Dear CakeSpy,

What is the best knife for cutting a cheesecake?

Love,

Cheesecake Hacker in MA (also a talented artist!)

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Dear Hacker,

Perhaps you're trying to flummox me with a trick question, you tricksy little hobbit? Because the truth is, the best knife to ensure perfect slices of cheesecake isn't a knife at all--it's dental floss!

This is a little trick I picked up in Kim Severson's The New Alaska Cookbook: Recipes from the Last Frontier's Best Chefs, (btw she's also the author of another book I suggest, Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life) , where the headnote to a recipe for Apricot Cheesecake read "An easy way to cut cheesecake? Dental Floss."

Well, it's true! Simply glide the (unscented, please) floss right through for perfect slices every time.

Of course, if you don't have floss around (I'm totally telling your dentist!), you'll be best-off with a knife if you run it through warm water then dry before slicing in confident, even strokes (don't hack!), and keep a paper towel close by to clean off between slices.

But even if your slices are messy, they will still be delicious, and a mountain of whipped cream or fresh fruit will usually cover up any slicing sins.

Love, CakeSpy