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Cheese Making Kettles and Tools

You will need a stainless steel (preferred) or enamel lined pot with a capacity of at least sixteen quarts for recipes using three gallons of milk. A twenty quart stock pot is better and will be required when making a four gallon batch of cheese. Your pot will need a fitted lid but it is not necessary for it to seal tightly.

Stock pots with heavy clad bottoms are designed to evenly diffuse heat and avoid burning. These are excellent for cooking but the additional mass in the bottoms also retains heat for a longer period of time. This increases the time it will take for milk or curds to both heat and, more importantly, cool.

Utensils and Kitchen Tools Used to Make Cheese

In taking inventory of your kitchen utensils measure everything against your cheese pot. You must be able to reach the bottom of the kettle without getting your hand into the liquid. If you can avoid getting wet while placing the utensil crosswise in the kettle (bottom left to upper right), all the better. Whenever possible, avoid utensils with wooden handles. This rules out all wooden spoons.

Stainless Kettle 20 qt. $48.95
Stainless Kettle 30 qt. $88.95

Mesh Strainer 8 in. $13.95
18/10 Stainless Steel This handled mesh strainer is the perfect size for extracting warm curds from your cheese kettle. It is constructed on all stain steel and can safely sit atop a kettle up to 14 inches in diameter.

Canner Kettle 11 qt. $24.95
Canner Kettle 21 qt. $29.95
Canner Kettle 33 qt. $39.95
Canning Kettles are black porcelain on steel. The canning racks holds 7 jars.

Refrigerator Thermostat $69.95

This thermostat is easy to install to household refrigerators or frost free freezers. It plugs into the wall outlet and the refrigerator plugs into the unit. The control probe is slipped inside the refrigerator on the hinged side of the door so there is no need to poke holes in the refrigerator. It allows you to have complete control over a temperature range of 30 to 80 degrees F. UL Approved, commercial grade.

Curd Knife 12 in. $3.95
twelve inch blade with 4 inch handle This professional quality curd knife has a full twelve inch long stainless steel blade and a 4 inch nylon handle. It is dishwasher safe. See: How To Cut Curd for instructions and video on using a curd knife.