428 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



may be cut with coarse cheddar cheese knives or broken with 

 a rake. The temperature of the curd should be raised very 

 slowly, at least thirty minutes being taken to reach the desired 

 final temperature. No set rule can be given as to the exact 

 temperature to which the curd should be heated. The tem- 

 perature should be raised until a point is reached at which the 

 curd, when pressed between the thumb and the fingers, will 

 stick together and not go back to the milky state This tem- 

 perature is usually from 94° to 100° F., but the cheese-maker 

 must use his own judgment in this respect. If the curd is 

 heated too much, it will be hard and dry ; on the other hand, 

 if it is not heated sufficiently, the whey will not separate from 

 the curd and the curd will be very soft and mushy. When 

 the curd has been heated sufficiently and has become firmed in 

 the whey, it should be removed from the whey. This may 

 be done either by letting down one end of the vat and piling 

 the curd in the upper end, or by dipping out the curd into 

 a cloth bag and allowing the whey to drain, which it does very 

 rapidly. 



When dry, the curd may be packed in milk cans and shipped, 

 or put into cloths and pressed into small bricks weighing about 

 2 lb. It is usually made into cottage cheese, either at the fac- 

 tory or after shipment. 



Yield. — The yield from 100 lb. of skimmed milk varies 

 from 14 to 19 lb. of cheese. The yield varies with the moisture- 

 content of the cheese, being in general greater for cheese with a 

 high moisture-content. Too much moisture or whey should 

 not be left in the curd, however, as this would render it too 

 soft to be handled. 



Qualities of pot cheese. — Pot cheese should have a clean, 

 pronounced acid flavor. It should be grainy in texture, but 

 free from hard, dry lumps. Since no attempt is made during 

 the manufacturing process to control the acidity, the cheese 

 will sour or spoil in a short time. 



