FANCY CHEESES 



379 



and then mixed thoroughly with the milk. The milk is now left 

 to stand until it has coagulated to the proper consistency. It is 

 impossible to describe any test which will show when the curd 

 is firm enough. This can only be ascertained by practical 

 demonstration ; after a little practice the maker can generally 

 tell just when the curd is ready to cut. The curd of Camembert 

 cheese is much firmer than that of cheddar or Swiss cheese. 



After the curd has been cut it is stirred gently once or twice 

 with the dipper to separate the columns and hasten the separa- 

 tion of the whey. Then it is allowed to stand for about fifteen 

 minutes to make it a little firmer. The whey separates out at 

 the surface, and the bulk of it is dipped off. 



If, however, the curd is quite firm, less of the loose whey is 

 dipped off. The contents of the vat are now stirred to insure 

 uniformity, otherwise part of the cheese would be softer than 

 the rest. 

 Dipping the curd into the forms (see Fig. 67) . 



The next operation is the dipping. This is done with a ladle 

 which just fits into the 

 forms. Place the draining 

 table near the vat, and 

 upon it arrange the boards, 

 each covered with a mat 

 and holding nine of the 

 high forms. Into each of 

 these forms a dipperful of 

 curd is placed, care being 

 taken to bring the dipper 

 inside the forms in order 

 to prevent splashing and 

 breaking the curd. After 

 one dipperful is placed in 

 each form the operation is repeated, the dipping continuing 

 until the forms are all filled to the top. 



FIG. 67. Forms, mats and boards, ar- 

 ranged for draining the cheese. 



