PetriStor Cheese Press for Cheese Making 16 in + 2 Cheese Molds 1.8 L Blue

Wife loves it. One of the best Mother's Day gifts I've ever gotten her.

I love it when people write a review and haven’t even used a product yet!! Please save your typing until you do that because helps no one to write a review on what came in the box. The press is very well-made and comes with pretty much everything you need and I’ve got my first block of Colby pressing out now. You do need to have a good amount of strength or use vice grips to tighten down the butterfly nuts. My only gripe is that the pound gauge makes zero sense and isn’t applicable to any recipes you’ll find here in the US. So zero help which is a little bit frustrating being a newbie and not knowing what 10 pounds of pressure feels like. All in all a good buy, but I probably won’t keep it long before moving up to a better press where the poundage is easier to ascertain.

I like this press with springs, makes it easy to apply high pressure. It doesn’t take much space in the kitchen. I think minor add-on can bring even more satisfaction to users - it would be nice to see fitted plastic/poly/rubber draining mat to keep buttom wood dry and clean.

Haven't used it yet

I’m relatively new to the art of cheesemaking, only having made cheeses that didn’t need a heavy-duty press. Considering how expensive cheese presses typically are, I’ve held off buying one until now. Upon taking this press out of the box, I did notice the ‘glue’ smell that another reviewer mentioned, but unlike that person’s experience, the smell wasn’t too strong, and quickly dissipated. I found assembly much more aggravating. English definitely wasn’t their strong suit, but the biggest problem on their tiny instruction pamphlet was that there were no instructions for this specific model! I had to study the picture on amazon and watch the company’s provided video to puzzle out what went where. Once I had put this press together, however, all went smoothly. I decided to make a very basic cheese that only needs a few pounds of pressure: paneer. I filled up one of the cheese molds with curds (I ended up having to use two followers because the curds only half-filled the mold; I could have also used an upside-down mug or a bowl), twisted the wing nuts, and an hour later, viola— my very first pressed cheese, pressed in a real cheese press! For future batches and more consistent results, I think I’ll use a mini level to make sure all the wing nuts are twisted evenly. Novice cheesemaker though I am, I highly recommend getting two cheese draining trays for setting the cheese molds on, rather than setting them straight on the press’s boards. Though the boards and parts used to make this press are durable and slick, cleaning a little removable dish is a lot easier than cleaning the whole press. Fortunately the company, PetriStor, sells cheese draining boards that exactly fit the molds here: You’re not just limited to a specific mold either. I think I’ll buy larger molds as I delve deeper into the art of cheesemaking. Finally, while this press comes with cheesecloth, it has a lower grade (less threads per square inch) than what I prefer for cheesemaking. This cheesecloth is around grade 5; I prefer a grade 9 or 8 cheesecloth. If you do use this cheesecloth, I recommend doubling it up if you don’t want to lose precious curds. Beyond initial assembly, the cheesecloth, and the addition of the cheese draining boards, this cheese press kit is fantastic! Artisan cheeses, here I come!

This product is sturdy and it did its job! It hurt my fingers trying to tighten the wing nuts down without pliers, it was also difficult and near impossible for my strength, once it passed a certain point. In a pinch and not a lot to spend on a press it works.

I haven't had the chance to get started with my first cheese project yet but I've looked through this very exciting kit, taken stock of the parts, and familiarized myself with the assembly using the handy instructions. This looks to be a very useful kit to get a beginner started and I've already purchased some books to help me pick my first project. This is, I think, a fair price for this setup and I think this will likely last a good, long time. If I'm wrong about that, I'll update my review to reflect it. I will give one word of caution: if you are a person with sensory issues, the texture of the wood pieces may be somewhat challenging. This caution is only for a very select group of people so if that's not you, just ignore this. It's not as bad as something like terra cotta or (shudder) frosted glass, but I did find something rather unpleasant about touching this wood. I don't know if it just needs more sanding or a coat of some kind of smooth sealant or what but it reminded me a little of microfiber towels on very dry hands, the way they sort of grab at your skin. Again, this is an extremely niche issue and doesn't detract from the quality or coolness of the product. But if my description of this texture makes you squirm, just get a pair of gloves or maybe a cloth to handle the wood pieces and you'll be ok.

This complete cheese-making kit includes a 16″ wooden press with sturdy metal guides, two polypropylene ½-gallon molds, cheesecloth, springs, and a scale. It’s designed for beginners looking to experiment with homemade semi-hard and hard cheeses using a traditional spring-press design. It is a solid pick if you're starting out with homemade cheeses. It’s affordable, straightforward, and effective for turning out small artisanal batches at home.