. Cyclopedia of farm animals. Domestic animals; Animal products. 212 THE MAKING OF CHEDDAR CHEESE it becomes firm, it is obviously important, for the sake of uniformity, to have the curd cut or broken as evenly as possible. If the milk is over-ripe, it is an advantage to cut the curd somewhat finer than if the conditions are normal. Some makers follow the practice of allowing the curd to stand for a few minutes between the two cuttings, while others finish the work when once begun, without any delay. Heating the curd. After the cutting is finished, stirring should begin, being very gentle at f
. Cyclopedia of farm animals. Domestic animals; Animal products. 212 THE MAKING OF CHEDDAR CHEESE it becomes firm, it is obviously important, for the sake of uniformity, to have the curd cut or broken as evenly as possible. If the milk is over-ripe, it is an advantage to cut the curd somewhat finer than if the conditions are normal. Some makers follow the practice of allowing the curd to stand for a few minutes between the two cuttings, while others finish the work when once begun, without any delay. Heating the curd. After the cutting is finished, stirring should begin, being very gentle at first else the bruising of the curd, in its tender state, will cause serious loss of the solid constituents. After ten or fifteen minutes of careful handling, the curd becomes firmer and the freshly cut surfaces more or less " healed over," so that the stirring can be proceeded with more vigorously. As a matter of fact, it is necessary to accelerate the stirring as the heating progresses, because, as the curd becomes firmer and more solid, its density is increased and there is more tendency to settle and pack in a mass in the bottom of the vat. Toward the end of the heating period, which should cover about forty minutes,—at the rate of one degree every three minutes,—stirring cannot be too vigorous. The "cooking" temperature, so-called, requires to be varied according to localities and the char- acter of the milk. In some places it has been found necessary to raise the temperature as high as 108° to 110° Fahr. in order to get the curd sufficiently firm and to expel a proper amount of moisture, while in other districts much better results are obtained at a temperature of 96°. A very common rule is to fix 98° as the standard temperature and then to vary it according to circumstances. The maker must use his own judgment in matters of this kind. If he finds that his cheese is turning out too firm and dry, a lower cooking temperature will have some effect
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