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Hello to all,

I have been in the pre cheese making phase for a few days now and I have been searching the forum for ideas and tips. I've found so many tips and ideas but I'm still a little confused on what equiptment to buy. I'd like to start making soft cheeses as I've been recommended by many to go this way. Before I start what equiptment do you recommend I purchase?I want to buy the right equiptment dedicated to making cheese. Currently, in my list I have:

Curd knife
Stainless Steel Ladle
Star san sanitizer
Muslin
Cheese cloth
Thermometer
Wisk
Stainless steel pot

As far as specifics on certain items I am lost. Can anyone point me in the right direction.

Many thanks,
Ernesto

Ernesto, the differences in suggestions reflect 1) individual preferences and 2) differences in workflow

To make soft cheese you need to think about the workflow you want to follow based on your recipes. This typically includes:

1) A container to hold the milk
2) A way to measure temperature, so thermometer
3) A way to measure out your culture, so a teaspoon or micro scale
4) a way to stir the milk, so a ladle or spoon or similar
5) A way to cut or scoop curds, depending on recipe. So knife or whisk, and ladle
6) Then some way to drain the curd, so a bag/muslin or cheese molds
7) some way to store/age, depending on cheese

And of course for your sanitation schedule, a way to both clean (detergent), and to sanitize (star san, or other). Figure out what you want based on the cheeses, and then what tools you want to use. There are people who use their hands to cut and stir, making a knife and ladle unnecessary, so it depends on what you want to do and your preferences.

Thanks Linuxboy,

I eventually want to get into the harder cheeses but as of right now I want to focus on getting my fundimentals down (even though I want start making everything all at once).  Thanks again

Yep, then upgrade later to what additional gear you need

BTW, this is exactly how we do it in industry. We define manufacture workflow, write a HACCP plan around it, identify cleaning and milk/product workflows as they relate to equipment, and then have cleaning procedures for the equipment. So doing equipment lists based on workflow even for home use makes a great deal of sense.