The Warner-Bratzler Test was developed in 1932 by L.J. Bratzler in his master's thesis at the Kansas State University, Manhattan, and has been in use since the 1950s. The test gives information about the softness/toughness of meat and fish products as well as of baked goods. The cutter simulates the edges of teeth during biting. Thanks to the good reproducibility of the results, this test is used very often and is considered a type of standard.

The Warner-Bratzler test device consists of a slit plate on which round or rectangular specimens are placed, and additional blades. The blades (straight blade for rectangular specimens or notched blade for round specimens) have a thickness of 3 mm. The specimens are placed on the base plate and the cutter drives down at a constant speed, cutting the specimen. The force-path or force-time curve is the result. The shear characteristic can be determined from this test curve.