Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-07-20

table dainty. Yet, as Is stated by DIR.
L. l.. Van Slyke and r. r. Hart in a
bulletin recently issued by the New
York experiment station, it is doubtful
if many of the producers could give
more than a superficial account of what
takes place in the process of making
this form of cheese. 1t is, however, ono
of the simplest of our chooses and con-
sists mainly of two substances. water
and casein dilactatc. The latter is ono
of the two chemical compounds, or
salts. resulting from the union OF
casein. in the milk with Tactic acid
formed by bacterial fermentation OF
milk sugar Good cottage cheese
should have a soft. smooth texture, be-
ing neither mushy. dry nor sawdust
like. Such texture will accompany Il
moisture content of 70 to Is per cent.
The flavor should be that of a mildly
Soured milk or wcll-ripened cream, with
an entire absence of bitter taste. ia
vcr of stable. or other Objectionable
qualities. Such flavor may usually ba
secured by the use of good starter.
but if too much whey is retained, the
cheese may be sour. Flavor and tex
ture are quite closely connected, at this
point for slow draining curd is LA
bic to result in poor teXtured and poor
favored cheese.
The various steps in making cottage
cheese may be summarized as follows:
Use skimmill1 rather than whole milk.
to avoid loss of fat. To secure proper
flavor and speedy souring. add small
amount of a good starter. This starter
xIn
milk. separated from the cream and
placed in a carefully cleaned recepta-
Gle, well covered and brought to Il tenn
pcrature Of 90 degrees. and then allowed
to stand from 90 to "A hours at a tenn
pcrature of from 65 to 20 degrees. The
upper portion of this should be dis
carClcd and the amount needed straine
through fine strainer or nair sieve AMI
thoroughly mixed with the milk from
which cheese is to be made the next
day. a portion may also be used in
preparing starter for the next day.
but as soon as any unfavorablc effect
is noticed, new starter should be pre-
narcd. Several good and convenient
commercial starters are on the market
for use, of which directions accompany
each package. If it is thought best to
hasten the curdling. rennet extract may
be added about eight hours after the
starter has been introduced, using one
ounce of rennet extract for 1000 pounds
of milk.
The milk should be kept at a temper
ature of from 20 to IS degrees until we'll
curtiled, often in "a hours, sometimes
not until As hours. The curdled mass is
broken up by hand or by curd knife,
raised gradually to 80 degrees, taking
90 to 40 minutes in the process. The
whey should then separate clear in Is
to 20 minutes, after which it is run from
the curd, and the latter placed in mus
lin bags or on racks to drain. When
whey ceases to come from the curd,
salt is added to taste, or at the rate of
about pound for 100 pounds of cheese.
The curd is then formed into balls and
wrapped in oiled paper, which may be
obtained from any dairy supply house.
For the finest quality of cheese, thick
cream, preferably ripened cream,
should be added at the rate of about
an ounce for one pound of cheese. be-
fore the cheese is made into balls.