Have you ever wanted to start a new hobby and immediately felt like you needed a cart full of specialized supplies before you could even begin?
Same.
That can go two ways. You can dive in, spend a ton of money, and later realize you did not need half of what you bought. Or you can decide the hobby is too expensive, too complicated, or too “for people with basements and barns,” so you never try it at all.
Cheesemaking can definitely look that way from the outside.
Blocks of wax, giant molds, presses, vacuum sealers, pH meters, aging mats, and even an extra fridge can start to sound necessary, depending on who you listen to.
But here’s the scoop from someone who has been making cheese for nearly two decades and wrote One-Hour Cheese: you probably already have most of what you need to make your first cheeses at home.
Before you buy a bunch of new cheesemaking gear, shop your kitchen first!
The Good News: Beginner Cheesemaking Does Not Require Fancy Equipment
For beginner cheeses, especially small-batch cheeses made with about one gallon of milk or less, the equipment list is much shorter than most people think.
You do not need a five-gallon vat, a press, wax, pH meter, or vacuum sealer or a cheese cave to begin.
You need a few clean, practical kitchen tools that help you do three basic things:
- Heat milk gently.
- Measure temperature accurately.
- Drain curds from whey.
That’s it. That is the starting point.
Later, if you fall in love with cheesemaking and want to make aged wheels, pressed cheeses, or more advanced styles, you can add more tools as you go. By then, those tools will make sense because you’ll know why you want them.
For now, let’s keep this simple. If you would like to see what I mean, here is a video walk-through of what I detail below.
Basic Equipment Video
1. A Good Pot
A good pot is one of the most important tools in home cheesemaking because milk can scorch easily.
For most beginner recipes, a 5-quart or larger pot works well for one gallon of milk. Stainless steel, enamel-coated, or glass pots are great choices. A thicker base is helpful because it heats more evenly and reduces the chance of milk sticking or burning on the bottom.
Avoid thin aluminum or old-fashioned cast iron for cheesemaking. The acids used in many beginner cheeses can react with those metals and may affect the flavor.
What to use:
A stainless steel stockpot, enamel-coated pot, or heavy-bottomed soup pot.
What to skip for now:
Huge vats, specialty cheesemaking kettles, and anything so large it makes one gallon of milk look lonely.
2. A Thermometer
A thermometer is one of the few tools I do recommend for beginners.
Yes, experienced cheesemakers can learn to “read the milk” by watching, smelling, listening, and feeling. That is a real skill. But when you are new, a thermometer gives you confidence and one less thing that can go sideways.
Cheesemaking often depends on heating milk to a specific range. If the milk is too cool, the curds may not form as expected. If it gets too hot, the texture can change.
You do not need anything fancy. A basic metal probe thermometer, meat thermometer, digital thermometer, or food-safe glass dairy thermometer can work.
Look for one that measures the range used in cheesemaking, roughly 80°F to 200°F.
It should measure temp in increments of 1-2 degrees. Big jumps like 5 and 10 degrees are not precise enough for cheesemaking.
I avoid infrared thermometers for milk because foam and surface readings can be misleading. But I see other cheesemakers use them so, perhaps they vary in quality? If you have one already, test it for yourself.
What to use:
A simple digital probe thermometer or metal probe thermometer.
What to skip for now:
Expensive gadgets, alarms, and infrared thermometers.
3. Tight-Mesh Cheesecloth or Butter Muslin
This is one place where the right material really does matter but it’s more about the fabric quality than it being specifically called cheesecloth.
The loose, gauzy “mummy wrap” cheesecloth from many grocery stores is often too open for cheesemaking. Your precious curds can slip right through the holes, which is tragic and also very annoying. It is also not washable so a waste of money.
For beginner cheesemaking, look for butter muslin or Grade 90#-120# cotton cheesecloth. It has a much tighter weave and is designed to hold the curds while allowing the whey to drain. There is also a synthetic version commercial cheesemakers tend to use. That’s ok too.
Shop at home alternatives are a very clean, boiled, lint-free cotton hankerchief, tea towel or fabric scrap can work in a pinch. Nut milk bags usually have seams and are narrow at the top which makes them annoying but, in a pinch they can work too.
What to use:
Butter muslin, Grade 90-120# cheesecloth, or a very clean lint-free fabric that safely drapes over your colander. These can all be washed, sanitized and re-used.
What to skip forever:
Loose, disposable, grocery-store cheesecloth with giant holes. If you bought it accidentally, use 6-8 layers of it so you don’t lose your curds.
4. A Colander or Mesh Strainer
Once your milk becomes curds and whey, you need a way to separate them.
A large colander, mesh sieve, or strainer works beautifully. The size you use for washing vegetables is often just fine for a one-gallon batch.
You can place the lined colander in the sink or set it over a large bowl if you want to save the whey.
And I do recommend saving the whey. Strain it well and freeze it for later if that helps right now. Why keep it? It just tastes like low fat milk (sometimes tangy depending on what cheese you made) and gives you whey protein to add to smoothies, soups, bread, pancakes, animal treats, and more. But if you are overwhelmed, it is also okay to let it go. One thing at a time.
What to use:
A large colander, mesh strainer, or sieve. If it is not plastic, even better because whey can be very hot.
What to skip for now:
Special colander or strainers specifically for cheesemaking. Use the one you have to start even if it’s plastic.
5. A Large Bowl for Catching Whey and Pressing
A large bowl is not glamorous, but it is very useful.
If you want to collect the whey, place a bowl under your cheesecloth-lined colander. Make sure it is deep enough that the curds are not sitting in the whey as they drain.
You may also use bowls for pressing, mixing, stretching curd, cool water baths and salt brines.
