# Are you a fan of your long knife pizza cutter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 20, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884 "2023-12-20T14:30:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/21 "2023-12-20T18:39:40Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > _Cutting_ a pizza? You don’t just roll it into a tube and tuck in? 😄 Ridiculous. I fold it into a taco and tuck in. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/22 "2023-12-20T19:02:07Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I’m curious! Rolling pizza cutters are compact, useful uni-taskers, but the long ones seem large enough to fall out of that category and into “why am I devoting so much space to this thing?” > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Rolling pizza cutters cam be used for stuff other than pizza so they’re not exactly uni-taskers. I’ve used one for slicing cookie dough for instance. Agreed, the rolling pizza cutter is also awesome for slicing hand made pasta into thick ribbons, squares (for ravioli) as well as pizza cutting. One additional reason I prefer rollers to a mezzaluna, is storage. @Stranger_On_A_Train is right that you’d want to have it covered before putting it away, but as I get more and more stuff to fulfill my foodie needs, things that take up more shelf, drawer, or hanging space are less useful for me than compact items. Granted, they still have to be able to fulfill their actual purpose, which many “mini” items (I’m looking at you mini food processors) can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/23 "2023-12-20T19:24:45Z")
I’m a fan of [short knife pizza cutters](https://www.amazon.com/Coowolf-Mezzaluna-Walnutwood-Stainless-Essential/dp/B0BS44R7SG/ref=sr_1_11_sspa?crid=2YVSSTU4JVLEC&keywords=ulu%2Bknife&qid=1703099216&sprefix=ulu%2Bknife%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-11-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1). Someone gave us an Alaskan ulu knife after coming back from a tour, and eventually it became my go-to pizza utensil. And just now, looking at Amazon, I’ve learned they’re widely promoted for pizza cutting. It only makes a radius cut, rather than a complete diameter cut, but I prefer that — I like to have control over the amounts of toppings on each piece. I’ll avoid sausage on my pieces, and avoid black olives on my wife’s. If I was cutting 50 pizzas a day I’d use something faster, but I cut 2 pizzas a week. And the ulu knife is a useful tool anytime I want fine control on a tricky item, so it’s not a ‘one purpose’ tool ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/24 "2023-12-20T19:43:22Z")
I love the USS Enterprise rolling cutter! A cool idea, for Trekkies. I’m with @Stranger_On_A_Train — always clean knives by hand, dry immediately, and put them into my knife block. For me, whole a long knife cutter sounds cool, I just don’t have the space for it. My rolling cutter is fashioned like the KA-BAR (“kay bar”), where the handle is designed like that of the KA-BAR Marine Corps fighting knife. > **[KA-BAR: KA-BAR 'Za-Saw Pizza Cutter](https://www.kabar.com/p/9927)** > > KA-BAR 'Za-Saw Pizza Cutter ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/25 "2023-12-20T21:17:40Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I find the idea of running a cutting knife through the dishwasher to be abhorrent. Even composite handles can warp and have rivets loosen due to the heat and steam of a dishwasher, and other items in the washer can potentially bang against the blade edge, chipping or rolling it. In general I agree with you, and I’m sure so would many chefs. I generally treat my good Henckels knives well, and keep them clean and dry and sharp. I have one good Henckels small utility knife that I use for pizza cutting and other sundry purposes. I don’t put it in the dishwasher all the time, generally only when it’s been contaminated with stuff like dried-on crud due to my negligence or has been used to slice raw meats. When I do, I put it by itself in a section of the cutlery basket where it’s not likely to bang against things. I understand that in addition to everything else, high heat may also affect the temper of the blade, but this is my one good “sacrificial” knife. As to how it became a less valued sacrificial knife, this story will horrify purists who value high quality knives (as do I). When my elderly mother was over for a visit once, she was trying to get ice cubes out of a tray to which they had become stuck. She was of the European old school where a knife is just a cheap utensil, so, looking for any sharp object, she used one of my precious Henckels to poke away at the ice, and rather severely bent the tip. I tried to straighten it (perhaps unwise, but I was going by the “nothing to lose” principle) and it broke off entirely. So now I have a small Henckels utility knife with a squat tip that I use for cutting pizzas. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/26 "2023-12-20T21:47:31Z")
Someone gifted us with a very cool looking pizza axe. I dunno how practical it is, but it works, and it looks even cooler than the long pizza cutter. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/27 "2023-12-20T21:54:15Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I understand that in addition to everything else, high heat may also affect the temper of the blade, but this is my one good “sacrificial” knife. I don’t think the temperature in a dishwasher will affect the temper on a knife (if so, it probably didn’t have good heat treatment to begin with) but I generally avoid putting sharp things in the dishwasher. > [@wolfpup](#): > > As to how it became a less valued sacrificial knife, this story will horrify purists who value high quality knives (as do I). When my elderly mother was over for a visit once, she was trying to get ice cubes out of a tray to which they had become stuck. She was of the European old school where a knife is just a cheap utensil, so, looking for any sharp object, she used one of my precious Henckels to poke away at the ice, and rather severely bent the tip. This is why I have my knife rack ensconced in a drawer, and why I carry cheaper knives on any trips where I might be sharing with other people. People have all kinds of weird ideas on what duties they apply their ‘kitchen’ knives to, including chipping ice, prying open boxes, trimming tree limbs, et cetera. But I get having a sacrificial knife for rough duty. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/28 "2023-12-20T22:50:42Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Someone gifted us with a very cool looking pizza axe. > > I dunno how practical it is, but it works, and it looks even cooler than the long pizza cutter. WTF is a pizza axe??? Had to do an image search: [https://is.gd/D9Qprs](https://is.gd/D9Qprs) Very cool looking! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/29 "2023-12-20T23:30:23Z")
