Cheese Testing Needle $24.95

Ineffective

We had high hopes for this testing needle. As beginning cheesemakers we wanted to check on our farmhouse cheddar to see if one month had produced enough aging time. Hoping to sample a taste using the needle without leaving much of a ‘scar’ we found that the thin needle was not large enough to provide a sample that could be tasted nor could we determine the texture. At a cost $25 we were disappointed that it was a useless tool. The needle arrived with no instructions. After contacting New England Cheese Making Co. the representative was helpful giving us directions and later she followed up with an email clarifying her directions further. Even though she told me that a needle is used for soft cheeses I checked back on the company’s website description and read, “This is ideal for aged cheese including Parmesan and Grana.” This is the reason we bought it; we wanted to test our farmhouse cheddar. We realize that they sell a larger sampler called a cheese trier at $40 but we wanted a tool that wouldn’t leave a large opening in the cheese if it needed more aging time plus the $40 was a bit high. We’ve been very impressed with their customer service and other products (their cheese press is outstanding!) but this cheese testing needle is useless.