6 Best Cheese Making Supplies For Homesteaders for Beginners

There’s a unique satisfaction that comes from looking at a gallon of fresh milk and knowing you can turn it into a block of cheddar or a creamy chevre. But that satisfaction can quickly turn to frustration when your curds won’t set or your cheese tastes "off." Having the right tools from the very beginning is the single biggest factor in turning that ambition into a delicious reality.

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Standing Stone Farms Kit: Best All-in-One Start

A cheesemaking kit is your shortcut past the initial overwhelm. Instead of hunting down five different ingredients from three different suppliers, a kit like the one from Standing Stone Farms puts everything you need for basic cheeses—like mozzarella, ricotta, and chevre—in one box. You get pre-measured rennet, citric acid, cheese salt, a thermometer, and cheesecloth.

Think of it less as a long-term investment and more as a guided lesson. The thermometer might not be the fastest and you’ll eventually want better cheesecloth, but that’s not the point. The point is to follow a proven recipe with proven ingredients and get a successful result on your first or second try.

That initial success is what builds the confidence to continue. Once you understand the rhythm of heating milk, adding culture, cutting the curd, and draining the whey, you’ll know exactly which components you want to upgrade. The kit gets you over the first, and highest, hurdle.

ThermoPro TP19H: Essential Temperature Accuracy

Cheesemaking is all about temperature control. A few degrees too hot and you can kill your cultures; a few degrees too cool and your rennet won’t set the curd properly. This isn’t a place for guesswork.

An instant-read digital thermometer is a non-negotiable tool, and models like the ThermoPro TP19H are perfect for the job. They give you a precise reading in two to three seconds. This speed is critical when you’re trying to hit a target like 90°F without overshooting it, something that happens all too easily while you wait for a slow dial thermometer to catch up.

For a busy homesteader, this efficiency is everything. You don’t have time to hover over a pot for ten minutes. A quick, accurate temperature check lets you make an adjustment and move on to another task, confident that your milk is exactly where it needs to be.

Fromase 50 Rennet: For a Consistent Curd Set

Rennet is the magic ingredient that coagulates milk, turning it from a liquid into the solid curds that form your cheese. While you can find rennet tablets in the grocery store, a quality liquid rennet like Fromase 50 offers far more consistency and control.

This is a microbial rennet, meaning it’s vegetarian and produces a very clean, reliable curd set. Consistency is your best friend when you’re learning. If your cheese fails, you want to be able to rule out the rennet as the cause, and a high-quality product allows you to do that. It helps you focus on other variables, like temperature or culture.

A small bottle is surprisingly economical and will last you for dozens of batches of cheese. It removes one of the biggest points of failure for beginners and ensures that when you do everything else right, your milk will transform exactly as it should.

Ply-Mar Grade 90 Cheesecloth: For Clean Draining

Forget the flimsy, gauze-like cheesecloth you find in the supermarket baking aisle. That stuff is so porous you’ll lose a significant amount of your precious curd right through the holes, which is incredibly disheartening after all your work. You need something with a much tighter weave.

Grade 90 cheesecloth is the standard for a reason. The number refers to the threads per inch, and this high count creates a fine mesh that effectively separates the solid curd from the liquid whey. It allows for a clean drain without losing the good stuff. Plus, it’s made from 100% unbleached cotton, so it won’t impart any unwanted flavors.

This isn’t a single-use product. A good piece of cheesecloth can be washed, sanitized, and reused for years, making it a sustainable and cost-effective tool. It’s a small upgrade that makes a massive difference in your final yield and the texture of your cheese.

Cultures for Health Meso II: Flavor Foundation

If rennet provides the structure, cultures provide the soul of the cheese. These are specific strains of beneficial bacteria that acidify the milk and create the complex flavors that distinguish a cheddar from a gouda. Starting with a versatile and reliable culture is key.

A direct-set mesophilic culture, like the Meso II blend from Cultures for Health, is an ideal starting point. "Mesophilic" simply means it works at moderate temperatures (under 102°F), making it suitable for a huge range of popular cheeses like chevre, feta, and cheddar. "Direct-set" means you just sprinkle the freeze-dried powder directly into the milk—no need to maintain a separate mother culture.

This single packet is your foundation for experimentation. It removes the complexity of managing multiple specific cultures while still giving you the power to create authentic flavor. It lets you focus on mastering your technique before you start diving into the nuances of different bacterial strains.

San Francisco Salt Co. Salt: For Pure Flavoring

Not all salt is created equal, and the wrong kind can ruin your cheese. Standard table salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents that can interfere with your culture’s development and lend a bitter, chemical taste to the final product.

You need a pure, non-iodized salt. Look for cheese salt, pure sea salt, or kosher salt, as long as the ingredients list just one thing: salt. Brands like San Francisco Salt Co. offer high-purity salts that are perfect for cheesemaking.

Salt does more than just add flavor. It plays a crucial role in drawing moisture from the curd, slowing down bacterial activity for aging, and helping to form a protective rind on hard cheeses. Using a pure salt ensures it can do its job without introducing any unwanted variables.

Mad Millie Hard Cheese Press: Your Next Step Up

Once you’ve mastered fresh, soft cheeses, the world of aged, hard cheeses awaits. To get there, you need a way to press the remaining whey out of the curds and consolidate them into a dense wheel for aging. This is where a cheese press comes in.

While you can rig up a DIY system with boards and weights, it’s often difficult to apply consistent, even pressure. A purpose-built press like the Mad Millie Hard Cheese Press is designed to do exactly that. It allows you to apply specific, measurable amounts of pressure, which is essential for achieving the correct texture and moisture content for cheeses like cheddar or parmesan.

This isn’t a day-one purchase, but it’s the most important piece of equipment for leveling up your craft. It’s the tool that turns your cheesemaking from a fun kitchen project into a serious method of long-term food preservation for your homestead.

Star San Sanitizer: Ensuring a Safe, Clean Make

The most important ingredient in any cheese is one you can’t see: cleanliness. Cheesemaking is a process of controlled fermentation, where you’re encouraging good bacteria to flourish. If your equipment harbors unwanted wild yeasts or bacteria, you risk off-flavors, failed batches, or even unsafe food.

Star San is the gold standard for home food and beverage crafters for a reason. It’s a food-grade, no-rinse acid sanitizer that effectively kills contaminants on contact. You simply mix a small amount in a spray bottle with water, spritz all your equipment—pots, spoons, cheesecloth, molds—and let it air dry.

This is far more effective and efficient than trying to boil everything or using bleach, which requires careful rinsing that can reintroduce contaminants. Starting with properly sanitized gear eliminates the single most common cause of failure for beginners. It ensures that the only things growing in your milk are the ones you put there on purpose.

Getting started in cheesemaking isn’t about buying the most expensive gear; it’s about investing in the right tools to eliminate variables and guarantee early success. Master the basics with reliable supplies, and you’ll soon be pulling your very own aged cheeses from the cellar, a truly rewarding milestone for any homesteader.