FANCY CHEESES 369 



come constant. The milk should be completely coagulated, 

 ready for cutting, in fifteen or twenty minutes. The same 

 precautions should be used in adding rennet as those previously 

 mentioned in connection with the manufacture of Edam cheese. 

 Cutting the curd. 



The curd should be cut when it is of about the hardness 

 generally observed for cutting in the cheddar process. The 

 cutting is done exactly as in the cheddar process except that the 

 curd is cut a little finer in the Gouda cheese. Curd should be 

 about the size of peas or wheat kernels when ready for press 

 and as uniform in size as possible. 

 Treatment of curd after cutting. 



When the cutting is completed, one commences at once to heat 

 the curd and to stir carefully. The heating and constant stirring 

 are continued until the curd reaches a temperature of 104 F., 

 which should require from thirty to forty minutes. When the 

 curd becomes rubber-like in feeling and makes a squeaking 

 sound when chewed, the whey should be run off. The whey 

 should be entirely sweet when it is removed. 

 Pressing and dressing cheese. (See Fig. 61.) 



After the whey is run off, the curd is put in the molds at once 

 without salting. Pains should be taken in this process to keep 

 the temperature of the curd as near 100 F. 

 as possible. Each cheese is placed under 

 continual pressure amounting to 10 or 20 

 times its own weight and kept for about 

 half an hour. The first bandage is put on 

 in very much the same manner as the ban- 

 dage in Edam cheese-making. The cheese 

 is then put in press again for about one hour. J^ r Gou( j a cheese. 

 The first bandage is then taken off and a 

 second one like the first put on with great care, taking pains to 

 make the bandage smooth, capping the ends as before. The 

 cheese is then put in press again and left twelve hours or more. 

 2u 



