Cheese Gear Shopping Guide | The Cheese Professor

The only thing a cheese devotee loves more than shopping for their favorite wedges is shopping for the perfect gear to prep, serve, and store their stash. Whether you’re on a budget or looking to splurge, we’ve gathered a collection of our favorite fromage hardware. Here are some of our favorite wares for living your best cheese life.

Cheese Knives and Utensils

A great cheese plate isn’t complete without a knife or three. There are all kinds of options—sharp, pointed blades to cut and chunk hard cheeses, thin-bladed knives designed for serving soft cheeses like Brie with a minimum of mess, and blunt, round-bladed spreaders for schmearing cultured butter—but all you really need is something sharp, sturdy, and appropriately sized.

You can almost certainly cut cheese just fine with a utensil that’s already in your arsenal—but for specialized equipment, a versatile, entry-level option is French knife maker Opinel’s cheese set ($45). It includes an easy-to-handle blade that can cut a wedge of aged Comte or spread chevre on a hunk of baguette, plus a petite two-tine fork, ideal for fishing out the last of the cornichons from the jar.

We also love this three-piece Anthropologie set of simple, streamlined cheese servers ($24). There’s just something about gold-toned utensils that makes a cheese board look warm, inviting, and extra special.

Cheese Boards

Every dedicated cheese lover should have a wooden serving board that’s only used for cheese.

A beautiful wood-grain background gives your wedges and accompaniments an elegant rusticity. Plus, the wood won’t dull your knives the way cutting directly on a plate can.

Your just-for-cheese board can be as simple and affordable as one of this trio of Core Bamboo boards ($19.99). Use the small one for a midday work-from-home desk lunch, the middle one for date night in, and the big one to hold a festive spread at your next party.

You can also invest in a real showpiece, like these gorgeous hand-carved handled boards (starting at $90) from Pennsylvania-based Artifaqt Design, which produces sleek servingware for the likes of Le Bernardin and Jean-Georges. Owner John Luttman sculpts wood like walnut, cherry, and oak from local mills into cheese boards that radiate richness, character and longevity. They’re so beautiful that you’ll want to hang them on your wall when you’re not adorning them with your favorite cheeses.

Cheese Graters

Oxo Softworks Multigrater photo courtesy of OXO

Whether you’re grating cheddar for mac ‘n’ cheese or shaving Parmigiano-Reggiano atop a bowl of homemade gnocchi, no tool preps cheese for even melting quite like a cheese grater.

The box grater is a classic, but a foldable two-sided model like the OXO Softworks Multi-grater ($12.99) gets the job done, comes apart for easy cleaning, and takes up way less space in your kitchen. Plus, you can use it upright on a cutting board or detach one side and lay it across the top of a bowl to grate with minimal mess.

For the hardest cheeses, a Microplane ($14.99)—the industry standard of zesting blades—is a must. Thinner shavings mean more surface area, which means more savory umami goodness all over whatever you’re about to eat.

Cheese Storage

Your best and most economical bet for keeping cheese fresh in the fridge is rewrapping the remainder of your wedge in the cheese paper your friendly monger packaged it in. But just in case that wrapper makes its way to the trash prematurely, it’s a good idea to have some fresh cheese paper of your own on hand.

The folks at Formaticum make adorably patterned precut cheese paper ($9) that will keep your cheese tasting fresh and lively three times longer than using plastic wrap. That’s because cheese paper—actually layers of paper and perforated plastic fused together—keeps cheese moist while allowing it to breathe.

For even easier repackaging, pick up a pack of their cheese storage bags ($9), no expert folding required. While you’re eating all that cheese, don’t forget to record your findings in your Cheese Log ($5). Each page is pre-printed with a flavor wheel so that jotting down tasting notes is quick and easy. am

But if you’re ready to go waste-free and keep your cheese in tip-top shape, consider the Cheese Grotto. This mini cheese cave creates the humid environment of the real thing and can go from fridge to countertop depending on your needs. You can even use it to age cheeses like goat crottins and bloomy rind wheels—or your own homemade creations—right at home. Plus, there are four different models, so everyone from the occasional nibbler to seasoned connoisseur can find the right fit for their favorite wheels.

Fondue and Raclette Sets

What’s more exciting than cheese? Melted cheese, and lots of it. The Swiss traditions of fondue and raclette are dinner party go-tos not just because they’re so delicious, but also because they’re meant for a crowd to gather around.

Forget the avocado green of fondue’s 1970s American heyday—we want to build a tablescape around this cherry-red enameled cast iron set ($39.95) from Crate & Barrel. Simply melt a blend of Alpine cheeses (or your favorite chocolate) in the pot on the stove, then transfer it to the burner to keep it smooth and dippable.

To serve raclette for a crowd—melting funky, beefy Raclette cheese before pouring it atop roasted potatoes, crusty bread, or just about anything—we love this eight-person party grill ($79) from Swiss maker Boska. Everyone gets their own non-stick paddle to load up with slices of cheese throughout the evening, meaning the host (that’s you) gets to relax with your guests rather than fuss around in the kitchen.

Barbeclette photo credit Bosko.jpg — Barbeclette photo credit Boska

Too hot out for melted cheese? Don’t worry—the Barbeclette ($13.95), a Boska gadget designed to take the raclette experience from winter wonderland to backyard cookout, is the pint-sized, ready-for-the-grill summertime version. Melt, eat, repeat.