Comments: Do you need a cheese baker? Of course not. Is this charming and something you might use for entertaining? Absolutely. The set includes a stoneware cheese plate with handle, a stoneware top cover with small holes to keep the cheese from steaming, and a large-bladed stainless steel spreader.

There are recipes that come with the baker (Brie with Apples, Honey, and Walnut; Reblochon with Mushrooms; Blue Cheese with Port, etc.), but you'll manage just fine on your own, too. Place cheese on the base, dress it up if you like with jam or nuts or roasted garlic, cover it with the lid, place it in the oven at 350°F (175°C) or so and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

As with anything that goes in the oven but doesn't look like a pot or a pan, care must be taken to protect yourself, others, and whatever surface you put the baker on, when it is hot. The lid has built-in handles, but they're small and you'll need to take care that they don't slip from your pot holders or oven mitts. Don't use this in the microwave oven.

If you have visions (as we did) of wrapping a small wheel of brie in phyllo dough and baking it in the cheese baker, you will find that a standard small wheel fits very well in the baker, but a standard small wheel, wrapped in dough, does not – it's just a little too big. The interior capacity is 5-1/2" in diameter and 2" high, and the cheese needs a little breathing room, so you may be on the lookout for smaller sizes of cheese or shapes. There is also a little sill around the inside of the baker to contain melted cheese once you cut into it, so you don't want any hanging over the edge.