You don’t need a lot of equipment to enjoy good cheese. But to get the most out of an outstanding variety, you could add a few things

Cheese Slicer with Grey Cap

Mozzarella Slicer
$25

After you make your own mozzarella, you’ll need a proper way to slice it. This gadget holds the mozzarella ball steady; with one easy press, you get 12 even slices.

beyond knives and planes and boards. Here are some items we think every budding cheese aficionado should have.

Italiani Cheese Knife Set by Coltellerie Berti

Italiani Cheese Knife Set by Coltellerie Berti
$1,242

Here’s a gift for the cheese fanatic. All knives from Italy’s Coltellerie Berti—with stainless steel blades and natural boxwood handles—are handmade using the same techniques employed when the company was founded in 1895. This set includes hard, semihard, soft, compact, trapezium, spatula, and bow knives.

Cheese Slicer with Grey Cap
$95

Place your cheese on the base of this slicer, turn the handle clockwise, and—voilà!—uniform slices every time. A Swiss-cheese looking cap means the slicer doubles as a storage container.

Mozzarella Slicer
Red Alessi Parmenide Grater

Red Alessi Parmenide Grater
$19.50

No one wants to waste good Parmigiano-Reggiano. Catch every sliver with this grater and its attached cellar, then pour the shredded cheese out through the small opening that acts like a shaker.

Iglu Cheese Board

Iglu Cheese Board and Stainless Steel Tray
$72 and $120, respectively

A great metal tray to serve cheeses with, and the domed lid of the cheese board will protect your bounty when entertaining outdoors.

Blomus and Profi Cheese Slicers
$29.50 and $19.90, respectively

Made of stainless steel, from its cutting wire to its platform, the Blomus keeps your cheese stable; you can even adjust the wire tension to suit hard or soft cheeses. If you need something smaller, Profi’s hand-held stainless steel slicer does the job just as well.

Bird Cheese Markers

Bird Cheese Markers
$48 for a set of four

These handmade markers are a cute addition to any cheese plate. The lead-free pewter-and-stainless-steel markers are crafted using traditional metalsmithing techniques, and the set comes with two sheets of removable blank labels.

Cheese: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best by Max McCalman and David Gibbons
$35

The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese by Jeffrey P. Roberts
$35

Laura Werlin’s Cheese Essentials
$24.95

Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins
$16.95

These are the essential books you need to start a cheese library. They include beautiful photos, engaging stories, and tons of reference material on everything from the types of cheese to making and buying it.

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