PREPARATION OF CHEDDAR CHEESES IN AMERICA. 251 



18 to 20 C. may be mentioned; for cheeses of average weight, prepared 

 from weak rennet, 21 to 24 C.; and for skim-milk cheeses prepared from 

 strong rennet 24 to 27 C. 100 kilos, of milk will yield from 9 to 10 

 kilos, of fresh fatty Cheddar cheese. 



Fatty American Cheddar cheeses should possess a uniform firm appear- 

 ance. They should, however, be capable of being bent, and should possess 

 a fine pure flavour and a good cheese smell. The cheese will be of an 

 open character, that is, possessing holes, if the temperature of the air in 

 the ripening-room be too high and the ripening process be allowed to go 

 on too quickly. 



According to the investigations of Arnold, the general opinion at 

 present prevalent in America is that Cheddar cheeses will ripen more 

 quickly the more rennet is added to the milk to thicken it, but that where 

 little rennet is used cheeses of a better keeping quality are obtained. 

 The souring to which the curd is submitted to in the cheese-vat is said to 

 retain the animal smell of the milk, and to overcome the disadvantages 

 which possibly arise from a long keeping of the milk before making it 

 into cheese, and to considerably hasten the ripening process. If the 

 milk manifest any fault, as, for example, if it possess a strange flavour 

 and smell, or if the animal smell become strongly pronounced, or if the 

 milk coagulate without having been previously strongly soured before 

 thickening, the only method of obtaining good cheese in such a case is by 

 quickly separating the whey from the curd, and by warming it to about 

 38 C., or by allowing the curd to remain under the whey until strong 

 souring sets' in. In this case it is recommended that strong malt vinegar 

 be mixed with the whey in the proportion of 1 to 1000. In order to 

 obtain good cheese from milk which has been already comparatively 

 strongly soured, the milk should be thickened at a somewhat low tempera- 

 ture, namely at 25 to 27 C. More rennet should be added, so that the 

 rennet action predominates, the curd should be cut as quickly as possible, 

 and the subsequent warming only carried on to from 27 to 33 C. When 

 great haste is desirable, this should be effected by the addition of a quantity 

 of hot water. In the preparation of winter or fodder cheese, in order to hasten 

 the ripening where the temperature is low, but where a large quantity of 

 rennet has been added for thickening purposes, the curd should be kept 

 for a longer period in the cheese-vat, and a uniform temperature of 24 

 to 27 C. should be maintained in the ripening-room. 



Lately much cheese has been made in America by the American 

 Cheddar process from milk more or less creamed, or from skim-milk, the 

 result being that the reputation of the American cheese manufacture has 

 been considerably lowered. In the manufacture of such cheeses, it is to be 

 recommended, in order to assist the action of the rennet, and to hasten 



