CHAPTER IV 



Operations from Salting Curd to Removal 



from Press 



SALTING CURD 



When to apply salt. — After the pieces of curd 

 have become well contracted and feel silky and 

 mellow, they are ready to be salted. The curd at 

 this stag-e should show by the hot-iron test strings 

 i^ inches long-, but this test cannot be relied upon, 

 as most curds become more or less greasy after mill- 

 ing, and do not so easily stick to a hot surface. A 

 test of the whey exuding from the curd is much 

 more reliable. It should have 0.90 to 1.2 per cent 

 of acidity, as shown by the acid test. This is the 

 most reliable test for indicating when curd is ready 

 for salting, and it is equally useful at other stages; 

 but students and cheese-makers should be familiar 

 with the use of all tests. 



It is often a difficult matter to tell just when a 

 curd is in the best condition for salting, and this 

 knowledge comes only as the result of long expe- 

 rience. Generally, the curd smells like toasted cheese 

 when rubbed on a hot iron; and, when squeezed be- 

 tween the hands, a certain amount of fat may start, 

 but these tests are not reliable. The per cent of 

 acidity allowed to develop before salting depends 

 on the condition of the curd and also the conditions 

 of temperature and moisture under which the cheese 



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