234 
CHEESE-MAKING. 
in a measure, of that pungent taste so much ad¬ 
mired by all lovers of good cheese. For when 
cheese-curd is kept in a cool airy place, as a lower 
room on the northerly side of a house, or a slightly 
damp airy cellar, of a constant temperature of 40° 
to 50° F., a series of transformations takes place, in 
consequence of which it assumes entirely new 
properties ; it gradually becomes semi-transparent, 
and more or less soft throughout the whole mass, 
exhibiting a feebly acid reaction, and developing 
the odor and flavor characteristic in cheese, which 
are principally owing to the decomposition of the 
butter, and the liberation of the capric and caproic 
acids contained in the curd. 
The other points important to be observed in 
making good cheese, are as follows :— 
1. The Age and Proper Quantity of Rennet .— 
For reasons stated on page 144 of the present vol¬ 
ume, the age of the rennet should not be less than 
eight or ten months, and the quantity used should 
be just sufficient to bring the curd to a fit state for 
breaking, Which will ordinarily require about an 
hour and a quarter, when the color of the whey is 
of a pale-green, and separates freely from the curd 
on a slight pressure. The quantity of rennet re¬ 
quired will depend on its strength. The stronger it 
is, the quicker the coagulation, the temperature of 
the milk being the same. In general, a piece of 
dried rennet of the size of a half dollar will be 
enough for 20 gallons of milk; but, should this 
prove insufficient, a little more may be added. If 
too much be put in, an unpleasant flavor or bitter¬ 
ness will be imparted to the cheese. 
2. Collecting and Preparing the Curd for the 
Press. —One of the most approved modes of collect¬ 
ing the curd, is, to gather it with the hands very 
gently towards the sides of the tub, letting the 
whey run through the fingers until it becomes 
cleared, and lading it from the hollow in the centre, 
as fast as it appears. By this means, most of the 
oily particles will be preserved, which would be 
carried off in the whey if other methods were em¬ 
ployed. The curd thus partially separated from 
the whey may next be worked slightly and slowly, 
at first, with a cheese-knife, cutting it at right an¬ 
gles quite down to the bottom of the tub into squares 
about an inch apart. When it has stood five or ten 
minutes to allow the whey to sink a little, and come 
out as clear as possible, the latter may be dipped out 
with a bowl, and strained through a cloth or fine hair- 
sieve, in order to save the small particles of curd, 
which may have escaped. The curd may now 
be slowly cut a second time, with the strokes of 
the knife at a considerable distance from each other, 
at first, and gradually quickened and brought nearer 
and nearer to each other until the whole mass is 
reduced to one degree of fineness. This operation 
may occupy from fifteen minutes to half an hour. 
The curd, being now sufficiently settled, can be 
placed over the whey-leads, or tub, in a basket or 
sieve, with a cloth over the bottom, in order to 
drain. It may then be put into the hoop, cylinder, 
or vat, and pressed down with the hand, then 
covered with the cheese-cloth and subjected to a 
Slight pressure for half an hour, when it may be 
taken out of the press, cut into slices, and put into 
a newly invented mill, over the tub, which will tear 
it into very small crumbs not much larger than a 
pin’s head. This mill is a great impiovf'inent for 
those who have large dairies, not only as it saves 
the dairy-maid the most laborious part of the pro¬ 
cess, that of rubbing and squeezing 'the curd into 
crumbs with her hands, but as it allows the oily 
particles to remain in the cheese, which her hands 
would squeeze out. The hoop, or vat, may now 
be filled with curd as compactly as can be done 
with the hand, being rounded up in the middle, 
just sufficient that the whole can be pressed in. 
The cheese-cloth may then be spread over the vat 
and moistened with a little hot water, which tends 
to harden the outside of the cheese and prevent it 
from cracking. The curd may now be turned out 
of the vat into the cloth, and the vat dipped into 
whey to wash away any crumbs that may cling to 
it. The inverted cloth containing the curd, can 
then be squeezed into the vat, folded over, tucked 
in, and the whole put into the press for two hours, 
with a gradual, though slight increase of pressure. 
Then, let the cheese be taken out, turned on a dry 
cloth, replaced in the vat, and subjected to an in¬ 
creased pressure, but not heavy, all of which ope¬ 
rations should be repeated three or four times in the 
course of the day, when it will be ready for salting. 
3. Salting, Pressing, and Drying the Cheese .—The 
salting of cheese should never be begun till the skin 
or rind is completely closed; for if there be any 
cracks in its surface, at the time of salting, they never 
will afterwards close; and if the curd be salted, 
when ground down before being put into the vat, 
the salt has the effect of giving a skin to each of 
the particles it comes in contact with, which will 
prevent them from intimately uniting, although the 
curd may be pressed together and form good cheese, 
yet it never will become a smooth, close, solid 
mass, like that which is salted after it is made, but 
is of a loose texture, crumbling when cut, with a 
brittle rind, which, when examined, appears as if 
formed of many irregular portions, like mosaic 
work. 
The salting may be performed by rubbing with 
the hand both the sides and edge of the cheese with 
finely powdered, St. Ubes, Cadiz, Liverpool, or 
Turk’s-Island, salt. After this, the cheese may be 
put back into the vat and subjected to gradual and 
increased pressure, repeating the turning three or 
four times in the course of the day. The operation 
of salting should be performed at intervals of twen¬ 
ty-four hours each, three or four times, according 
to the size of the cheese, care being observed to 
turn the cheese three or four times a day and in¬ 
creasing the pressure at every change. After the 
second salting, the cheese should be returned to 
the vat without the cloth, in order that the thread- 
marks may be effaced, and the cheese may acquire 
a smooth surface and a “ keenness of edge.” The 
quantity of salt to be used may vary from 2 to 3 b 
ounces to 1 lb. of curd. 
The next step to be taken, is, to wash the outside 
of the cheese in warm whey, wipe it dry, and put 
it on a shelf in the dairy, secure from flies, where 
it may remain a day or two, turning it over once in 
twelve hours. It may then be taken to the cheese- 
room, wiped and turned every day until it become 
sufficiently dry, which will ordinarily require from 
four to six weeks, when it will be ready for clean¬ 
ing. This may be done by scraping off all scurf 
