The directions in this article were given by a practical amateur cheese-maker of Goshen, Conn., a place distinguished all over the nation for the finest butter and cheese.
Articles used in Making Cheese.
The articles used in making cheese are, a large tub, painted inside and outside, to hold the milk, a large brass kettle to heat it, a cheese basket, cheese hooks, cheese ladders, strainers of loose linen cloth, and a cheese press.
It is indispensable that all the articles used be first washed thoroughly, then scalded, and then dried thoroughly, before putting away.
Mode of Preparing the Rennet.
Do not remove any part of the curd that may be found in the rennet (which is the stomach of a calf), as it is the best part. Take out everything mixed with the curd in the stomach. Soak the rennet in a quart of water, then hang it to dry, where flies will not reach it, and keep the water bottled for use. Rennet differs in strength, so that no precise rule can be given for quantity, but say about half a tea-cup full to two pails of milk.
To Make Cheese.
Strain the milk into the tub, keeping in all the cream. Heat a portion, and then add it to the cold, till the whole is raised to 98° or 100° Fahrenheit; no more and no less. Then put in the rennet, stirring well, and take enough to have the curd form well in an hour. If it does not form well, more must be stirred in.
When the curd is formed, cut it in small checks to the bottom, and then break it gently with a skimmer, to make the whey separate. If this is not done gently, the milk runs off, the whey turns white, and the cheese is injured. The greener the whey, the better the cheese.
When the whey is separated, set the basket over the tub, spread the strainer over, and dip the curd into it, occasionally lifting the corners to hasten the draining.