To make even the most basic cheeses, you will need:
Two stainless steel pots. The smaller should hold 2 gallons of liquid with some room to spare and should nest inside the larger pot. You will create a “double boiler” with these two pots. Some cheeses can be made directly on the flame, but most require an indirect and slow method for heating milk and maintaining it at a given temperature.
A dairy thermometer. I like the ones that clip onto the side of the pot and have a large analog readout.
A large stainless steel slotted spoon. You’ll use this for stirring culture and rennet into the warm milk and for stirring curds later in the process.
A large stainless steel collandar for draining curds.
Real cheesecloth or butter muslin. Don’t use the stuff from the grocery store, it is too thin and fragile. Good cheesecloth has a tight weave and can be used over and again if you clean and sterilize it properly.
Molds to hold and form the cheese and you might need a cheese press if you plan to make hard cheese. You can improvise a cheese press with some ease, but if you plan to make a lot of cheese—get a good press. Again, stainless steel is your best bet.
Over time you will accumulate other goodies, but this will get you started. I recommend stainless steel because it is easy to clean and sterilize before and after use. Just be sure to wash any milk off with cold water before subjecting the stainless steel to hot water—this seems to prevent a milky film from forming. I sterilize by boiling my utensiles for several minutes in one of my large pots.
You may find that you need some “mats” to dry cheeses on—wicker paper plate holders work well. And, you may also eventually need a small refrigerator to hold your cheeses at specific temperatures and humidities. I keep a small “dorm room” refrigerator at 55
