208 DAIRY TECHNOLOGY 



of this period the curd has settled and the whey is drained 

 off from the top through gate valves at different heights 

 at the end of the vat. 



Draining the Curd. The vat having stood at a tem- 

 perature of 130 to 140 F. for about an hour, the curd 

 will have gathered at the bottom of the whey. The next 

 step is to transfer this curd with as little whey as possible 

 to a draining rack or strainer, such as is used in cottage- 

 cheese making. 



If the curd is floating, the whey may be drawn out 

 through the vat gate, being passed through the strainer 

 to catch the particles of curd it may contain. If the curd 

 is at the bottom of the vat then most of the whey may 

 be drawn off through a siphon and the thick mass in the 

 bottom finally run out into the cloth. Thus, most of the 

 whey may be run off, and the curd may be put upon 

 the draining rack as a thick mush. If the curd and whey 

 are run into the strainer together, much of the curd will 

 pass through the cloth with the whey. 



In either case, as soon as all the curd is on the draining 

 rack, it is covered and left undisturbed for about twelve 

 hours to drain. 



It is very important to have a uniform consistency. 

 It will need some manipulation occasionally to prevent 

 whey from gathering on the surface or in pockets. 



The curd is sufficiently drained when it can be removed 

 from the rack and retain its shape. 



Seasoning the Curd. The curd, being sufficiently 

 drained, is removed from the draining rack, granulated 

 or mashed, to break all lumps, then salted and packed. 

 Salt is added in the same proportion as in cottage cheese, 

 one ounce to about five pounds of cheese. 



Sometimes butter is mixed with the curd. This pro- 



