244 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



of 1 per cent acid. The curd is coagulated and cut the 

 same as for the other skimmed-milk cheeses. It is cooked to 

 a temperature just sufficient to firm the curd, usually from 

 94 to 96 F. The lower the temperature at which the 

 curd can be cooked and yet become firm, the better is 

 the texture of the cheese. When the curd has firmed 

 enough, or when sufficient acid development, from 0.15 

 to 0.17 of 1 per cent, has taken place, the whey is removed. 

 The curd is then turned, piled or cheddared. A skimmed- 

 milk curd may be piled much more rapidly than a whole- 

 milk curd without danger of injuring it. When the curd 

 becomes meaty or fibrous, it is milled. It should be 

 salted at the rate of 1| to 2 pounds of salt to the curd 

 from each 1000 pounds of milk. The remainder of the 

 process is the same as that for making whole-milk cheese. 

 The cheese-maker should observe the following points 

 when making skimmed-milk cheese*: (1) Have clean-flavored 

 sweet milk ; (2) use clean-flavored commercial starter ; 



(3) ripen the milk sufficiently, but not too much; 



(4) firm the curd at as low a temperature as possible; 



(5) have the curd properly firmed when the whey is 

 drawn; (6) cheddar the curd faster than the curd from 

 whole milk; (7) make the cheeses all the same size; 

 (8) keep the cheese neat and clean in the curing-room. 



230. Yield and qualities of skimmed-milk Cheddar 

 cheese. The results of skimming different percentages of 

 whole milk containing varying percentages of fat are given 

 in the following table. As the percentage of fat in the 

 milk decreases, the yield of cheese also decreases, accord- 

 ing to the table. As the percentage of fat decreases 

 in the milk, the percentage of moisture in the cheese 

 increases, showing that moisture is substituted for fat. 

 The yield of cheese from 100 pounds of milk is also given 



