This is a small site about cheese making. Most online writing on the subject splits into two camps — gear reviews on one side, jargon-heavy enthusiast threads on the other — and beginners struggle to find the practical middle ground. The aim here is the opposite: notes that came out of years of making the boring parts of cheese making.
If you are completely new, start with fresh cheeses — that is the foundation that makes the rest easier to learn. Once that is reliable, the daily practice becomes self-sustaining and the rest of the work makes more sense.
Rennet Basics
Rennet Basics divides cheese making hobbyists into two groups: those who think it is the most important part, and those who hardly think about it at all. Both can be right. rennet basics matters more in some styles of cheese making than others, and figuring out which camp you should be in is itself a useful exercise.
If you are unsure: spend two or three sessions explicitly focused on rennet basics — pay attention, take notes, try small variations. If those sessions feel revealing and produce noticeable improvement, rennet basics is probably one of your high-leverage areas. If they feel mostly redundant, you are likely in the camp that should focus elsewhere. Either answer is fine.
Ageing
Ageing divides cheese making hobbyists into two groups: those who think it is the most important part, and those who hardly think about it at all. Both can be right. ageing matters more in some styles of cheese making than others, and figuring out which camp you should be in is itself a useful exercise.
If you are unsure: spend two or three sessions explicitly focused on ageing — pay attention, take notes, try small variations. If those sessions feel revealing and produce noticeable improvement, ageing is probably one of your high-leverage areas. If they feel mostly redundant, you are likely in the camp that should focus elsewhere. Either answer is fine.
Rennet Basics
The most common question newcomers ask about rennet basics is some version of "am I doing this right?" The honest answer is usually "close enough, keep going." Rennet Basics is not a binary skill. There are better and worse approaches, and there are catastrophic mistakes you should avoid, but inside that range any reasonable method that you stick with consistently will improve your cheese making steadily.
If you want concrete reassurance: work on rennet basics for a month, then look at your results from week one alongside week four. The improvement is almost always visible. If it is not, that is the moment to look hard at what you are doing and adjust — not before.
Mould Rinds
If there is one place where new cheese making hobbyists overspend, it is on equipment for mould rinds. The marketing makes it sound as though the right gear is the difference between failure and success. In practice, the cheapest competent option for mould rinds is good enough for the first year, and most of the improvement in that year comes from the person rather than the kit.
That said, mould rinds is also a place where one mid-priced upgrade can transform the experience after the basics are in. Beginners often save in the wrong place and spend in the wrong place. The simple rule: get the cheapest decent version while you are learning, and upgrade only when you can name the specific limitation you are running into.
Milk Choice
The most common question newcomers ask about milk choice is some version of "am I doing this right?" The honest answer is usually "close enough, keep going." Milk Choice is not a binary skill. There are better and worse approaches, and there are catastrophic mistakes you should avoid, but inside that range any reasonable method that you stick with consistently will improve your cheese making steadily.
If you want concrete reassurance: work on milk choice for a month, then look at your results from week one alongside week four. The improvement is almost always visible. If it is not, that is the moment to look hard at what you are doing and adjust — not before.
A final note. The aim of cheese making is not to look like someone who does cheese making. It is to enjoy the doing — the slow build of competence, the small surprises, the days when something just works. Keep the gear modest, keep the schedule sustainable, and pay attention to pressing. Most of what is good about the hobby will arrive on its own.