TABLE XIX
Showing the Variation of Losses in Weight of CheddarCheese while Curing, Due to Size of Cheese and Temperatureof Curing-Room | |||
| Weight of Cheese in Pounds | Weight Lost per 100 Pounds of Cheese in 20 Weeks at | ||
| 40° F. | 50° F. | 60° F. | |
70 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 4.2 |
| 45 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 5.1 |
| 35 | 3.9 | 5.9 | 8.5 |
| 12½ | 4.6 | 8.1 | 12.0 |
The higher the moisture-content of the cheese, usually the more rapid is the evaporation. This is due to several causes: there is more moisture to evaporate; the moisture is not so well incorporated; a moist cheese does not form so good a rind.
249.Paraffining[121] consists of dipping the cheese in melted paraffin at a temperature of about 220° F. for six seconds. Fig. 54 shows an apparatus for paraffining. This leaves a very thin coat of paraffin on the cheese; at a lower temperature, a thicker coat would be left. The thicker coating is more liable to crack and peel off. If the cheese is not perfectly dry before it is treated, the paraffin will blister and crack off.
Before a cheese is paraffined, the press cloth is removed and also the starched circles, if loose. After a cheese has been paraffined, if the coating is not broken, the loss due to evaporation is greatly reduced. The amount of paraffin to coat a 35-pound cheese will depend on the temperature of the paraffin and the length of time the cheese is immersed. Usually at 220° F. it requires about 0.15
Fig. 54.—A paraffiner for cheese. of a pound for each 35-pound cheese. After the cheeses have been paraffined, they may be left on the curing-room shelves or boxed ready to ship.
250. Shipping.—When ready to ship, each cheese should be carefully and accurately weighed and boxed. Usually these cheeses are boxed after being paraffined. If press cloths are left on the cheese in the curing-room, they should be removed just before weighing. These cloths should not be left in a pile in the factory after being removed as they have been known to heat and sometimes cause fires. They should be washed clean and dried ready for use again. If starched circles are used, they should be left on the cheese. A scale board should be placed on each end of the cheese to prevent its sticking to the box and also to keep the box from wearing the surface of the cheese.
The box should be a trifle larger in diameter than the cheese so that the latter can be easily placed in it. The sides of the box should be the same height as the cheese.
The weight of each cheese should be neatly and accurately marked on each box. Care should be exercised to keep the boxes clean.