Holes and dimples in a kitchen knife blade reduce the contact area between steel and food, which limits adhesion and suction so slices release more easily. Full-through holes are typical of soft-cheese knives, while shallow scallops (Granton or kullenschliff) are common on carving and santoku-style blades. The holes are functional rather than decorative: by reducing adhesion, they make cutting soft cheeses easier and help slices keep their shape.
This design matters most when you slice something moist, soft or starchy, because those are the foods that cling to a flat blade. A standard chef’s knife remains the better tool for high-force chopping and spreading.
How the Holes Reduce Sticking, and How Certain the Explanation Is
When you slice through a dense or sticky food, the full face of the metal presses against it. On a flat blade, moisture can create suction that makes the knife harder to draw out and can crush or tear the food. Holes and hollows interrupt that continuous contact surface.
By decreasing the surface of contact between the blade and the cheese, perforations help prevent sticking and make clean, precise slices easier to achieve. Granton edges are described in much the same way: moisture creates suction on flat blades, and the hollows break this bond.
Treat this as the widely described explanation rather than a precisely quantified physical law. No authoritative manufacturer or standards document in the available evidence measures exactly how much holes reduce adhesion or cutting force, so the effect is best understood as a practical design intent that varies with the food and the blade.
Cheese Knives with Full-Through Holes vs Granton Scallops and Dimples
Both designs fight sticking, but their geometry differs. A true holed knife has circular cutouts that pass through the steel; a Granton or kullenschliff blade has shallow scallops or oval hollows that do not go all the way through.
Granton knives have gently rounded flutings ground into the edge that alternate on either side of the knife and extend from the edge to the middle of the blade. Kullenschliff is a similar design with oval flutings hollowed out of one or both sides of the blade above the edge. The Granton design is normally found on meat carving knives and has more recently appeared on other knives, especially Western variations of the Japanese santoku. Because the indentations require a certain blade thickness, they are more often used on thicker, softer blades than on thin, hard ones. Scallop-sided blades are an attempt to ease cutting and separation of meats, cheese and vegetables.
Note that “hollow ground” properly refers to the cross-section of the cutting edge, not to blade indentations.
| Feature | Best For | Visual Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Full-through holes | Soft, sticky cheeses | Circular holes through the steel |
| Granton scallops | Meats, vegetables, fruit | Indentations or dimples near the edge |
| Fluted or textured sides | Delicate produce | Wavy or hammered patterns |
When a Holed or Granton Blade Helps, and When a Standard Chef’s Knife Is Better
Reach for a holed or scalloped blade when the food is likely to cling. Perforated-blade cheese knives are suited to soft and runny cheeses, while solid sharp-bladed knives are better for hard cheeses such as Comté, Parmesan or Cheddar. Using a regular knife on soft cheese is generally not recommended because it is more likely to cause sticking and messy slices. Wiping the blade between slices can help prevent buildup and sticking, and applying excessive force can crush the cheese and make it stick.
A solid chef’s knife wins in several common situations:
- Spreading. Smearing butter or soft cheese needs a flat, continuous surface, not a blade designed to let air through.
- High-force chopping. Splitting squash or breaking down a chicken benefits from the weight and stability of a solid blade.
- Hard cheese and crusty bread. These resist a blade rather than cling to it, so the release benefit is limited.
- Frozen food. A specialty blade offers little advantage and may snag on hard, irregular surfaces.
Cleaning and Drying a Holed Blade
Food particles can lodge in holes and scallops, so clean them deliberately. The practical routine:
- Hand wash with warm, soapy water.
- Use a small brush or sponge to clear residue out of the holes.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Dry the blade immediately to prevent corrosion.
Prompt drying is required for carbon steel knives, and proper drying of stainless steel still prevents surface discoloration and preserves the finish. A dishwasher can effectively clean and sanitize utensils if they are dishwasher safe and made of non-porous materials, but many manufacturers advise hand washing quality knives, so check the specific product’s instructions.
Food safety applies here too. After cutting raw meat, wash the cutting board, knife and countertops with hot, soapy water. A food-safe sanitizing solution for utensils that touch food can be made with one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Disinfecting products, unlike some commercial sanitizers, should not be used on cutting boards or utensils that touch food because they could contaminate the food you prepare.
Sharpening and Maintaining Scalloped or Holed Edges
Sharpening a scalloped or holed blade takes more care than a straight edge, because the edge is interrupted. A whetstone lets you control the angle and work around the hollows, and a honing rod or ceramic rod handles quick touch-ups between sessions. If you are not comfortable sharpening by hand, a professional sharpening service is the safer route.
Pull-through sharpeners are a poor match for scalloped edges: the fixed slots assume a continuous edge and a consistent angle, and the scallops can catch or be ground unevenly. Check the manufacturer’s guidance for your specific knife before sharpening, since model-specific angles vary and no single angle applies to every holed or scalloped blade.
Choosing Between a Cheese Knife and a Granton Slicing Knife
Match the tool to the food that actually sticks in your kitchen.
- If soft cheese is your main frustration: look for a cheese knife with full-through holes. These are purpose-built for that exact task and will save you a lot of frustration. Some cheese knives also have a forked tip that makes it easy to lift and serve slices without touching the cheese.
- If general prep is the problem: a Granton-edge slicing knife is the more versatile choice, since the design is used on carving knives and santoku-style blades for meats, cheese and vegetables.
- If you mostly chop hard vegetables or spread soft toppings: a solid chef’s knife is the better investment, and a holed blade is an optional specialty addition.
Stainless steel is a common cheese knife blade material because of its durability, corrosion resistance and ease of cleaning. Since holes increase the surface area exposed to moisture, corrosion resistance is worth checking on any holed blade you consider.
A Concise Closing Decision for Your Kitchen
Holes and dimples exist to stop food clinging: they cut the contact area between steel and food so slices release more cleanly. Choose full-through holes for soft cheese, shallow Granton scallops for carving and general slicing, and keep a solid chef’s knife for spreading and heavy chopping. Whichever you pick, hand wash it, brush out the gaps, dry it immediately, and sharpen it with a method suited to an interrupted edge.
