■173 
in making Cheshire Cheese . 
this must be done before it is at all coagulated ; for, after 
that takes place, though but imperfectly, it must not be 
tampered with so as to break the forming curd, for a con- 
siderable part of the cream would thereby be directed 
into the whey, and the quantity of curd much lessened. 
Before the coagulation takes place, an additional quanti- 
ty of rennet may also be put in, if thought necessary ; but 
this will, after coagulation, be added with little effect, as 
no means can be used to mix it with the whole mass with- 
out disturbing the forming curd. If the cheese has been 
set together hotter than it was meant to be, the opposite 
means, under the same precautions, may be recurred to. 
But the more general practice is, to suffer the process to 
proceed hot as it is, until the first quantity of whey is ta- 
ken off; a part of which, being set to cool, is returned 
into the tub to cool the curd. When the cheese happens 
to come much sooner than a proper time, owing to too 
great a degree of heat in the milk in setting or putting to- 
gether, or too great a strength of steep, there is less curd, 
and it is considerably tougher than when the milk has 
been set cooler together than usual, or when too little 
steep has been used. In the latter case, the curd is ex- 
ceedingly tender : and, when that so happens, a part of 
the whey is taken out of the cheese-tub, and heated as 
much as may be thought sufficient to give to the curd, 
when mixed with it, a proper degree of toughness. In 
an hour and a half, as mentioned before, if all goes on 
well, the coagulation will be formed. This point is de- 
termined by gently pressing the surface of the milk with 
the back of the hand. 
Breaking down the Curd , Gathering , 
If the milk has been set together very warm, the curd, 
as before observed, will be firm: in this case, the usual 
mode is to take a common case knife, and make inch 
