A pizza cutter does more than just slice pizza.
I was cutting some toast for one of my daughters one morning and the pizza cutter with its new homemade cardboard scabbard was still out from the night before so I decided to see how it would work on toast. To my surprise, it worked beautifully.
So then I tried it on my other daughter’s egg-in-hole and again it performed like a charm. I now figured I was on to something.
For the record, if you make your own pizza or buy frozen commercial brands like DiGiorno, a pizza cutter is a must. It makes slicing a pizza into kid-sized slices that much easier. Not that we eat a lot of pizza in our house, but it is a staple when we go out and have babysitters who are early on in their culinary education.
So now I’m thinking what have I been missing all these years and what else might this circular blade be used for cutting. I’m on a mission to see how many unique and interesting ways one can use a pizza cutter besides slicing pizza.
I figure I’m not the first one to think of using a pizza cutter for other kitchen chores so I invite you to share some of your favorite ways you have utilized this handy kitchen gadget.
How Many Ideas Can You Come Up With?
Please share your ideas in the comments section below. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
| Kitchen Task | What You Do With It | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Slice Pizza | Roll through cooked pizza in straight or angled cuts | The sharp rotating wheel applies even pressure, preventing toppings from dragging |
| Cut Fresh Pasta | Slice rolled dough into tagliatelle, fettuccine, or ravioli squares | The wheel glides cleanly through soft dough without compressing layers |
| Trim Pie Dough | Cut excess dough from tart or pie edges | Rolling motion gives precise edge control without tearing delicate pastry |
| Chop Herbs (Herb Ribboning) | Roll through stacked basil, mint, or parsley | Quick slicing motion reduces bruising compared to heavy knife chopping |
| Cut Quesadillas | Divide into clean wedges or strips | Sharp wheel slices through melted cheese without pulling fillings out |
| Slice Sandwich Wraps | Cut wraps or pinwheels into uniform pieces | Rolling blade avoids crushing soft bread or tortillas |
| Score Dough | Lightly cut bread or pastry dough before baking | Creates controlled expansion points for even baking rise |
| Cut Brownies | Slice baked bars into neat squares or rectangles | Clean rolling cut reduces crumbling edges in dense baked goods |
| Make Homemade Pasta Ribbons | Cut uniform strips from rolled pasta sheets | Even pressure ensures consistent thickness for even cooking |
| Trim Fondant or Dough Decorations | Shape cake toppers or pastry accents | Precise wheel movement allows controlled decorative cuts |
| Cut Grilled Cheese or Panini | Slice through crispy sandwiches cleanly | Rolling action minimizes tearing of toasted crusts |
| Portion Flatbread or Naan | Divide into serving pieces after cooking | Hot bread stays intact because the wheel doesn’t drag crumbs |
| Cut Cookie Dough Strips | Slice chilled dough into bars or shapes | Cold dough resists deformation under rolling pressure |
| Score Homemade Pasta Sheets | Mark lines before cutting or folding | Light scoring guides consistent shapes without tearing gluten structure |
20 Responses
What about cutting brownies or cookie sheet cake?
Fresh pasta
Dough triangles for rugelach
Scones & biscuits
Homemade fruit leather
Doesn’t work on meat, either raw or cooked (I’ve tried).
Cutting Casa’s Pitas for dip
Homemade noodles (pasta)
Frittatas once put on a cutting board
Lasagna if the wheel is large use – use scissors at the ends
Chocolate after cooled on plastic
Fondant
I use the pizza cutter on any type of flatbread, whether it be some homemade garlic bread or some naan with indian food. You could also use it to cut herbs and such, it works great on making strips of basil.
I also use it on tortillas when I’m making my own tortilla chips.
Shredding lettuce leafs for tacos. Lay leafs flat on board and cut into thin strips.
I have taken a few slices of lunch meat (like ham or turkey) or sliced cheese and I use the pizza cutter to cut them into strips for salads.
it is also one of the first tools I let my kids use when they were first learning their way around the kitchen but were too small for a “real” knife
Quesadillas!
There is a rotary cutter for material that looks almost identical, you can replace that blade with new one and it also has a sharpener for it. I am a quilt maker, ask about it at a material store.
Katherine
Katherine, are you saying you can us a rotary cutter as a pizza cutter? What about the opposite: Can you use a pizza cutter in place of a rotary cutter for crafts?
Cecelia stole my feedback! We have a quesadilla maker at home and the pizza cutter is perfect for that. I’ve also seen them used in calzones in Pizza shops.
pancakes, flapjacks and garlic bread
I use my pizza cutter to cut homemade caramels into bite-sized chunks.
My pizza cutter works GREAT for cutting strips of pie dough for a lattice top. I tried it once on a whim and have sworn by it since.
I don’t call it a pizza cutter any more. In our house it is referred to as the Universal Cutter. I even use it to cut chicken for chicken salad. But it is great for cutting up the kids’ food…spaghetti, French toast…etc
Makes a great PlayDoh tool!
When making brownies, I let them cool in the pan, then use my pizza cutter to cut them into the desired size pieces. No mess, and they are all a uniform size
I use the pizza cutter to make homemade dumplings for soups.
I use it to make biscuits and rolled cookies. Just cut in squares, pinch corners in so they are slightly rounded. If you leave them suare they get a little crisp. Saves a lot of time, and you don’t have a lot of dough to re-roll.
I used to scrape ice off my car in the winter time
Ouch!