How To Cut Pizza Without A Pizza Cutter
If you don’t have a pizza cutter handy then there are a few kitchen tools that you can use to get the job done!
How to cut pizza without a pizza cutter? Cutting pizza requires a sharp blade. So, in theory, you can use any sharp cutting tool to cut equal slices. This includes a large chef’s knife, a pair of sharp scissors, a butcher’s knife, and even a small paring knife.
Read below to learn more about how to make the most with the tools at hand, and how to evenly cut pizzas without ruining their texture or toppings!
Traditional Pizza Cutting Tools
There are several pizza gadgets in the market that make the task of cutting equal slices easy. But while these tools may help minimize effort, it doesn’t take much to cut a delicious cheesy pie at home!
Cutting pies is all about using a sharp blade. So, you can pick and choose from any type of knife or cutting tool at home to get the job done.
Let’s explore the traditional options first and understand how they work.
Pizza Wheel
The pizza wheel is an iconic cutting tool that has become synonymous with the image of freshly baked pies. It is a great and convenient option for professional pizza makers and even home chefs.
The initial pizza wheel design was patented in 1892 and soon gained widespread popularity due to its ease of use and likeness among pizza chefs.
A pizza wheel uses a rotating, wheel-like blade that is mounted to a handle grip. All you need is to push down on the pizza and run it across each side to cut equally thin slices!
Pizza wheels can also come in a minimalistic design, where the handle is removed in favor of a side grip.
The result is a large, circular blade that can be used in the same way as the handle version — but, of course, the handle variant offers way more stability and control!
Despite being convenient and indispensable in a professional setting, pizza wheels can be a bit clunky, especially with an elongated handle — it makes them a hassle to store.
Also, since most households don’t eat pizza every day and there are many other alternatives to cutting pizza at home, purchasing this clunky tool might not be justified for a casual user.
Pizza Rocker Blade
This blade is a rocking-style pizza cutter with a crescent shape.
This pizza cutter is usually used as an alternative to the pizza wheel cutter. It is highly effective at cutting large and deep pies in a matter of seconds — and the smooth, rocking motion makes it easy to use the blade with zero chance of error.
This pizza cutter can cut any type of rounded pizza and is perhaps the go-to tool for deep dish pizzas that require a deep blade.
You will usually find this pizza cutter in a commercial setting where it is common to cut multiple pizzas at a time.
The rocking blade is available in many designs, but as you can imagine, this pizza cutter also takes up a lot of space, especially when compared to the pizza wheel.
Alternate Methods for Cutting Pizza
Here are a few common cutting tools that you can use to cut pizzas at home!
Scissors
Cutting pizza with scissors isn’t a novel practice. It is, in fact, the go-to method for cutting pizza in none other than the birthplace of pizza: Italy!
Using scissors to cut round pizzas is quite convenient — and it makes even more sense when cutting rectangular pizzas.
Scissors provide far more control and you can even cut through the toppings without moving them around, as is common with pizza wheels and other pizza blades.
The scissor blade can make quick work of the crust, vegetables, and meat. The best part is that you can use virtually any type of scissors to cut pizza.
For equally cut slices, we recommend going with a larger pair of scissors that can provide you with both grip and height.
Avoid using smaller scissors or you might just end up making a mess — and even get sauce all over your hands.
We also recommend that you use heat-resistant gloves while using this method because you will need to grip the hot pie with the other hand while you cut it through with the scissor.
Chef’s Knife
If you have a chef’s knife at home, then cutting pizzas is another thing that you can add to the list of its uses!
A chef’s knife is the perfect cutting tool for cutting equal slices of any type of pizza.
The height and sharpness of the blade will easily cut deep-dish, hand-tossed, or, traditional thin-crust pizzas with ease.
We recommend using this method with oven-hot pizzas. Since the ingredients will be hot, it will be extremely easy to cut not just the cheese but all the ingredients with a single slide of the blade.
If you are trying to cut a particularly denser crust, then we recommend gently sawing the edge with a push and pull motion. Once the blade has created a slit, you can begin processing the rest of the pie using the same strategy.
Some chef’s knives are designed with a subtle curve, so keep the design of the knife in mind when cutting the pie. Curved knives may require a rocking motion to cut through all the toppings and the crust!
Butcher’s Knife
Not every household has this cutting tool, but if you do, then you can easily use it to cut small-size pizzas with one chop.
Using a butcher’s knife with larger pizzas can be cumbersome, but if you don’t have any other option, then you can still cut a large pie by cutting the pizza in succession.
Another way to quickly get sliced pieces is to use the butcher’s knife in a rocking motion.
Put the tip of the blade on the edge of the crust and then push it down. Then pull the blade off the pie and cut again by resetting the tip of the blade where you left off.
You can use the same rocking motion to cut personal-pan size pizzas too. Using a butcher’s knife this way makes it similar to the traditional crescent cutting knife!
Paring Knife
If you don’t have any of the cutting tools above, then you can also cut pizzas using any sharp paring knife too!
There are a few drawbacks to using this method, but if you have a thinner crust and a small pie size, then you can use virtually any type of knife available to you.
A paring knife is a great option because it allows for greater control and accuracy. You can also quickly slide across the pie without moving any toppings — provided that you use the right technique!
Start by sharpening the blade. Please make sure that the blade is sharp enough to easily slice hard vegetables.
Next, place the tip of the blade at the top of the crust and push it down to make contact. Ideally, you would only want to use the tip at a 45-degree angle.
Quickly slide down the pie and repeat the same step for the other side to create equal slices.
We wouldn’t suggest that you saw the pizza using a paring knife because it may end up ruining the texture of the crust and may even displace the toppings.
Cutting Cold Vs Warm Pizzas
Pizzas aren’t usually cut before they are baked. However, in some cases, you can cut them beforehand before cooking them in the oven — especially if you are going with commercial crusts or frozen pizzas.
Cold pizzas are easy to cut and also very forgiving — since there is no melted cheese or other sloppy toppings, you can easily cut the frozen pizza using any cutting tool!
But please keep in mind that in some cases, cutting the pizza beforehand may result in a mess since the cheese might overflow from the sides.
We don’t recommend that you cut homemade crusts beforehand due to the same reason. Also, as the crust expands, the toppings might become displaced — and may even fall off the slices!
As a general rule, try cutting pizzas using the recommended alternate tools above. If you don’t have the necessary tools, then you can go ahead and slice the pizza while it is cold.
Related Questions
Now that you know how to cut a pizza without a pizza cutter, here are some related questions.
Can you cut a pizza using a dough cutter?
A dough cutter might not have a sharp enough edge, but it may still work in some cases.
You can try using a dough cutter for Neapolitan or thin-crust pizzas. If you have the option, then go with a dough cutter with a tapered edge. You can use a rocking motion or a straight down-up motion to cut the slices equally.
Should you allow oven-hot pizza to rest before cutting it?
Yes. Allowing the pizza to rest at room temperature for about 3-4 minutes is advised because it will allow the cheese to set over the crust.
This will not only minimize the chances of the cheese sliding off, but it will also set the rest of the toppings, so you can easily cut through without ruining the texture of the pie.
