Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-09-09
CHEESE.
How to Make 1t Preliminary Steps Be-
fore Adding the Rennet.

How to Make It Preliminary Steps Be-
fore Adding the Rennet.
In cheesemaking, as in every line Of
business, continual progress is the road
to success. / know of no better illus
tration to bring before cheesemaker
than bicycle riding. If one does not
keep on going, he will certainly and
quickly fall off. And in order to main
tain our reputation as cheesemakers we
must constantly strive to acquire a
knowledge of the best methods of
cheesemaking in order to improve the
quality of our cheese.
From my OWL experience in cheese
making l have found continual and
patient research necessary in order to
keep pace with the times and require
ments of the consumers.
The first important matter, which
we must consider, is the cleanliness of
our cheese factories. Everything in and
about the factory, from make room to
curing room, must be kept perfectly
clean and free from any offensive smells.
This is a very important matter. With
out attention to cleanliness in every de-
tail we cannot expect to be successful
in operations. Receiving the milk
is the next step in eheesemaking,
when the skill of the cheesemaker
is taxed more than at any other time
during the progress of the days work.
Great care must be exercised in receiv-
ing the milk, accepting none but that
which is pure and sweet, and free from
foul odors. He should use firmness in
rejecting all other milk, for if impure
milk is received an impure favored
cheese viii be the result.
When the milk is being received,
steam may be applied lightly to the vat
after the first few hundred pounds are
in. The heating should be done slowly,
until the temperature has reached IS
degrees F. The milk should be stirred
occasionally rrfil heated. When the
desired tempe ature is reached, the
steam should be turned OF and the
pipes conveying the steam to watts dis
connected. so that the temperature will
not 60 above Sc degrees. AT this point
the milk should be tested for acidity in
order to know its condition before add
ing the rennet.
The most practical test known is the
cup test. The instruments used in this
test are an ordinary teacup, holding
something over eight ounces. dram
glass and a spoon. The test is operated
as follows:
Take eight ounces of milk out of the
vat, measure dram of rennet, pour it
into the spoon, hold the spoon in the
right hand, Immediately over the cup,
holding your watch in your left hand.
When the second hand of the watch
touches any figure on the dial, drop the
rennet into the milk and stir rapidly
for ten seconds, so as to create whirl-
ing motion of the milk, keeping one eye
on the milk and the other on the watch,
counting the seconds which it takes to
coagulate. If it takes 80 or so seconds
to coagulate. the milk is not ready to
set and should be matured by letting it
stand until such time as the milk will
coagulate in about 30 seconds by the
test. The maturing or ripening of the
milk is very important matter in
cheesemaking, and the cup test is a
guide that will direct us all through
cheesemaking. The seconds on the
watch are known as degrees in the test
that is, degrees of acidity-20 seconds
being 90 degrees of acidfty. The milk
should be ripened to that degree every
day, SO as to insure uniformity of quail
ity in the cheese from day to day. The
test will be found valuable. even where
overripe milk has been received, as it
will tell us the exact condition of the
milk. / would not think of making
cheese without this test. A little prac-
tice is required to be able to operate it
quickly and successfully.
The milk being matured to the proper
degree of acidity, the rennet should be
added. -Address of Professor A. A.
Jory Of Canada.