138 THE STORY OF MILK 



WHEY 



Whey is a by-product in cheesemaking. Usually 

 it is fed to hogs and especially together with grain or 

 bran it makes an excellent food for them. But whey 

 is also prepared for human food. In the hospital or 

 in the home it serves as a substitute for milk when a 

 mild diet of easily digested food is temporarily re- 

 quired for a weak stomach. For such purposes it must 

 not be allowed to become acid as in cheesemaking, but 

 should be prepared as the chief product from sweet 

 new milk or freshly separated skim milk. The sweet 

 milk is set with rennet — one Junket Tablet, dissolved 

 in cold water, to a quart of milk — at a temperature of 

 90° to 100"^ F. As soon as a firm curd is formed it is 

 carefully broken up and transferred to a strainer of 

 cheese-cloth. Unless it is to be used at once, the whey 

 strained off should be immediately cooled to 50° or 

 lower. If left at a higher temperature it will soon 

 become sour. A teaspoonful of limewater to a quart, 

 or a pinch of soda, will help to keep it sweet. Still, 

 in any event, it should not be kept long, but prepared 

 fresh when required. 



