How to Cut Bars and Squares Evenly and Neatly

Years of working in catering taught me a few tricks I keep up my sleeve—and this is one of them. Here’s how I cut my dessert squares into even pieces with clean edges.

1. Remove your squares from the baking pan, if possible, by lightly tugging on the parchment paper overhang. (Even if your recipe doesn’t call for parchment paper, I always use it for this purpose alone.)

2. Fill a large glass with very hot water and collect a sharp knife and dishtowel.

3. Dip the knife in the water, wipe it off with the towel and trim approximately ¼’ from all sides of the baked good in order to create straight and even edging. Dip, wipe the knife again and continue to slice into the bars creating an even cut.

4. Repeat the dip and wipe method every two or three cuts, cleaning off the knife as needed.

There you have it. A foolproof way to make your bars and squares look like they came from a bakery.