Whether they come with nuts, sprinkled with chips, or just pure chocolate, Brownies taste really divine, and are downright addictive.
But once you begin slicing into them, they won’t always cut cleanly and may not make it to your plate in such a presentable state.
Now, we’d love to share the tips we’ve always used to cut brownies into perfect slices – we’ve done this for years. If that sounds like a deal, here is how to cut brownies cleanly all the time.
How to cut brownies cleanly
Brownies moist and fudge-like nature is blamed for brownies’ stubbornness when it comes to slicing through your tray of brownies.
The good news is you can easily hack this whether you have baked them fudgy or cake-like.
Keep reading to learn how to cut brownies without destroying them..
Technique 1: cutting brownies with disposable plastic knife
The first brownie cutting hack takes us to the humble plastic knife!
Yea, it may look pretty simple but that plastic knife people often dismiss works wonders when cutting freshly baked brownies because plastic is traditionally non-stick.
Plus, it should take you very little time.
Procedure
Step 1: Decide how you want to cut the brownies
Eye ball the brownies and decide where you want to cut.
Step 2: Start cutting
Insert your plastic knife where you want to cut first and cut straight down through the brownies.
Step 3: Wipe the knife and slice further
If you want to cut into smaller slices after the first cut, wipe off your plastic knife and cut again depending on your desired cuts.
Voila! You now have fantastically cut brownies ready for serving.
Tip: There’s always a chance that your plastic knife may bend a bit after several cuts so it’s wise sure to have a spare knife.
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Technique 2: cutting brownies with a hot knife
A hot knife (serrated) also works well because it melts the cutting path when slicing in and is another hack you can use to get cuts that are as clean as you could ask for.
Of course, the process may take more time than when working directly with a plastic knife.
Note that you can still use a knife with a smooth blade if you don’t have a serrated edge knife.
Procedure
Step 1: Heat the knife
Start by heating the knife.
While there are tons of approaches you can use to make the blade hot, most people prefer to dip the knife (the entire blade) in a container with hot water then waiting for it to become hot.
Read: 1800 watt hot plate
Step 2: Preparing the knife
The knife won’t quite cut smoothly when wet and it’s important to wipe it dry.
Use a kitchen towel or a suitable alternative.
Step 3: Cut in there
Slice into the brownies (assuming you’d already chosen where to begin cutting) and cut all the way appropriately.
Step 4: Wipe the knife
Again wipe any brownie crumbs off the blade after the first round.
You can cut back straight in or move to step 5 if the knife has gone fairly cold.
Step 5: Re-heat the knife (if necessary)
If the knife has cooled off significantly, immerse it back into the hot water container. Let it sit for some moments to heat up.
Wipe it dry as always.
Step 6: Make more cuts
Now you can make a fresh round of cuts as per your requirements.
Tip: For the best results, press the hot knife into the brownies with steady pressure when cutting.
Technique 3: cut the brownies with a Pizza cutter
Another method we’ve used in the past is a Pizza cutter. It also brings great results.
Procedure
Step 1: Lightly score the brownies
A good practice if you choose this method is to score the brownies lightly while they’re still warm.
Step 2: Cut through the brownies
Give them enough minutes to cool then cut them with your Pizza cutter starting at your chosen point going all the way down.
Step 3: Wipe the cutter and make more cuts
Wipe the tool and cut back right in until you’re done.
Technique 4: cut the brownies with a Butchers Twine
If you’ve chosen not to go with any of the above methods, you can perhaps try the butchers twine.
Procedure (How to cut brownies cleanly with a Butchers Twine)
Simply lift the brownies off your parchment lined pan and into a cutting board and start cutting all the way with your butchers twine.
You cut the same way we cut with a plastic knife…
Tip: Always wipe the tool clean between cuts.
How to cut brownies cleanly- useful tips
1. Let them cool
Brownies must be allowed to cool completely before you start to cut them.
We suggest that you place them on your wire cooling rack (on top of a counter) to quicken cooling instead of keeping them on the stovetop where they’re still receiving heat.
2. Cut them into perfect squares
The trick to cut them into squares is simple: measure the squares with your ruler and cut through the spots with a hot, serrated knife (recall you need to submerge it into hot water to make it hot).
3. Use a specialty pan instead of cutting them into shapes
Don’t fret if you’d rather have pre-sliced brownies instead of cutting- simply bake them with a brownie divider placed into the pan (the divider separates the brownies into even sections).
You only remove the driver when the brownies have cooled totally.
All that remains is to prop the pan on a cup/can then press down on your pan to get the brownies off the pan.
Though they don’t take equal effort and time, all these hacks will, in general, help you cut your brownies cleanly.
Of course, the plastic knife tends to give the perfect slices in less time and is our number 1 recommended method.
That said, we all have different preferences and you may find the hot, serrated knife method more favorable or even a Pizza cutter.
That choice is up to you.
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