45 



for niilliiif;. The time for milling should come about halfway between 

 romovinj; the whey and salting the curd. By this process the curd is 

 cut into small pieces in order to salt it more uniformly and handle it 

 more easily. Several machines are sold for this purpose. The best 

 machines cut the curd into pieces of uniform size without tearing it. 



2. Treatment of curd after milling. — After milling, the curd is piled 

 u|) in order to flatten out the pin holes and stirred enough to keoj) it 

 from matting together. The softening of the curd, which is the result 

 of the formation of more uncombined paracasein, continues after mill- 

 ing as the result of further formation of lactic acid. The curd should 

 be kapt warm all the time (references No. 3, p. 76, and No. S, p. 77). 



3. ^^'llen to salt curd. — The curd is ready for salting when (1) the 

 hot-iron test shows strings 2 inches long, or (2) the whey rumiing 

 directly from the curd shows an acidity of 1 per cent in normal cases 

 or 1.1 to 1.2 per cent in case of gassy or weak-bodied curds. 



4. Amount and kind of salt to use. — The amount of salt used is usu- 

 ally at the rate of 2^ to 3 pounds for 1,000 pounds of milk. A moist 

 curd should be salted more. A salt of fairly coarse grain is preferable, 

 because it dissolves more slowly and penetrates the curd more fully. 

 When the salt is added, the curd is spread out thin, cooled to 90° F. 

 Then the salt is mixed evenly through the curd and the curd stirred 

 until the salt dissolves completely. 



5. Effects of salting. — While salt is added for the sake of flavor, it 

 produces other effects, such as (1) aiding in removing whey, (2) hard- 

 ening the curd, checking or retarding the formation of lactic acid. 

 An unsalted cheese cures more rapidly and is apt to develop a better 

 flavor, the intensity increasing with increase of curing temperature. 

 Excessive salting makes a cheese mealy, because too dry, and cures 

 slowly (reference No. 16, p. 157). Much of the salt added passes into 

 the whey. Green cheese normally salted contains 0.6 to 1 per cent 

 of salt, and this increases somewhat in the cured cheese through loss 

 of moisture (reference No. 16, p. 147). 



6. Temperature of curd when put in press. — Before pressing, the curd 

 should be cooled to a temperature between 78° and 84° F. If pressed 

 at higher temperatures, fat is lost and the pieces of curd do not stick 

 together perfectly. If pressed at lower temperatures, the pieces fail 

 to form a solid mass by cementing properly (reference No. 3, p. 76, or 

 No. 8, p. 81). 



7. Object of pressing curd. — The main object of pressing curd is to 

 give the cheese a definite form for market and not alone to squeeze 

 out whey, which should be removed mostly while the curd is in the vat. 



8. Preparing hoop for receiving curd. — A round cap cloth of the size 

 of the hoop is placed at the bottom*' and soaked in hot water. The 

 bandage is then placed in the hoop, turning the edge in evenly about 

 an inch and a half on the bottom. Curd is then placed in the hoop, 



