simona]

Ostehøvler is the answer

ostehøvler

At some point a bored blacksmith is going to make one in wrought iron from the chain of a sunken Spainish Galleon with a core of Apex Ultra and a wooden handle from a walking stick rescued from a melting glacier.

make a packet they will.

 

[Jovidah]

Ostehøvler is the answer

ostehøvler

At some point a bored blacksmith is going to make one in wrought iron from the chain of a sunken Spainish Galleon with a core of Apex Ultra and a wooden handle from a walking stick rescued from a melting glacier.

make a packet they will.

And it'll cost 200 bucks and performs worse than the Boska Milano I posted, which is probably the best cheese slicer I've ever used, which costs less than 15 euros.

 

[WildBoar]

So the guillotine and the cheese wire would be downwards compressive force, with the cheese wire potentially able to apply better contact along the diameter of the provolone cylinder potentially dispersing the force over a greater diameter?

I guess the downside of what I was doing with a pull slice was applying downward force while the pull slice essentially provided torsion to the slice on the way down potentially causing the thicker edges.

Where do you get torsion WRT the pull? That would create a shear stress unless the ends of the cheese were restrained against rotation.

And the guillotine action imparts a load/ force that induces compressive *stress* to area right below the wire. Whether or not the full cheese log cross-section is under compression depends on whether or not the bottom of the log is fully supported. if it isn't, the bottom will be in tension.

Regardless, cutting the cheese is always a great ice-breaker.

 

[cooktocut]

I have a deep etch damasteel gyuto that I use for cheese that works so well… it’s ground like an axe and it’s not good for much else, but man is it good for cheese. No matter what kind of cheese, it doesn’t adhere to the blade so I get clean, even slices.

Since that’s not really a solution, and thinking of what I would do if I had to slice a big soft log without an expensive slicer… have you tried partially freezing it? I would try that, then hold it with a kitchen towel and have at it with a nice cleaver. Or suji. Whichever tickles your fancy.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

dental floss?

 

[Michi]

dental floss?

Don’t see why not. Fishing line would work,too.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I had thought about trying that, but Bezos.com should deliver a cheese wire soon so I’ll give that a crack.

 

[MarcelNL]

or perhaps....a paper slicer?

https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/dahle-h...2uBDwXX-GQiuvmwadohdhnTVBPTjLnsAaAvPWEALw_wcB

 

[MarcelNL]

I usually grab the Boska cheese slicer, or grate the Provelone for a pizza or whatever I want to use it on/with