The instructor should pre-run the experiment because texture characteristics are quite dependent on the age of the cheese used. It is recommended that a medium Cheddar cheese be used. The easiest way to rig the beakers into a double-boiler arrangement is to set the large beaker over the Bunsen burner and use a stand and clamp to suspend the small beaker into the water in the large beaker. If a stand and clamp are not available, a length of wire wrapped around a small beaker just below the lip and hung over the edge of the large beaker will also work. Providing that the same batch of cheese is used, the students should see differences at least between the extremes of the emulsifier additions.
Phosphates also affect the flavor and texture as perceived by the taste testers.
It is recommended that the students not taste their product because of the lack of microbiological control and the possibility that the Na2HPO4 used is not of food quality. Your instructor will provide you with about 500 g of medium Cheddar cheese. If you don't have a blender, grate the cheese into a bowl. Divide the ground or grated cheese into five batches of approximately 100 g each. If you don't have a double boiler, ask your teacher to show you how to rig a double boiler arrangement with the beakers.