Cheese Tools & Accessories

The Well-Equipped Cheese Lover

Great cheese doesn't require much equipment, but the right tools make a genuine difference — to presentation, storage, and the pleasure of eating. Here is the curds.uk guide to cheese equipment, from essentials to luxuries.

The Essentials

Every cheese lover needs exactly three things beyond a knife and a board: proper wrapping paper, a grater that works, and a reliable knife that doesn't crush crumbly cheeses. Everything else is a considered upgrade.

Cheese Knives

The standard kitchen knife is not designed for cheese. Hard cheeses stick to wide flat blades. Crumbly cheeses shatter under the wrong pressure. Soft cheeses drag and compress. Dedicated cheese knives solve all of this.

The Essential Types

Hard Cheese Knife (flat chisel or spade)

For Cheddar, Red Leicester, Gouda-styles. A wide, heavy blade applies firm, even pressure without cracking or splitting.

Wire Cutter or Bow Knife

The only proper tool for crumbly cheeses (Lancashire, Cheshire, Wensleydale) and blue cheeses (Stilton, Stichelton). The wire passes through without crushing the delicate structure.

Soft Cheese Spreader

A broad, flexible palette-knife style blade for Brie, Camembert, Tunworth, and cream cheeses. Gentle and wide.

Pronged Knife

The fork-tipped knife used for picking up and transferring cut pieces. Doubles as a hard cheese slicer.

Cheese Graters

A good grater transforms cooking with cheese. Grating cold cheese directly from the fridge is far easier than room-temperature — the harder the cheese is when grated, the better it works.

Types

Box Grater — The kitchen workhorse. Multiple surfaces handle everything from fine Parmesan-style dusting to coarse Cheddar for toasties and gratins.

Rotary Grater — Elegant and fast. A drum with a rotating blade processes hard cheeses quickly and cleanly. Ideal for large quantities.

Microplane / Zester — For very fine grating of aged hard cheeses (cloth-bound Cheddar, Sparkenhoe Leicester). Creates a light, airy coating that melts instantly.

Electric Grater — For volume. Makes short work of a kilo of Cheddar with no wrist strain.

Cheese Storage

How you store cheese determines how long it stays good — and how well it continues to develop.

The Rule: No Cling Film

Cling film suffocates cheese. It traps moisture and CO₂, creating conditions for off-flavours and rapid deterioration. The alternative:

Specialist Cheese Paper / Wax Paper — Two-sided: the inside is waxy (preventing moisture loss), the outside is porous (allowing the cheese to breathe). Wrap, tape, and store in the vegetable drawer.

Beeswax Wraps — A sustainable and effective alternative. Warm between your hands to mould around the cheese.

Cheese Bags — Pre-cut bags in the right material for various cheese styles. Convenient for regular use.

Cheese Domes

A cheese dome is both practical and beautiful. For countertop storage and presentation, a glass or cloche dome keeps cheese at room temperature, protects it from drying and contamination, and makes a statement on the kitchen counter or dining table.

Glass domes — The classic. Let you see exactly what's inside. Elegant in the French tradition.

Ceramic cloches — Heavier and more rustic. Good for country-kitchen aesthetics.

Wooden base + glass dome combinations — The most common modern form. Practical for daily use.

Specialist Equipment

Raclette Grills

Raclette is the Swiss tradition of melting cheese directly under a grill and scraping it over potatoes, vegetables, and bread. A raclette grill is a seriously enjoyable dinner party appliance — set it up in the centre of the table and let guests help themselves.

Fondue Sets

A classic fondue pot — cast iron or enamelled steel — keeps melted cheese at the perfect temperature over a spirit burner. Fondue has never really gone out of fashion, and a good pot lasts decades.

Complete Starter Kit

If you're equipping a kitchen for cheese from scratch, the priorities in order:

1. Cheese wrapping paper (buy it; change your storage habits immediately)
2. A wire cutter (solves crumbly cheese problems instantly)
3. A proper hard cheese knife
4. A soft cheese spreader
5. A box grater with a fine-grating side
6. A wooden or slate board large enough for three to five cheeses

Good tools don't make a great cheese — the milk, the maker, and the aging do that. But good tools do make great cheese easier to enjoy.