I9ii.] 



The " Kingston " Cheese. 



201 



fifteen minutes in order to separate the pieces of curd; at the 

 same time a thin film forms around each particle, thus 

 preventing to a great extent loss of fat. 



The process of scalding, cooking, or heating then com- 

 mences, which consists in gradually bringing the contents of 

 the vat uniformly to a suitable temperature, that most satis- 

 factory being 88° to 90 0 F. Hot water is poured into the 

 jacket of the vat, and the stirring carefully continued as 

 before. Renewal of the water is necessary, and the final 

 temperature should be attained in twenty minutes. 



The objects of the heating are: — 



1. To firm-up the curd. 



2. To expel the moisture gradually and uniformly. 



3. To assist in the development of acidity. 



When the "scald" temperature is reached, stirring is 

 continued until a suitable firmness is obtained, when the curd 

 is ready to pitch, that is, to be allowed to settle at the bottom 

 of the vat. This is a condition almost impossible to appre- 

 ciate except by practical demonstration and experience, but 

 usually the time taken from commencing to stir until pitching 

 is ij to 1 J hours; the curd should not be mushy, while if 

 a particle be split it should be of an even consistency and 

 no free whey apparent. A period of twenty to thirty minutes 

 is sufficient for the curd to lie in the whey, but before running 

 off the latter a test should be made on a hot iron, and if 

 convenient, with the acidimeter. 



To perform the hot-iron test a little curd is squeezed in 

 the hand until sufficiently pressed to hold firmly together 

 and then applied to an iron — a plain file is suitable — heated 

 to a black heat, in such a manner that if there is acidity in 

 the curd, it — the curd — will draw away in fine silky threads. 

 If the threads on the iron are one-eighth of an inch long the 

 whey is drawn ; at the same stage some whey squeezed from 

 the curd and tested with the acidimeter shows *i5-'i6 per 

 cent, acidity. 



The drawing of the whey is one of the most important 

 stages in the whole process of making, and it is essential that 

 there should be the right degree of acidity present; if not 

 sufficient, the curd will be soft and retain too much moisture, 

 resulting in a " sweet" or "weak" cheese. If too much 



