118 THE STORY OF MILK 



they come to the top. All the curd having been cut 

 into square pieces, it is further broken by the stirrer, 

 a stick at the lower end of which a few cross sticks or 

 wings of brass wire are fixed, the whole mass being 

 kept in constant motion. 



Cooking the Curd. — ^After breaking up the curd to 

 the size of peas or beans, the stirring is discontinued 

 for about ten minutes, when it is begun again and the 

 kettle is turned over the fire, or steam is applied, to 

 heat the curd to 140° under constant stirring which is 

 continued for 45 to 60 minutes after this temperature 

 has been reached. The condition of the curd is judged 

 by squeezing a handful and noticing its elasticity and 

 consistency. It is important to stop stirring at the 

 right moment. More whey is expelled in making Swiss 

 cheese than for Cheddar cheese. 



The cooking and agitating having been finished, the 

 mass, which now consists of grains the size of wheat, is 

 once more stirred up with such force as to make it 

 form a funnel at the center and it is then left at rest 

 for five to ten minutes. 



The curd, forming a rather solid cake at the bottom 

 of the kettle, is now lifted out without being broken. 

 One end of a large piece of cloth is folded around a 

 flexible rod. Bending over the kettle the maker takes 

 hold of both ends of the rod and gathering the other 

 end of the cloth between his teeth, pushes the rod down 

 along the farther side of the kettle, letting it follow the 

 bottom towards himself until the whole mass of curd 

 is gathered in the cloth, when it is lifted out of the kettle 

 and placed in the hoop on the press table. The hoop 

 can be enlarged or diminished to take care of a varying 

 amount of curd which is put into it in the same solid 



