Part 2

RIPENING THE MILK.

The cheese is made by allowing the acid and rennet, or other curdling agent, to act simultaneously upon the milk. If great care has been used in the production and subsequent handling of the milk, the cheese may be made by adding rennet and allowing the milk to sour normally. A rather rapid development of acid is most desirable, as this tends to eliminate undesirable flavors, hastens the making process, and prevents losses of the curd. The lack of uniformity in ripening often requires a more definite means of controlling the acid fermentation, which may be accomplished by the use of a “starter.” THE USE OF STARTERS.

A “starter” is a quantity of milk that has soured and which contains large numbers of acid-forming bacteria. If the cheese is made in small quantities for home consumption, a starter is probably not advisable. The advantages of a starter over the natural souring are:

1. It hastens the coagulation of the milk.

2. It suppresses undesirable fermentations that may cause excessive losses of fat and curd.

3. It aids in suppressing undesirable flavors and produces more uniform cheese.

A starter of Bacillus bulgaricus may be used instead of the ordinary lactic-acid starter, but it is recommended only when there is a special demand for it.

STANDARDIZING THE MILK.

In making cream cheese for the market, milk testing about 6 per cent butterfat is most satisfactory. With 4 per cent milk available, if one-third of the quantity is run through a cream separator and the cream added to the remaining two-thirds, milk testing approximately 6 per cent is obtained. If the milk tests only 3 per cent it will be necessary to separate one-half of the quantity and add the cream to the remaining half. This method gives satisfactory results for home manufacture, but for more extensive operations it is advisable to use a Babcock tester in order to standardize the milk accurately.

The following diagram illustrates an easy method of determining the proportions of milk and cream of different per cent of fat needed to make up 6 per cent milk:

Cream and milk on hand. +-------------+ Proportions to be used. 34 per cent cream. | 6 per cent | 2 parts cream. |milk desired.| +-------------+ 4 per cent milk. 28 parts milk.

The desired per cent of fat in the milk, in this case 6, is placed in the center of the square. At the upper left-hand corner the per cent of fat in the available cream is placed, in this instance 34. Immediately below, in the lower left-hand corner, the per cent of fat in the available milk is placed, which in the instance cited is 4. Next subtract diagonally across the square the smaller from the larger numbers and place the differences in the upper and lower right-hand corners respectively. In the upper right-hand corner 2 represents the number of parts of 34 per cent cream, and in the lower right-hand corner 28 represents the number of parts of 4 per cent milk necessary to make 6 per cent milk. If it is desired to make up a definite quantity of 6 per cent milk, for example, 60 pounds, the procedure is as follows: 2 added to 28 makes a total of 30 parts of 6 per cent milk. The quantity of 34 per cent cream necessary is 2/30 × 60, or 4 pounds, while the quantity of 4 per cent milk is 28/30 × 60, or 56 pounds.

PASTEURIZATION.

It is not always practicable to pasteurize the milk to make cheese for home use, but if the cheese is to be marketed it is very desirable to do so. When milk is pasteurized for cheesemaking it becomes absolutely essential to use a “starter” to obtain uniform results. It is advisable, also, to use the milk as soon as possible after pasteurization. Ordinarily, pasteurization is accomplished by heating the milk in a pail, can, or vat to a temperature of 145° F., and holding at that temperature for 30 minutes, after which it should be quickly cooled to 80° F. before adding the starter for ripening. The advantages of pasteurization are as follows:

1. It destroys disease-producing organisms.

2. It tends to reduce losses and increase the yield.

3. It aids in eliminating undesirable flavors.

4. Quality of cheese is more nearly uniform from day to day.

MAKING THE CHEESE.

The process described is identical for Neufchâtel and cream cheese, except for a few minor differences which will be mentioned.

Setting.--Unless otherwise noted, 30 pounds, or about 3½ gallons of milk, is the unit used in these directions; that quantity can be handled conveniently in a shotgun can. For smaller quantities any enameled or heavily tinned pail is satisfactory.

If a starter is added, it is advisable to use a quantity equal to 1 or 1½ per cent of the milk; while smaller quantities may be used, the proportions suggested are usually the most satisfactory.

