COMPOSITION OF CHEDDAR CHEESE 237 



this method, a regular Cheddar curd is made up to 

 the time of milling. This curd is washed or soaked in 

 cold water during or directly after milling. The theoreti- 

 cal object of this washing is to carry away bad flavors and 

 to reduce over-development of acidity by washing away 

 all traces of whey. However, cheese-makers soon found 

 that it increased the yield and this led some to carry it 

 to extremes. 



After the curd has been milled, it is covered with cold 

 water. The temperature of this water ranges from 50 F. to 

 70 F. The curd is stirred in this water for various lengths 

 of time according to the judgment of the cheese-maker. 

 This time varies from five minutes to one hour. Some- 

 times the vat is partly filled with water and the curd 

 milled directly into the water. This process has certain 

 advantages and disadvantages. 



The advantages are : if too much acid has developed 

 in the curd, this washing will reduce it so that the cheese 

 will not be sour. Sometimes when bad flavors are present 

 in the curd, washing will tend to overcome or remove 

 them. Its disadvantages are : the larger yield due to 

 excessive soaking tempts the makers to soak curd beyond 

 the time needed to relieve the initially sour condition. 

 Curd soaked in this way produces cheeses containing 

 percentages of water so high as to lower their quality. 

 This increases the yield sometimes as much as 3 to 5 

 per cent. Such a cheese is very soft in texture and 

 does not cure like a Cheddar cheese which has not been 

 washed. Part of the lactic acid, milk-sugar l and the 



1 Babcock, S. M., et al., Cheese ripening as influenced by sugar, 

 Wis. Exp. Sta. Kept. 1901, pages 162-167. 



E. G. Hastings, et aZ., Studies on the factors concerned in the 

 ripening of Cheddar cheese, Wis. Exp. Sta. Research Bui. 25. 



