Pizza cutters were originally invented in the 1890s as a way of cutting wallpaper, rather than pizza. But the idea of a rotating blade with a fixed handle soon found lots of other purposes, and today they are most commonly associated with pizza. Pizza cutters slice pizza without separating toppings from the crust, so they are a great thing to have if you slice and eat a lot of pizza at home.
What are Pizza Cutters Made of?
Pizza cutters generally have two different parts, that are made of different materials. Let's look at them separately.
What are Pizza Cutter Blades Made of?
Pizza cutter blades are usually made of stainless steel, because it is corrosion-resistant, heat-resistant, durable, and easy to clean. Many kitchen knives and utensils are also made of stainless steel.
Today, some pizza cutter blades are made of various plastics and polymers, including acrylic and silicone. These materials allow pizza cutter blades to come in a wide range of colors and styles, but they may be less durable and more difficult to sharpen.
What are Pizza Cutter Handles Made of?
Pizza cutter handles can be made of nearly anything. Many popular pizza cutters have handles made of various hard plastics, like ABS. Pizza cutters may also have handles made of stainless steel, or made of wood. And many pizza cutter handles are made of multiple materials, like a metal body for strength, but a silicone grip for stability and comfort.
Other Pizza Cutter Parts
Pizza cutters also typically have a screw and a washer to hold the blade with the handle assembly. Some pizza cutters also come with a separate blade guard; a plastic cap that snaps over the blade to protect it while it's in storage, so that it doesn't get dull rubbing against other utensils in your drawer.
Novelty Pizza Cutters
There are so many novelty pizza cutters available. You can get pizza cutters that resemble a bicycle, or a Pokémon ball, a lightsaber or the Starship Enterprise, a table saw, a panther, a Ninja Turtle, even a cassette tape!
Of course, all these novelty pizza cutters may be made out of a wide range of unusual materials, because for these pizza cutters, form matters as much (or more) than function. In most cases, the manufacturer will tell you what that specific pizza cutter and all its parts are made of, and how best to clean and care for it.
Although the rotary blade design is distinctive and unusual, most pizza cutters are made of the same materials as other kitchen cutting implements, like knives and shears. Those materials are chosen for their durability, food safety, resistance to corrosion, ease of cleaning, and because they don't transfer flavors or colors from one food to another.
Novelty pizza cutters may not be made of those same materials, because they are also made to be fun and playful, and designed for enjoyment as well as for use.