300 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



METHOD OF MAKING CHEDDAR CHEESE 



As soon as the milk is in the vat it should be stirred thor- 

 oughly to give it a uniform composition and acidity, as the 

 amount and development of acid in the milk is one of the most 

 important factors in the making of this type of cheese. It is 

 important, therefore, that the cheese-maker determine imme- 

 diately the degree of acidity in the milk. Experienced cheese- 

 makers can judge with some degree of accuracy the amount of 

 acid present by the sense of smell and taste, but this test is 

 not sufficiently accurate to give satisfactory results in most 

 cases. For the best results, the milk should be tested either 

 by one of the common acid tests or rennet tests. If the acid 

 test is used, it is desirable to have an apparatus which can be 

 used quickly and easily. The use of Farrington's alkaline 

 tablets x or a standard alkaline solution will serve this purpose. 

 The following method recommended by Publow has proved 

 satisfactory. 



Publow acid test (see Fig. 52) 



The apparatus consists of 



1 . A plain 5-pint bottle with an opening in the bottom, 



through which a brass pipe is connected in such a 

 manner as to prevent leakage. 



2. A small 2-oz. wash-bottle, fastened to the neck of the 



large bottle by a copper-band, and connected with 

 rubber-corks and glass-tubing. 



3. A plain 10 c.c. burette graduated in tenths, and a simple 



wire burette-holder. 



4. A straight, non-bulbous, 9-gram pipette, which is 



easily cleaned. 



5. A simple rubber-stoppered dropper-bottle. 



6. A plain white cup and a stirring-rod. 



1 See page 134. 



