MAKING SMALL CHEESE FOR HOME USE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 22 November 1924, Page 11

MAKING SMALL CHEESE FOR HOME USE.

MOULDS WHICH GIVE SATISFACTION.

To make small c-heese for home use farmers are advised by the expert to take perfectly sweet milk night and. morning, heat it to 80 deg. F., and add rennet at the rate, of four ounces a hundred gallons of milk; a. small quantity of colour should also be added, about 1 drachm to every 15 gallons of milk. Cut. the curd when firm into cubes about the size of a pea, and then heat it—-if a small quantity, by placing a bucket of hot water in the curd, stirring in gradually until the temperature reaches about 112 deg., and taking about 45 minutes to do so. Allow the curd to settle until it becomes firm with a. rubbery feel; then draw off the whey, and (when this is completed) stir the c-urd well with the hands to draw out the 'superfluous whey. A small quantity of salt should be mixed through the mass, say, at the rate of one ounce to 71b. of curd. The curd is then placed in moulds lined with cloth. These moulds are generally made of wood, such as kauri or red pine; they should be about 16 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. Shallow furrows should be scored with a saw on the inside of the moulds at intervals as shown, to allow the whey to escape more readily. When the curd is placed in the mould a, wooden folder slides easily into the mould and a brick is placed on the folder. The cheese should be on a wooden table. After about half an hour the mould should be turneo, and the weight and folder placed on the reverse side; turning should be done twice, at an interval of about half an hour the mould should be turned, and the weight and folder salted; this consists of rubbing a. small quantity of salt on the outside. Salting should be done for about three days, the cheese being turned each day. The cheese is kept in a cool place and turned daily until sufficiently ripe, which should be in about six weeks’ time.