SALTING TO TAKING FROM PRESS 39 



about 40 per cent of water, i,ooo pounds of milk 

 would furnish about the amounts of curd for the dif- 

 ferent percentages of fat in milk shown on page 38. 



Salt of fairly coarse grain is preferable, because 

 it dissolves more slowly and penetrates the curd 

 more thoroughly. Special brands of cheese salt are 

 prepared by manufacturers and are generally shipped 

 in paper-lined barrels. 



How to apply salt. — The curd should be spread 

 out thinly over the bottom of the vat, and, if neces- 

 sary, cooled to 90° F. Both curd and salt should 

 be free from lumps. The salt should be put on in 

 at least three applications, and each time should 

 be evenly distributed over the surface. After each 

 sprinkling of salt, the curd should be well stirred 

 with forks. Applying salt too rapidly or all at once 

 hardens the outside of the small pieces of curd and 

 hinders its absorption. A fine hair or copper sieve 

 is of considerable aid in regulating the application 

 of salt. Salt in cheese affects flavor, body, texture 

 and keeping quality (p. 343). 



Effects of salting. — While salt is added mainly 

 for the sake of the taste it gives to cheese, it pro- 

 duces other effects, such as (i) aiding in removal of 

 whey; (2) hardening and contracting the curd; 

 (3) checking or retarding the formation of lactic 

 acid; and (4) checking undesirable forms of fer- 

 mentation. An unsalted cheese cures more rapidly 

 and is apt to develop a bitter flavor, the intensity 

 increasing with increase of ripening temperature. 

 Excessive salting makes a cheese mealy, because 

 too dry, and it cures slowly. Much of the salt 

 added passes into the whey. Green cheese normally 



