The Beginners Guide to Cheesemaking

HOME-FASHIONED CHEESE FORMS For the cost-conscious or the intrepid (or perhaps you are a bit of both, like me), try making your own forms. Take a look at food-grade heavier-weight plastic containers that you might normally recycle, such as commercial yogurt containers. Six-ounce containers are ideal for small-format cheeses, such as Soft-Ripened Goat Cheese (here), whereas 17-ounce containers are perfect for Cow’s Milk and Goat’s Milk Feta (here and here) and small tomme cheeses (here).

Sterilize your container and poke holes in it. Now you have a cheese form! Seek out containers of different sizes and shapes and have fun.

COMMERCIAL CHEESE FORMS If you tend to shy away from MacGyvering stuff, you’ll be happy to know that we live in a glorious age for those interested in buying commercial cheese forms. See the Resources for Cheesemaking Supplies (here) for some recommendations. When ordering, be sure to have a tape measure on hand so that you can envision exactly what it is you’re ordering.

FOLLOWERS When making hard, aged cheeses, you’ll need to have a couple of followers to go with your larger forms. A