FANCY CHEESES 375 



at a constant temperature. For this purpose steam should be 

 provided, as stoves or other heating arrangements do not warm 

 the room as quickly or satisfactorily. An ordinary dairy sink, 

 with water and steam taps, is necessary. The steam pipe should 

 connect with the water pipe by a tee, so that the water can be 

 heated to any desired temperature. As the tools cannot be 

 properly cleaned with hot water alone, it is advisable to provide 

 a steam chest or sterilizer of some sort where they can be left in 

 contact with live steam. A strong wooden box, lined with 

 galvanized iron and having a valve at the bottom as an outlet 

 for condensed water, has been found to be very satisfactory. 

 It is provided with a strong cover, which can be fastened to the 

 box with clamps. The whole arrangement should be made so 

 as to stand a slight pressure. This box is especially useful for 

 sterilizing the boards and cane bottoms used to hold the cheeses 

 during the ripening process. - 



First ripening room. — The first ripening room must be nearly 

 saturated with moisture and kept at a temperature of about 60° 

 to 62° F., as these conditions are most suitable for the proper 

 growth of mold. 



Second ripening room. — This room is to be kept somewhat 

 cooler (56° to 60° F.), as the ripening proceeds more uniformly 

 at this temperature. Here it is not necessary to keep such a high 

 percentage of moisture as in the first room. There should be 

 just enough to keep the cheeses from drying out. The walls 

 and floors of both of these rooms should be like those of the mak- 

 ing room — that is, easy to clean. Both of the ripening rooms 

 should be well ventilated and steam heated. The steam can 

 be used not only for heating, but also for maintaining the desired 

 degree of moisture. In summer the outside heat would raise 

 the temperature of the rooms, causing the cheese to ripen too 

 fast and not uniformly. For that reason some means of cooling 

 must be provided. 



