How to Use a Pizza Cutter the Right Way
How-To
How to Use a Pizza Cutter the Right Way
Press, don't saw. The small change that stops your pizza cutter dragging the cheese off every slice.
The push-cut design that presses through deep dish in one motion. See the Midnight Slice →
Most people use a pizza cutter wrong, and the pizza pays for it. The trick is simple: press straight down and rock, don't saw back and forth. Sawing drags the wheel sideways, which pulls cheese and toppings off in a smear. A clean cut is one firm downward press through the crust - and the sharper and sturdier the cutter, the easier that is.
Here's how to do it properly, why push-cutting beats rolling, and how to handle deep dish without wrecking the slice.
How do you use a pizza cutter?
Line the wheel up where you want the cut, then press down firmly and let the blade roll forward in one pass - using your weight, not a sawing motion. For a big pizza, start in the middle and cut outward to the edge, then spin the pizza and repeat. Keep your free hand flat on the crust, well clear of the blade, to hold the pizza steady.
The single most common mistake is going back and forth like a saw. Every reversal drags the wheel sideways across the surface, and that sideways drag is exactly what strips the toppings and leaves a cheese-free scar down the middle of your slice.
A pizza cutter should press through the pizza, not saw across it.
Push-cutting vs rolling: what's the difference?
A standard wheel cutter is rolled across the pizza, which works but tends to drag on thick or loaded pizzas. A push-cut design is pressed straight down through the crust in one motion, like a lever - so it slices deep dish and thick crust cleanly without the toppings sliding around. That's the whole idea behind the Midnight Slice: you press once and the slice is done.
The tool for the job
Midnight Slice
A push-cut pizza cutter in solid stainless steel. Presses straight through deep dish and thick crust in one motion - no sawing, no dragged toppings. Removable blade, dishwasher safe, lifetime guarantee.
Are pizza cutters supposed to be sharp?
Yes. A pizza cutter should be genuinely sharp - a dull wheel is what forces people to saw, which is where the topping-dragging starts. A sharp blade parts the crust in one pass with light pressure. The blade doesn't need to be razor-dangerous like a chef's knife, but it should slice a sheet of paper cleanly; if it's crushing the crust instead of cutting it, it's too dull.
If your current cutter has gone dull, you don't have to replace it - here's how to sharpen a pizza cutter in a few minutes.
How to cut deep-dish and thick-crust pizza
Thick pizza is where cheap wheel cutters give up - they skate over the top or bind halfway through. Two things fix it:
- Press, don't roll. Use a push-cut motion so the blade goes down through the full depth in one committed press, rather than rolling and hoping.
- Cut from the edge in, on a board. Move the pizza to a cutting board, start the cut at the crust edge, and press through toward the center so the blade is fully engaged before it hits the loaded middle.
A heavier, solid-steel cutter helps here because the mass does the work - you're guiding it, not forcing it.
Frequently asked questions
How do you use a pizza cutter?
Press the wheel straight down and roll it forward in one firm pass, using your weight rather than sawing back and forth. Start from the middle and cut outward, keep your free hand flat and clear of the blade, and spin the pizza to make each cut. Sawing back and forth is what drags cheese and toppings off the slice.
Should you push or roll a pizza cutter?
Rolling works on thin pizza, but on thick or loaded pizza it drags. A push-cut design - pressed straight down through the crust like a lever - slices deep dish and thick crust cleanly in one motion without the toppings sliding around. The Midnight Slice is built as a push-cutter for exactly this reason.
Are pizza cutters supposed to be sharp?
Yes. A sharp blade parts the crust in one light pass; a dull one forces you to saw, which is what drags the toppings off. It doesn't need to be as sharp as a chef's knife, but it should slice paper cleanly. If it crushes the crust instead of cutting, it's too dull.
What is the best way to cut deep-dish or thick-crust pizza?
Move the pizza to a cutting board, start the cut at the crust edge, and press straight down through the full depth toward the center in one committed motion instead of rolling. A heavier, solid-steel push cutter makes this far easier because the mass does the work.
How do you sharpen a pizza cutter?
Most wheel cutters can be sharpened in a few minutes with a whetstone or a fine file run along the bevel of the wheel, keeping a consistent angle. We cover the full method in our guide on how to sharpen a pizza cutter.
Is a wheel or rocker better for cutting pizza?
Both work. A rocker blade cuts a whole pizza in a couple of presses but needs storage space and a big board. A push-cut wheel is more versatile and easier to store, and on thick crust a solid push-cut wheel matches a rocker for clean cuts without dragging.
Press once. Done.
The push-cut pizza cutter that goes through deep dish and thick crust in a single press - no sawing, no dragged toppings.
Shop the Midnight Slice