If you thought it was only useful for slicing pizzas, these 9 brilliant pizza cutter tips are about to show you otherwise. These ideas come to us via Jill Nystul of www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com, and I thank her for sharing. I think not just her suggestions are brilliant, I think SHE’S brilliant!

Jill says she was using her pizza cutter to slice up a few chicken quesadillas, and she got to thinking about other non-traditional ways to put this unassuming tool to good use. Some research unearthed other clever ways to take advantage of its circular blade!

Alton Brown, the chef/food expert of Food Network fame, also appears to appreciate the versatility of the humble pizza cutter: “When I have to cut something, I’ll always think, ‘can I use a pizza cutter instead of a knife?’” The appeal, according to Brown, is that a rolling blade doesn’t squish things the way a knife can, which makes it a better choice for cutting easily squashed foods like puff pastry.

But the pizza cutter can do much more than this. For instance:

1. Lettuce
   Shredding lettuce for taco night can be a pain, but not when you use a pizza cutter to get it done. Place a few leaves in a sturdy bowl, and carefully slice back and forth until shredded to your liking.
2. Desserts
   Use your pizza cutter to cut up brownies for a bake sale, slice lemon bars into equal pieces, or to portion out a pan of fudge. It won’t help much with taller/deeper desserts, but it will make short work of bars and other low-profile treats.
   
   
   

3. Herbs
   Mince herbs by laying them flat on a cutting board and running your pizza cutter over them a few times. You can thinly slice (or chiffonade) herbs and greens like this too — just roll them up and use your pizza cutter to slice the roll into thin strips.
   
   
   

4. Flatbreads
   A pizza cutter makes a great tool for cutting any type of flatbread, from tortillas to naan and beyond. Use it to slice tortillas into triangles while making homemade tortilla chips, or cut pita bread into wedges to dip into tzatziki or hummus.
5. Pie Dough
   Cut perfect strips for a lattice-crust pie with your trusty pizza cutter. To achieve straight lines and strips of even width, run the pizza cutter along the edge of a sturdy (and clean) ruler.
   
   
   

6. Marshmallows
   Forgot to buy mini marshmallows for hot chocolate? Use your pizza cutter to cut standard-sized marshmallows into quarters. Where a knife would likely stick and make the job harder, the forward motion of a pizza cutter helps it glide right through.
   
   
   

7. Breakfast Sticks
   Cut French toast, pancakes, or waffles into sticks your little ones can dip into syrup. Most kids have an easier time eating with their hands anyway, and who doesn’t love dipping things?
8. Raw Chicken
   Instead of wrestling with a bulky chef’s knife to place it precisely where you want to, swap it for your pizza cutter instead. The smooth, rolling motion of a pizza cutter makes cutting raw chicken a breeze!
   
   
   

9. Sandwiches
   It’s never been simpler to remove sandwich crusts or slice them in halves or quarters than it is with a pizza cutter. (I imagine this tip would be more useful to young moms or for grandparents with the grandkids visit, but if you prefer your sandwiches sans crust too, that’s your prerogative!)
   
   
   

BONUS: My Favorite Pizza Cutter

With all these excellent uses in mind, even if you rarely need to cut pizzas at home, you still have plenty of reasons to get a quality pizza cutter. Jill recommends the ZYLISS pizza cutter because your hand is right over the blade, which makes it easier to control.

The blade is sharp, and it’s much easier to apply pressure with it than with a traditional pizza cutter. It even comes apart for easy cleaning!