436 



MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



commercial starter to 30 lb. of milk. After the starter has 

 been thoroughly mixed with the milk, rennet extract should be 

 added, at the rate of \ c.c. to 30 lb. of milk. Before adding it 

 to the milk, however, the rennet extract should be diluted in 

 cold water. This should give a firm coagulation, which will 

 draw away slightly from the side of the can, and on the follow- 

 ing morning a little free whey will appear on top of the curd. 

 If this whey does not show 0.35 per cent acidity, the dipping 

 must be postponed until this degree of acidity has developed. 



Fig. 83. — Draining table, showing different steps in draining and tying cheese. 



The curd should be very carefully dipped with a ladle on to 

 a cloth suspended at the four corners, and allowed to drain. 

 The contents of each can should be dipped on to a separate 

 cloth (Fig. 83), so that the curd may dry evenly. Factory 

 cotton is a good cloth for this purpose, because it is of fine 

 enough weave so that the curd particles will not go through; 

 ordinary cheesecloth cannot be used without a considerable loss 

 of curd particles. The curd should not be broken too fine in 

 dipping, as this prevents the whey from separating rapidly and 

 there will be a greater loss of fat than is necessary. If care is 

 taken not to break the curd, it may be poured out of the cans, 



