62 CHEESE MAKING. 
133. How to Tell a Proper Cook. 
One of the most important steps in the process is to know 
when a curd is cooked enough. There should be one-eighth of 
an inch of acid on the curd, when the whey is drawn. Here it 
will be seen that one’s judgment comes into play to know how 
fast to heat a curd in order to have it just firm enough when the 
acid comes. The rennet test will help us to regulate this, but if 
the rennet test indicates that we have a fast working milk it will 
be necessary to cook faster, and perhaps higher. When the whey 
is drawn the curd must not be salvy and soft, but when a big 
double handful is pressed together in the hands, and one hand 
removed, it should not remain in a mashed-up mass, but should 
fall apart readily. The particles of curd should be examined 
from time to time, to see that they are cooking on the inside as 
well as the outside. 
An overeooked curd will give a ‘‘corky’’ cheese, while on 
the other hand, an undercook will give a salvy, weak-bodied 
cheese that is in danger of souring. 
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QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER VII. 
1. What is meant by firming or cooking a curd? 2. How 
should a fast working curd be cut? 3. Describe the use of the 
horizontal and perpendicular knives. 4. What effect has the 
rapidity of stroke on the fineness to which a curd can be cut? 
5. Why do we cut a curd? 6. Why do we heat acurd? 7. How 
soon after cutting should a maker begin heating a curd? 8. How 
should an over-ripe curd be heated? 9. Why do we stir a curd? 
10. Deseribe the McPherson curd rake. 11. How can one tell 
when a curd is properly cooked? 12. What is the effect in the 
cheese of an overcook? 13. What is the effect in the cheese of 
an undercook? 
