Thin Slices, Norwegian Style: How to Pick the Best Cheese Plane

A cheese plane looks like a small spatula with a slot across the head. You draw it toward you over the top of a block, and a thin, even slice comes up through the slot and rests on the head, ready for bread. It is a simple Norwegian idea from the 1920s, and it gives you slices thinner than most people can cut with a knife.

A plane is not the right tool for every cheese. It is at its best on firm and semi-hard cheese, and slices shaved from the top of a block suit a tostada or a breakfast roll better than a thick sandwich slice. If you are still deciding between a plane, a wire and a board, start with our broader guide to the best cheese slicer. This page is for people who already know they want a plane.

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Quick verdict: which cheese plane to buy

The table below compares five standouts. All seven are reviewed after it, followed by what to look for and common questions.

Five cheese planes at a glance

One pick for each kind of cook, with the handle and care each maker or listing states.

Our picks for the best cheese plane

How to choose a plane for your block of cheese

• Your usual cheese. Planes are made for firm cheese. Rösle and OXO aim theirs at firm and hard cheese, and BOSKA’s Amigo also takes milder cheese. Our guide to Mexican cheeses explains which ones are firm enough. Queso fresco crumbles, and a plane won’t help with it.
• Blade length. The slot has to span most of the block’s width. A short blade takes more passes on a wide block, and a very long one can feel clumsy on a small wedge. Measure your usual block.
• Plain steel or non-stick. Plain steel has nothing to wear off, and non-stick treatments help softer cheese release. BOSKA’s teeth in the slot and OXO’s coating both aim at the same problem.
• Handle. A soft grip suits lots of slicing. Beech looks good on a board but usually means hand washing. All-steel handles go in the dishwasher.
• Slice thickness. On a plane, thickness comes from your hand. Flatter and lighter gives thinner, and steeper gives thicker. If you want a set thickness every time, a board or wheel slicer is the better tool.

How we picked these seven planes

We have not used these products ourselves. We looked through cheese planes sold on Amazon in the United States, kept only new items in stock when we checked, and read each maker’s listing. Some are sold as cheese slicers, so we confirmed the plane form from the maker’s description or the product photo. America’s Test Kitchen has written about planes, and its winning Wüsthof is on our cheese slicer guide, so we didn’t repeat it here. We could not read a current test of the planes on this page, and a search for independent reviews of Swissmar and Bjorklund found only shops and affiliate lists.

That means these picks rest on the makers’ details, and each entry says what the listing leaves out. We left out low-stock planes from Swissmar, Fox Run and Norpro, a Zwilling slicer whose listing doesn’t make the shape clear, and thin Amazon-first brands. The history above comes from Norway’s patent office. A search of the saferproducts.gov recall database by brand found no recall of a cheese plane from these makers.

Cheese plane questions, answered

What is the best cheese plane for most people?

The BOSKA Copenhagen: light, all steel, dishwasher safe and backed by a lifetime warranty. For firm cheese and heavier use, consider the Rösle.

What is a Scandinavian cheese slicer?

It is another name for a cheese plane, the flat tool with a slot that shaves slices from the top of a block. In Norway it is called an ostehøvel, which means cheese plane.

How do you use a cheese plane?

Set the block on a board, lay the head flat on top, and pull it toward you with light pressure. The slice comes up through the slot. The Bjorklund listing makes the same point: flat, with little pressure, works best.

Is a plane or a wire better?

A plane gives thin, even slices of firm cheese and has nothing to snap. A wire sticks less on softer cheese. Our cheese slicer guide compares them side by side.

Can a cheese plane go in the dishwasher?

All-steel planes from BOSKA, Rösle and Fox Run are listed as dishwasher safe, as is the OXO. Wood-handled planes usually should be hand washed, and when a listing does not say, hand wash it.

Our final pick for thin slices

Buy the BOSKA Copenhagen for most kitchens, the Bjorklund for the traditional Norwegian style, the OXO when cheese keeps sticking, and the Rösle for firm cheese and heavy use.

For the rest of the board, see the best cheese knives and the best charcuterie board. And if you would rather let the kitchen do the work tonight, see the menu or call to order.