MANUFACTURE OF CHEESE. 401 



both curd or oil than by any other mode. Some dairymen are confident that a 

 saving of two or three pounds in the hundred ai-e eftected by its use over any 

 former mode, and the saving being chiefly of butter, the richeess of the product 

 is correspondingly increased. In Herkimer county it has nearly displaced all 

 former contrivances. One with four blades only is commonly used in private 

 dairies. 



After Btanding for ten or fifteen minutes, the curd is to be again cut still 

 smaller, both to facilitate the escape of the whey, and in order that the cooking 

 now to commence may be uniform. As soon as the Avhey forms rapidly and 

 the curd sinks, a gentle heat is to be applied, and the whole mass slowly 

 warmed. If the vat is inconveniently full, a portion of the whey may be first 

 dipped out. The thermometer must be frequently used to determine the tem- 

 penxture, which must not exceed 100° Fahrenheit in any case. A heat of 98° 

 is amply sufficient, and better than a higher degree. While the mass of milk 

 is being slowly elevated to this point, it is gently worked with the cutting 

 knife, both to secure even cooking, and to cut the curd into fine particles. 

 "When these are of the size of wheat kernels, or of wheat and peas mixed, they 

 are left to steep in the whey ; a cloth is laid over the vat, and the hand or a 

 dipper occasionally introduced to stir it enough to secure uniform cooking. 



It is believed that one effect of this protracted steeping in the warm whey is 

 to impart the sweet, nutty flavor so highly prized in the Cheddar cheese. 



The time required for cooking the curd varies considerably by reason of 

 many attendant circumstances, such as the degree of acidity of the milk, the 

 temperature of the atmosphere, the quickness with which the curd came, &:c. 

 If the curd come quick, it will cook quick ; if the degree of acidity be con- 

 siderable, it will cook quicker tlian if neutral or alkaline. Something also 

 seems to depend upon unobserved peculiarities of the soil of the district, or of 

 the herbage from which the milk is produced. The time required is rarely 

 less than an hour; it is not often beyond two hours, although occasionally pro- 

 tracted to three, or even four hours. Under ordinary circumstances, with a 

 temperature not exceeding 98°, an hour and a half or two hours may be con- 

 sidered an average of what is necessary. 



To determine when the cooking process has been carried to exactly the 

 right point requires practiciil skill, which cannot be obtained from any mere 

 directions. The instructions of a competent teacher and careful observation 

 on the part of the learner are needful. Close attention and experience are also 

 demanded ; for the precise degree which is best on one farm or in one locality 

 has been sometimes found too much upon another and too little upon a third. 

 In one case the product may be too soft and wheyey, and in another hard and 

 overdone, with precisely tht^ same treatment which in a third case is attended 

 with the most perfect results. This arises doubtless from variations in the 

 material employed, and variations they are v.-hich are not cognizable upon in- 

 spection or even careful examination. Were milk always the same in all its 

 constituents and properties, cheese making might be conducted with mathe- 

 matical exactness ; but such is not the case, and with all the aids of science 

 there will ah^^avs be ample room for the exercise of judgment and practical 

 skill. 



As the cooking progresses the curd becomes firmer in texture ; it loses its 

 glossy look ; it holds the buttery portion in closer combination with itself, so 

 that rough usage will disengage less of it than before ; and its color deepens 

 somewhat ; the milky look it had is changed to a creamy one. To detennine 

 whether it is cooked sufficiently, some take out one of the larger particles of 

 curd, cut it open, and note if the change of color extends through it, or if the 

 interior has a milky l©ok ; some put a bit between the teeth to see if it will 

 "squeak." In Herkimer the dairy maid usually judges by a certain granular 



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