Cheeses for Farm and Factory. 125 



American method of manufacture. Fresh sweet milk is heated to 

 165° Fahr. for 10 minutes and then cooled immediately to y2° Fahr. 

 I'ntil ^•ery recently, the milk used was not pasteurized, but the great 

 difficulty in securing reliable milk, together with the advantages of 

 I)asteurization and the use of a commercial starter, have made the 

 heating method very popular. 



In large factories the cheese is made in large vats, but on the farm 

 it can be made in smaller quantities in shot-gun cans holding about 30 

 pounds of milk. After the milk is cooled to 72° Fahr., a small amount 

 of commercial starter is added and enough rennet to insure a thorough 

 coagulation in 18 hours. Usually about i c.c. of commercial starter 

 and }j c.c. of rennet extract is sufficient to 30 pounds of milk if the tem- 

 perature is maintained at y2° Fahr. As soon as the milk is firmly coag- 

 ulated it is placed on a cotton covered strainer-rack or in cotton bags to 

 drain. The acidity of the exuding whey at this time should not be over 

 3% or the flavor of the cheese will be too acid. The draining pro- 

 cess requires several hours and should be kept up until all free whey has 

 escaped. Light pressure such as can be obtained in a small cheesepress 

 aids materilly in expelling the whey. During the draining process 

 the curd on the outer surface of the strainer should be stirred occa- 

 sionally to insure even drying. As soon as the curd is sufficiently dry, 

 salt is added at the rate of 2j4 ounces to 10 pounds of curd. At this 

 time the acidity of the whey shovild not be over 5%. The cheese should 

 then be pressed for a short time to expel excess whey. It is then kneaded 

 by hand and finally pressed into small cylindrical shapes i^" x 2^", 

 weighing one-fourth pound each. These are wrapper in parchment 

 paper and tinfoil, and are then ready for market. 



Qualities of Neufcliatcl cheese. Neufchatel cheese should have a 

 distinct, mild, clean flavor resembling well-ripened cream. The texture 

 should be fairly dry, yet smooth and entirely free from lumps. There 

 should be no leaking whey, and each cheese should be neatly wrapped. 

 The cheese will usually keep in good condition for two weeks if kept 

 in a cold place. From 100 pounds of milk aljout 22 pounds of Neuf- 

 chatel cheese can be made, which sells for 20 to 40 cents per pound, 

 depending on its quality and the manner of marketing. 



