WEBSITES

New England Cheesemaking Supply
Vanguards in the home cheesemaking movement, Ricki Carroll’s site is a first stop for anyone hoping to dive into cheesemaking. Well stocked and always happy to answer questions and offer advice. 

Dairy Connection
Located in Madison, WI, Dairy Connection offers a good variety of cheesemaking gear and cultures, including draining mats that you can buy by the linear foot and cut to size as needed. 

Glenngarry Cheesemaking and Dairy Supply Ltd.
Glenngarry is located in Canada, but when you order from the U.S. they ship from a New York facility, so you won’t have to pay international shipping charges. They currently only offer mail-order, but online shop is in the works. 

CheeseForum.org
A great online forum and community for cheesemakers, with discussion threads on pretty much every topic imaginable. 

American Cheese Society
The foremost American organization dedicated to providing “…the cheese community with educational resources and networking opportunities, while encouraging the highest standards of cheesemaking focused on safety and sustainability.” Also, the hosts of the annual ACS Conference, which will be in Raleigh in 2012. 

Culture Magazine
America’s top cheese magazine and a must-read for the dedicated turophile. Subscribe for four issues a year.

BOOKS & DVDs

Home Cheese Making
by Ricki Carroll 
Required reading for any beginning cheesemaker. Clear, concise recipes, designed for the home setting. 

Artisan Cheesemaking at Home
by Mary Karlin
A beautifully designed, nicely laid out cookbook with gorgeous photography, and an extensive collection of recipes organized by difficulty from the easiest cheeses (quesos, ricottas, paneers etc) to the most challenging cheeses (blues, washed rinds, etc). 

American Farmstead Cheese: The complete guide to making and selling Artisan cheese
by Dr. Paul Kindstedt
A comprehensive overview of the history, science, business and art of cheesemaking, covering every facet of the cheesemaking process from milk to point of sale (and beyond). Includes chapters written by Allison Hooper, Peter Dixon and others. 

The Farmstead Creamery Advisor
 by Gianaclis Caldwell
A nuts and bolts guide to the intricacies and challenges of starting your own creamery. This is for when you actually decide to move to the country and get those goats you’ve been dreaming of.

Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods
by Frank Kosikowski
 This two-volume set is the “bible” of cheesemaking for many. Kosikowski was the founder of the American Cheese Society and these textbooks, while often over my head scientifically and intended for the large-scale cheesemaking operation it nonetheless makes for fascinating reading and a good window into the American cheese industry. 

Mastering Cheese
by Max McCalman
If you want to become a cheese connoisseur, this book is required reading. From the man behind Artisanal and all around cheese whisperer, Max McCalman. 

Cheese: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best
by Max McCalman
Also by McCalman, this book is an excellent roadmap for exploring the world of cheese. Much of what is covered in this book is included in Mastering Cheese, so if you buy the former you won’t need the latter, except for the chapters in which specific cheeses are reviewed. 

The Cheese Primer
by Steve Jenkins
The first cheese book I ever bought, and the doorway for many a newcomer to the cheese world. This is a comprehensive, accessible and humorous look at the world’s cheeses from the man behind the Fairway cheese counter.

Italian Cheese: A Guide To Its Discovery and Appreciation
by Gigi Piumatti, Angelo Surrusca, Piero Sardo
Slow Food Editore released this comprehensive guide to Italian name-protected cheeses. 

Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge
by Gordon Edgar
 Probably the funniest book you’ll ever read about one man’s unusual path to entry into the world of cheese, Edgar is a natural storyteller.

Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and its place in Western Civilization
by Dr. Paul Kindstedt
From the first milk curdlers to the Puritan cheddar makers of New England and beyond, this book covers the history of cheese and its role in human society from the Neolithic to the present day. 

The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide
by Paula Lambert
Over 150 recipes, with instruction on how to buy, store, and serve all your favorite cheeses.

Cheese Slices
by Will Studd
The DVD version of the the Australian TV show, Studd travels the world visiting the world’s most famous cheeses at the source. 

EDUCATION

Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese
The nation’s “first and only comprehensive center devoted to artisan cheese”, offering Cheesemaker Certification and Advanced Cheesemaker Certification. I’ve taken the 4-day Essential Principles and Practices class and am working towards my Certification.