338 THE HANDBOOK FOE PKACTICAL FARMERS 



half an hour, stirring gently from time to time. The degree of 

 heating largely determines the dryness of the cheese ; the higher 

 the temperature, the drier the cheese. 



Draining. — The curd is then poured into a cheesecloth sack or 

 into a piece of draining cloth thrown over a pail. If a pail is 

 used, pour out the whey occasionally so that draining will con- 

 tinue. In fifteen or twenty minutes the curd \^dll become mushy 

 and will drain more slowly. The sides of the cloth may then be 

 raised and lowered every few minutes to hasten draining. When 

 the curd is rather firm and the whey has nearly ceased to flow, 

 it is ready for salting. 



Salting. — Cheese may be salted to suit the taste. Usually 

 from one to two teaspoonfuls to the gallon of milk is about the 

 quantity desired. The salt may be sprinkled over the curd and 

 worked in with a spoon or paddle. 



Making cheese with rennet or pepsin. — Cottage cheese made 

 with rennet, a junket tablet, or pepsin has a finer and more uni- 

 form texture and requires less time and attention in making. 

 The time required for curdling should be from sixteen to eigh- 

 teen hours. If curdling takes place sooner the cheese will be too 

 dry and too firm. The process of making is the same as already 

 described, except that the milk is warmed to eighty degrees F. 

 and allowed to remain at that temperature for five or six hours, 

 at which time two or three drops of liquid rennet per gallon of 

 milk may be dissolved in a tablespoonful of cold water and 

 stirred into the milk. If powdered rennet is not available, one- 

 eighth of a junket tablet to a gallon of milk may be dissolved in 

 a tablespoonful of cold water and stirred into the milk. Pow- 

 dered pepsin may be used for the same purpose, a quantity that 

 will remain upon the point of a penknife being dissolved in a 

 tablespoonful of cold water and then mixed with the milk. 



When rennet, a junket tablet, or pepsin is used, the coagulum 

 is placed in a drain cloth without cutting or heating. A finer 

 and heavier draining cloth is necessary because of the fineness 

 of the curd. The cheese is salted as already described. 



Pasteurization of the milk. — AVhile for small-scale operation 

 the pasteurization of skim milk may not always be practicable, 

 it permits a better control of the fermentation, increases the 

 yield of cheese, and renders the product safe from disease, 

 producing organisms. With pasteurized milk it is absolutely 

 necessary to use a starter. 



Quality. — Sweet or sour cream added to cottage cheese makes 

 a richer and more palatable product. If the cheese is to be kept 