Some of the pizza axes I saw looked terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/30 "2023-12-20T23:31:15Z")
Those are the best ones. Pizza tastes better when it’s terrified. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/31 "2023-12-21T01:35:12Z")
That’s what we call ours, the Pizza Bat’leth. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/32 "2023-12-21T03:45:27Z")
My grandmother always used kitchen shears. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/33 "2023-12-21T03:51:15Z")
+1. Absolutely acceptable. I just take a normal chef’s knife and cut like a normal human being. It’s not a science to cut a pizza. Just cut it, damn it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/34 "2023-12-21T04:39:59Z")
I have always used my meat cleaver for cutting pizza. I do use it quite a bit for general meal prep though. I imagine most people don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/35 "2023-12-21T04:54:43Z")
The first time I ever encountered a mezzaluna had nothing to do with pizzas or with chopping meats or veggies. Over a decade ago now I used to manage a Jack in the Box, and the company came up with a new product called “taco nachos”. If you don’t live in a part of the country that has Jack in the Box, it’s a burger place, but the tacos are their most popular menu item. It’s a finely minced beef spread that somewhat resembles cat food, smeared into a folded corn tortilla, deep-fried, then filled with American cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, and hot sauce. They’re not very good tacos from an objective standpoint - but they’re dirt cheap, they’re filling, and they’re appealing in that sort of way that greasy fatty foods are when you’re drunk or have consumed certain other mind-altering substances. But I digress. The taco nachos was two tacos, cut into thirds with a mezzaluna, then placed in a bowl and doused with scalding hot nacho cheese and jalapeno slices. It was awkward to use and difficult to cut without the extremely-crispy-seconds-out-of-the-fryer taco shell not crumbling from the weight as you cut through it, and I think it lasted maybe six weeks or so before they discontinued it. Them’s was good eatin’, though. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/36 "2023-12-21T05:01:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > But I digress. The taco nachos was two tacos, cut into thirds with a mezzaluna, then placed in a bowl and doused with scalding hot nacho cheese and jalapeno slices. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse… Stranger ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/37 "2023-12-21T05:21:04Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > … and other items in the washer can potentially bang against the blade edge, chipping or rolling it. I think this had been pretty much debunked, although > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Even composite handles can warp and have rivets loosen due to the heat and steam of a dishwasher may certainly have some validity. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/38 "2023-12-21T11:40:57Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I just take a normal chef’s knife and cut like a normal human being. It’s not a science to cut a pizza. Just cut it, damn it. We tend to form rituals around our food and beverages, both in their preparation and (mostly) in their consumption. Consider, for instance, the number of different shapes and sizes of glasses that we use for serving alcoholic beverages. In fact, in a formal setting a Proper Host would naturally have different wine glasses for different **kinds** of wine. Whereas from a purely practical perspective a paper cup would work just as well. The same goes to some lesser extent for food preparation, with a modern tendency to incorporate professional restaurant equipment and appliances in the domestic kitchen (or their look-alike imitators). So while I, too, just use a knife to cut pizza, I have no problem with the ritual of a fancy cutter, as long as no claims are made that it makes any damn difference to the final product. In a pizzeria, I can see that speed is important, and I’ve watched pizzas come out of the oven and get sliced with one of those roller things in literally about one second. Much less important at home, but gadgets are fun. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/39 "2023-12-21T11:55:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I just take a normal chef’s knife and cut like a normal human being. It’s not a science to cut a pizza. Just cut it, damn it. A mezzaluna or circular cutter allows for making long continuous cuts especially with thicker pies. Can you cut pizza with chef’s knife? Sure. Is it the best tool for it? Not really. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > My grandmother always used kitchen shears. Ugh! > [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > > > …and other items in the washer can potentially bang against the blade edge, chipping or rolling it. > > I think this had been pretty much debunked, although I don’t understand what you mean by “pretty much debunked”; I had a nice santoku destroyed with the edge chipped to shit because some ignorant fucktard put it in a tray with a bunch of silverware, and _then_ tried to convince me that it was “fine” and “like that all along”. Not debunked: it can and does happen. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884/40 "2023-12-21T13:23:39Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > > [@pulykamell](#): > > > > I just take a normal chef’s knife and cut like a normal human being. It’s not a science to cut a pizza. Just cut it, damn it. > > A mezzaluna or circular cutter allows for making long continuous cuts especially with thicker pies. Can you cut pizza with chef’s knife? Sure. Is it the best tool for it? Not really. Definitely true; as I said, I’ve watched experienced pizza makers cut large pizzas with a good circular cutter in literally one or two seconds. But if one is not a commercial pizzeria the priorities may be different. For instance I’m not usually interested in making diametrical cuts across a pizza made at home. I cut individual slices from the center with a knife to the desired size. Someone may want “just one more small slice”, for example, or may prefer narrow slices, as I do. The other advantage is that any leftover pizza is in one intact piece, which makes it easier to store. I usually pop it into a plastic produce bag and seal tightly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-fan-of-your-long-knife-pizza-cutter/994884.md?page=3)