propagate it. This is done as follows:
_a._ Prepare, shortly before using, a quart jar or bottle and a teaspoon
according to the method described in paragraph 1.
_b._ Fill the jar or bottle with fresh skim milk and pasteurize by
heating to 175° F. and keeping at that temperature for 30 minutes.
_c._ Cool to 75° F. and add a teaspoonful of curdled milk or starter
described in paragraph 3, and set away to curdle.
_d._ Propagate the starter from day to day until one is found with
desirable qualities. In doing this repeat steps _a_, _b_, and _c_, but
in the last use the starter of the day before instead of that originally
mentioned in paragraph 3.
PASTEURIZATION
While for small-scale operations the pasteurization of milk may not
always be practicable, it permits a better control of the fermentations,
increases the yield of cheese, and renders the product safe from
disease-producing organisms. _If milk is pasteurized it is absolutely
necessary to use a vigorous starter for ripening._ Otherwise, great
difficulty is found in draining the curd, and as a result the cheese
probably is spoiled.
Skim milk is pasteurized for making cottage cheese by heating it in a
pail, can, or vat to a temperature of 145° F. and holding it at that
temperature for 30 minutes. The milk then is cooled quickly to 75° F.,
when it is ready for adding the starter.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.--Pouring curd upon draining cloth.]
MAKING THE CHEESE ON A LARGER SCALE
To make cottage cheese in considerable quantities and of good, uniform
quality, especially if it is to be sold, it is desirable to follow a
more exact method than that described for making small quantities for
home use.
_Setting_
For natural souring without starter, fresh skim milk is placed in a
clean pail or a “shotgun” can, covered, warmed to 75° F., and allowed to
stand at that temperature until curdled. The temperature can be
controlled by keeping the pail or can of milk in a tub, sink, or other
vessel filled with water at the same temperature.
When starter is used it is stirred into skim milk which has been warmed
to 75° F. (Fig. 2.) The vessel of milk then is covered and set away at
the same temperature to curdle. The quantity of starter used varies from
1 to 5 per cent; a pint for 3 or 4 gallons of milk usually gives good
results. By the use of a large quantity of starter it is possible to
ripen the milk and complete the making of the cheese in one day.
Probably it is more convenient, however, to set the milk with starter at
night, in which case the milk should be firmly clabbered by morning. For
obtaining a desirable coagulum or curd that is firm and not easily
broken into fine particles during heating, 75° F. seems to be the best
temperature. When the skim milk has coagulated into a firm, solid curd
which gives a sharply defined break as the finger is inserted, with whey
collecting at the break, the curd is ready for cutting.
_Cutting, Heating, and Stirring_
The coagulum, or curd, is cut crosswise into 2-inch squares, with a
long-bladed knife. The mixture then is heated quickly to 100° F. and is
maintained at that temperature for about 30 minutes. During the entire
heating process the curd is stirred with a spoon or a cream agitator
every four or five minutes. The object of these operations is to remove
the whey from the curd and to bring the product into a concentrated
form. The texture of the cheese is regulated in a large measure by the
manner of cutting, heating, and stirring the coagulum. Prolonged and
vigorous stirring of the mixture is undesirable, since it causes a
fine-grained curd which is slow in draining and has excessive curd
losses in the whey. Heating at too high a temperature results in a
tough, dry curd.
[Illustration: Fig. 4.--Raising and lowering draining cloth to hasten
draining.]
_Draining_
After heating, the mixture is poured upon a draining cloth, which is
fastened over a pail or a specially constructed rack, in order to
separate the curd from the whey. (See fig. 3.) The curd is allowed to
drain undisturbed for 15 or 20 minutes, because if handled during that
period it will tend to become mushy, a condition which renders the
removal of the whey very difficult. Later, every few minutes, the sides
of the cloth should be raised and lowered several times (as shown in
fig. 4), which hastens draining. Draining should continue until very
little whey separates upon standing, at which time the curd is rather
soft and smooth. It is then ready for salting.
_Salting_
For salting, the curd is placed in a pan or pail and salt added and
mixed uniformly into the curd with a butter ladle or a spoon. The usual
rate of salting is two heaping tablespoonfuls to 3¹⁄₂ gallons of milk,
or about 2¹⁄₂ ounces to 10 pounds of curd, although there is some
difference of opinion as to the quantity of salt needed. In case a scale
is lacking it is possible to approximate the salt when it is known that
a level tablespoonful of salt equals two-thirds of an ounce. Salt is
added to the cheese to increase its palatability and to a certain extent
to preserve it.
MAKING THE CHEESE WITH RENNET OR PEPSIN
Several advantages are found in making cottage cheese with rennet or
pepsin, as follows: