Cheese iron
A hollow, half-round steel blade pushed into a wheel to draw out a plug of cheese for tasting.
Also: cheese trier, cheese borer, sonda
A cheese iron, also called a trier, looks like a long, slim, curved scoop with a T-handle. The grader pushes it into the side of a wheel, gives it a twist and draws out a cylinder of cheese from deep inside, without cutting the wheel open. They look at the colour, texture and openness of the plug, smell it, rub a little between finger and thumb and taste a crumb from the middle. The rest of the plug, including the rind end, is then pushed back and smoothed over so the cheese can carry on ageing. Irons are used by cheesemakers, affineurs and graders to decide when a wheel is ready and which wheels are kept longest.