How Prue Leith Slices Soft Cheese Is Absolutely Genius

Charcuterie connoisseurs know that a good meat and cheese board is all about the presentation. However, it can be challenging to slice and nicely present soft or crumbly cheeses like goat, feta, Brie, or Camembert. You've got to take a page out of Prue Leith's new book, because the way the "Great British Bake Off" judge slices soft cheese with homemade tools is totally brilliant.

In her new book, "Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom," Leith details her trick, which involves either dental floss, picture wire, fishing line, or some other strong thread. If you use a knife, the soft cheese will stick to it, creating a smear that can be a pain to clean and negatively affect your charcuterie presentation. You could purchase a professional cheese cutter, like the kind used in restaurants, but they are often expensive and bulky.

To follow Leith's method, take your material of choice and place it underneath the block of soft cheese, where you want to make your cut. Pull up on either side of the wire or thread, cross them, and pull the opposite ends away from each other. Your slice will be clean and your cheese charcuterie board-ready and anything but boring.

Prue Leith's technique (she prefers to make her tool with picture wire attached to two corks) is effortless, but some soft or crumbly cheeses have a hard rind, which can present an obstacle. For those soft cheeses with hard rinds, use a knife to slightly cut through the rind before placing your wire underneath.

Some might be inclined to start their wire or thread at the top of the block of soft cheese, and make the cut downward, but Leith doesn't advise flip-flopping directions. That's because once you pull the tool downward, you'll come into contact with the counter or cutting board and be unable to complete your slice.

When all else fails, you can use a sharp knife. Befitting a host of one of the best cooking shows on Netflix, Leith recommends running the blade under hot water to keep the soft cheese residue from sticking to it. Wipe it dry before making the cut and it'll glide through like butter.