How To Prevent Brownies From Sticking To Your Knife

If you're a fan of chocolate desserts, odds are you like death-by-chocolate cake, mud tracks ice cream, and chocolate chip cookies. Those are all fantastic sweets but in your heart, you know that when it comes to chocolate, brownies reign supreme. They can be served warm and gooey or cooled and chewy, but whatever your preference might be, you know that they are an easy and fun bake to make on the days you just need a sweet pick-me-up.

The ultimate fudgy brownies are made with browned butter, sugar whipped together with eggs and vanilla and finally stirred in with rich cocoa powder and flour. These kinds of brownies are dense, flavorful, and super rich, and are just begging to be paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or topped with fresh fruit. 

The only real hassle with brownies is figuring out how to make them look as good as they smell or taste. It is all too easy to make some truly divine only to ruin its presentation by sawing it haphazardly out of the pan and into giant chunks.

Here's the deal: Your brownies continue to cook after you've pulled them out of the oven (via BakingHow). So, you can't just wait 10 minutes after you've pulled the pan out of the oven and start cutting away. Odds are those brownies just finished cooking on the inside and have absolutely not yet set. According to the Cake Decorist, you should let your brownies rest for at least 30 minutes or longer on a cooling rack before cutting into them to allow the flavors to develop and the batter to settle.

But the next most important key to a successful, beautifully cut brownie is your cutting utensil. After you've waited for your bake to fully cool, Food Network suggests using a chef's knife to cut pieces out of the brownie pan due to its long blade. But these knives are not nonstick so you must oil them. Using cooking spray or vegetable oil, cover both sides of the knife then make a single smooth cut up and down. After each cut, it is important that you clean the knife by wiping off any chocolate or crumbs then re-oil it before digging back in (via Southern Living). By the end of this process, you will have picture-perfect brownies ready to enjoy.