The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-30
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Faulty Cheese-How Avoided.

A correspondent who has dairy Of
twenty-seven cows, and who is making cheese
on the farm writes US that he is having some
trouble this fall IN getting his cheese down
firm and solid. SIT is disposed to be loose
and spongy, and what is the remedy ?" etc.
If detailed account of the method pur-
sued in manufacture were given, we should
be better able to point out faults and make
suggestions for their correction; but in the
absence of anything more definite than the
above, we should say that "the milk is made
up too sweet" During fall and spring, when
the weather is cool, milk is slow to take on
an acid condition, and where the manufac-
ture of cheese is carried on from day to day
the curds will require to lie longer time in
the vat than during summer. Not unfre-
quently the required acidity is not obtained for
several hours after the usual manipulation,
and if the curds be removed to the hoop be-
fore the acid is sufficiently developed, the
cheese will be loose and spongy and the whey
will not readily separate and pass off in press
ing. These spongy curds are of frequent oc
urrence during the change from hay to grass,
or from grass to hay, and the cheese. of
course, does not sell well in the market. The
remedy is to hasten acidity by the use of sour
whey. It may be added to the milk at the
time of putting in the rennet, or, later, when
the curds are scalding. Old cheese-makers,
who can judge very correctly as to the condi-
ton of the milk when ready to start heat~in
the morning, prefer to add sour IbsV at the
same time with the INT in case the
echeese-maker is rather Inexperienced, per-
haps it may be as well to use the sour whey
lie tne gSurds are scalding. No particular
Ian be given as TO the quantity to be
used, as this depends UPON the condition OF
the milk. If the milk is quite sweet, from one
to two gallons is not anfreauently used to
thirty gallons of milk. If used in the whey
while the curds are scalding, it can be added
in small quantities, from time to time, until
the required acidity is produced. This condi-
dition of the cCrds is best known-by applying
the hot-iron test. Take a handful of curd,
press out the whey, and bring it in contact
with piece of iron heated so that it will
''siss.' Then, on withdrawing the curd from
the iron, il small threads are formed, or, in
other words, if the curd "spins'' out into
threads, the acid is properly developed. The
threads should spin out from one-half to
three-qnarters of an inch in length.
The sour whey to be employed should have
been previously prepared as follows: Take
any quantity of sweet whey and raise it to
near boiling heat. The oil and albuminous
matter will then rise to the top and may be
skinned of. The whey thus freed from i'm
purities is set aside in cask or other con-
venient vessel until it becomes distinctly acid
when it is ready to be used.
In factories there is generally not so much
necessity for using sour whey in cheese-mak-
ing as there is at farm diaries, because the
milk, coming from different herds and carted
to the factory in cans, which is not always
perfectly sweet, will have tendency to start
well on toward acidity. When the acidity is
once begun, the subsequent heating and
manipulation of the milk and curds, hasten
its development, and hence in many factories
sour whey is not employed. In small fac
tories, however, when the milk is kept very
sweet, it is used with advantage.
Acidity in cheese-making is one of the
leading features of the cheddar process. Il
assists the curds to readily part with the
whey; it imparts solid texture to the
cheese, prevents porosity, and helps the
cheese to develop that sweet, nutty flavor SO
much sought after by our English customers.
A soft, spongy cheese does not readily part
with its moisture. The surplus whey which
remains in the cheese soon decomposes in
the curing process which the cheese under
goes, and gives the cheese bad flavor. So
well is this understood abroad that a porous,
spongy cheese is avoided, even though it may
be of good flavor at the time, because it is
known that such cheese cannot retain a
sweet flavor long, but must soon turn bad
and rot down.
The art of making good cheese depends
largely upon management in the development
OF acidity. If net carried far enough, the
cheese will be porous and fall into decay; il
carried too far, it will be hard and crumbly
but when tempered to the golden mean, we
have perfection of favor and long-keeping
qualities. The process can only be learned
by experience.
Enough perhaps has been said to guide our
correspondent in his operations, so as to cor
rect the fault complained of in his cheese,
and we trust our suggestions may help others
who may be laboring under difficulties similar
to those named.-Rural Neav Yorker.