What to use:
A large mixing bowl, stainless steel bowl, glass bowl, or heat-safe bowl.
What to skip for now:
More bowls. Start with the ones you have. You can even use other pots instead.
6. Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons
Beginner cheesemaking is part cooking, part kitchen science, and part delicious magic trick. Measuring helps.
You will use measuring cups and spoons for ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, citric acid, salt, water, or rennet solution, depending on the recipe.
They do not have to be fancy. Use what you already have.
What to use:
Standard measuring cups and spoons.
What to skip for now:
Precision scales unless you are following recipes that require weight measurements.
7. A Spoon or Ladle and a Knife
You’ll need something for stirring milk, mixing ingredients, and sometimes gently cutting or moving curds.
A large spoon, ladle, slotted spoon, and a large knife are all useful. Stainless steel is easy to clean. For spoons wood, bamboo, or plastic can work if they are very clean.
Sometimes you stir. Sometimes you scoop. Sometimes you gently slice curd. One large spoon and one long knife can do all that.
What to use:
Large spoon, slotted spoon, ladle, and a knife that reaches all the way to the bottom of your pot.
What to skip for now:
Special curd cutting "knives" and large cheesemaking skimmers.
8. A Mold (or Form), or Something That Can Act Like One
Professional cheese molds are nice (we're talking about a wheel form, not mold as an ingredient). I use cute wheel forms. I sell them in my Deluxe Cheese Kit. I like them.
But when you are just starting, you can often use food-safe items you already have.
Think small bowls, ramekins, measuring cups, yogurt cups, cupcake tins, loaf pans, or even biscuit cutters, depending on the cheese and the shape you want. Some cheeses do not need a mold at all. They can be spooned into a bowl, rolled into balls, shaped in cloth, or served soft and spreadable.
Once you start making cheese, you will begin looking at everything in your kitchen and thinking, “Could that become a cheese shape?”
Bunny shaped mozzarella? Yep. That is normal now.
What to use:
Food-safe containers, ramekins, small bowls, measuring cups, or small basket cheese molds that come in your cheese kit.
What to skip for now:
A whole collection of large cheese wheel molds before you know what cheeses you like making. They are spendy, meant for using with presses and often too large for one-gallon sized batches.
9. Clean Hands, or Gloves If You Prefer
Your clean hands are one of your best cheesemaking tools.
You’ll use them to gather cheesecloth, press out whey, crumble curds, shape cheese, stretch curd, and feel texture changes. That hands-on part is one of the joys of making cheese at home. It is relaxing in the same way that gardening can be.
Gloves are optional, but they can be helpful if you are working with hot curd or hot whey, or if you simply prefer them for sensory reasons. I have a pair of dishwashing gloves with flocking inside that work great for stretching curd. You can also use two spoons for something like folding very hot mozzarella curd over itself.
What to use:
Very clean hands, gloves or extra spoons for hot curd.
What to skip for now:
Extra thick, heat-resistant gloves meant for grilling meat. They are too thick.
10. A Beginner Cheese Kit, If You Want the Missing Pieces Gathered for You
You can absolutely start by shopping your kitchen first.
But if you would rather not hunt down the few cheesemaking-specific supplies, a beginner cheese kit can make the first step easier. A good cheese kit gives you the items that are harder to improvise, such as tight-mesh cheesecloth and a thermometer but it also includes rennet, citric acid and simple molds.
That way, you can focus on making the cheese instead of wondering whether you bought the right thing. In fact, this is exactly what inspired me to create my first kits back in 2009!
What You Do Not Need Yet
Let’s name the things you can skip at the beginning:
- Cheese press
- Wax
- Vacuum sealer
- pH meter
- Aging fridge
- Large vats
- Large molds
- Skimmer
- Curd Cutter
These tools can be useful later. They are not bad. They are just not the starting line.
The starting line is milk, one hour, and a few basic tools you already have.
A Simple Beginner Cheesemaking Equipment Checklist
Here is the short version.
To make many beginner cheeses at home, gather:
- A good pot
- A thermometer
- Tight-mesh cheesecloth or other lint-free cloth
- A colander or mesh strainer
- A large bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A spoon, slotted spoon or ladle
- A knife
- A ramekin or other food-safe shaping container
- Clean hands or gloves
That is enough to make many many cheeses. In fact, all of the cheeses in my book, One Hour Cheese.
Not forever. Not for every cheese in the world. But enough to start making real cheese in your kitchen now.
Start Simple, Make Cheese Anyway
The biggest mistake beginners make is thinking they need to become a fully equipped cheesemaker before they make cheese.
You do not. You become a cheesemaker by making cheese.
Start with what you have. Add what you need. Skip what does not fit your kitchen, your budget, or your real life.
Cheesemaking is an old-world skill. Not much was ever needed. Your practice can be equally minimalist in its modern, flexible, and small-batch version. You can make beautiful cheese with the basics.
Shop your kitchen first. Use what you have. Make cheese anyway, you rebel.
Ready to Make Your First Cheese?
If you've never made any cheese ever, here is a free beginning cheesemaking class for you. It is for fresh farmers cheese and doesn't need any special ingredients or equipment.
If you've made that already and want to move on to mozzarella, burrata and other great cheeses you can make in under an hour, the easiest way to gather the few supplies you may not already have is to start with our Deluxe Cheese Kit. It has everything you need but the milk.
And if you want ongoing guidance, simple monthly cheese projects, live classes, replays, troubleshooting support, and a friendly community, join us in Cheesecraft Club.
More Reading:
Can You Make Cheese with Grocery Store Milk?
Cheese Cultures Explained for Beginners