Neufchâtel is made from ordinary milk, while the cream cheese requires milk containing about 6 per cent of butterfat. Milk for Neufchâtel is warmed to 80° F., and one-half pint of starter is added and thoroughly stirred in with a long-handled spoon or milk agitator. Then 8 or 10 drops of commercial liquid rennet, diluted in half a cupful of cold water, is added to the mixture, thoroughly stirred, and the can of milk set away to coagulate at 80° F. Powdered pepsin, which is cheaper than rennet, may be used instead, in which case a quantity equal to one-half of a medium-sized pea, dissolved in a cupful of cold water, is used. Fresh junket tablets also may be substituted for rennet. One tablet is dissolved in 10 tablespoonfuls of cold water and 3 tablespoonfuls of the solution used. For cream cheese a slightly larger quantity of the curdling agent is desirable. For cream cheese the milk is warmed to 83° F., the process being the same in other respects. When starter is not used in making either kind of cheese, the process is unchanged except that after thoroughly stirring the milk it is set away, at the temperature described, for several hours before the rennet or other curdling agent is added.

After the milk has been set away to coagulate it should be kept as nearly as possible at the same temperature. Under normal conditions, after about 15 or 18 hours, about one-half inch of whey collects upon the surface of the curd or coagulum; on the top of the whey a scum of fine white curd particles sometimes collects. This formation of whey indicates a normal fermentation. When the fermentation is abnormal, the coagulum is more or less convex, puffed, or inflated, and there is little, if any, whey on the surface.

A gassy fermentation of the curd does not necessarily render a cheese unfit for consumption; but for best results, both as to flavor and economy in handling, that condition should be prevented. Under ideal conditions the milk usually begins to coagulate in the course of a few hours, but is allowed to stand undisturbed for from 15 to 18 hours. It is advisable to set it so that the curdling occurs during the night, and if the cans are not provided with covers they should be covered with a close-meshed cheesecloth in order to exclude dirt.

Draining.--After the setting period, when whey has collected upon the surface of the coagulum, or when the milk is firmly clabbered, the contents of the can or pail are poured upon a strong drain cloth. (See fig. 1.) The can may be shaken slightly before pouring, in order to loosen any curd which has a tendency to adhere to the sides or bottom. Unbleached cotton sheeting, which can be obtained in yard widths, has proved to be the most satisfactory material for drain cloths. For a small-scale operation the cloth may be thrown over a pail, can, or wash boiler and the ends tied securely about the draining receptacle. The curd or coagulum should remain undisturbed in the cloth for 3 or 4 hours, after which it should be worked toward the center of the cloth in order to hasten the draining and get it in better condition for handling. Drainage is allowed to continue until most of the visible whey has escaped and the curd appears rather dry as compared with its former mushy condition. Then the four corners of the cloth should be drawn diagonally across and tied. For home consumption, and especially when it is not cooled, the curd should be allowed to drain for a longer time before pressing.

Cooling the curd.--While the cooling of the curd is very desirable, it is not absolutely necessary. The object of cooling is to facilitate the more rapid expulsion of whey during pressing. Cooling also seems to harden the curd so that it does not pass so readily into the meshes of the drain cloth and thereby interfere with and retard the expulsion of the whey. The bags of curd are placed on ice, or cracked ice is placed about them and left for a few hours.

Pressing.--After cooling, several bags of the curd are piled together between two boards and a weight of 50 pounds placed on top. (See fig. 2.) Frequent rearrangement of the bags will hasten the process. After this weight has been left on the cheese overnight, the curd should be in flat cakes. For Neufchâtel it is preferable to press the curd from 30 pounds of milk until the pressed curd weighs 4½ pounds, while for cream cheese it should weigh about 5½ pounds. Special care should be taken in determining the yield of cheese in order to obtain a uniform quality from day to day, which can be done by weighing the curd. The manner and length of time of pressing determines, in a large measure, the texture of the cheese. By using a screw press the curd may become too dry and gummy, but under ordinary conditions there is little danger if improvised equipment is used. (See fig. 3.)