CHEESE MAKING. 87 



before applying the heat. If curd is roughly handled at the start, 

 the fine glossy texture so desirable in a cheese, will be destroyed, 

 the development of acid will be much slower, and the loss in yield 

 greater, so it pays in more ways then one to be very careful while 

 the curd is soft. After applying the heat, stir constantly, keep- 

 ing all the particles of curd separate, raise the temperature grad- 

 ually, or at the rate of, say, two degrees every five minutes, until 

 the curd is cooked, which should never be above 98 degrees even 

 on a wet day when the humidity is great and 96 degrees when 

 the air is dry and clear. If the knives were made so as to cut the 

 curd into smaller pieces, I believe a lower temperature than 96 

 degrees would give a richer and more creamy flavored cheese. A 

 cheese made from an over-cooked curd is seldom nasty, but never 

 nice. 



After the temperature has been raised to the desired degree, 

 if the acid is developing rapidly, I would run off the whey until 

 there is just sufficient to cover the curd, which I would stir so as 

 to expel the whey, and get well and evenly cooked. When the 

 curd is fairly firm, and shows 1-8 inch of acid by the hot iron 

 test, the whey should be drawn off, the curd dipped into a sink, 

 and stirred until fairly dry. One of the finest points in cheese- 

 making is to know just how much moisture to leave in the curd 

 at this stage. Of course if the acid is developing fast, the curd 

 will need to be stirred considerably drier than if it is developing 

 slowly. 



Spread the curd evenly over the racks in the sink, about 

 five inches deep, being careful to have it the same depth at the 

 sides and ends as in the middle. After it has matted, cut with 

 a thinbladed, dull pointed knife into strips about eight inches 

 wide, turn over, doubling the pieces at the ends of the sink. In 

 about fifteen minutes cut through the center, and turn again, 

 putting the outside ends in and doubling if the acid is 

 developing slowly, but if fast, do not double. Some- 

 times it is necessary to pile. Every time when turning 

 put the pieces that have been on the outside, to the center, 

 so as to insure an even temperature. Remember that an even 

 temperature of all the curd is important. When sufficient acid 

 has developed, which may be one inch by the hot iron test, on 

 a close sultry day, with a fast worker, to two inches on a clear, 

 cool day — cut into pieces about five inches square, which leaves 

 it in good shape for the Harris curd cutter — the one I have 

 found to be the most economical and do the best work. I 

 would not use any cylinder mill I have ever seen, except 

 the McPherson, which does very good work, but the Harris is 

 the handiest, best and cheapest. 



After the curd has been milled, stir well so as to check the 

 acid and keep it in proper condition for salting. When it has 



