HOMEMADE CHEESE.

Even as late as a generation or two ago cheese of different kinds was made at home for family use, as sour-milk or cottage cheese still is, and cheese making was very generally a farm industry, cheese, like butter, being sold by the farmer who made it. Cottage cheese is very commonly homemade. Most types of cheese, however, are now as a rule made on a large scale in factories where advantage may be taken of labor-saving devices. The general topic of farm cheese making has been considered in an earlier bulletin of this series,[14]prepared by the Dairy Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Cheese curds and whey, an old-fashioned dish, which is often spoken of in accounts of life in earlier times, sometimes refers to sour-milk curd and sometimes to curd separated with rennet. This dish when made with rennet is much like junket and though far less common to-day than was once the case is wholesome and palatable.

This cheese is very commonly prepared in the home, and the process of making it is very simple. It consists merely of curdling the milk, separating the curd from the whey, seasoning, and pressing it.The curd is formed by the souring of the milk, and the process is hastened if the milk is kept warm, the best temperature being about blood heat, 96° F. A temperature much above this should be avoided, as the curd is likely to become hard andtough if much heated. The danger is usually not that the whole will be overheated but that the portion nearest the fire will be. In the old-fashioned kitchen there was usually a place where the milk could stand till it was uniformly warm throughout. With our present cooking arrangements it is often desirable to hasten the process. This may be done by setting the milk into a pan of warm water or by pouring hot water directly into the milk itself. The effect of the latter method is to remove much more of the acid than when the whey is left undiluted. Some consider this a great advantage.If, for any reason, the curd is overheated, it should be put through a meat chopper. This will insure cottage cheese of excellent texture.If the milk is thoroughly chilled before the whey is drained off it retains more of the fat than if this is done when warm. Under no circumstances, however, is much of the fat retained in cottage cheese. It is therefore more economical to make it out of skim milk and to add the fat to the curd in the form of butter or cream.Chopped parsley, caraway seeds, chopped olives, and pimiento may all be used for flavoring if such flavored cheese is preferred to plain cottage cheese.Cottage cheese[15]is most commonly consumed immediately, but if made in quantity for commercial purposes, it may be packed in tubs and placed in cold storage. Sometimes it is formed into rolls or blocks and wrapped in tinfoil when marketed. Such cheese is used without ripening.Though cottage cheese is usually made by allowing the milk to sour naturally, it is sometimes more convenient to curdle the milk by adding rennet, and some housekeepers have a preference for cottage cheese thus made, since the flavor is milder and the acid taste which it possesses when made from sour milk is lacking.

This cheese is very commonly prepared in the home, and the process of making it is very simple. It consists merely of curdling the milk, separating the curd from the whey, seasoning, and pressing it.

The curd is formed by the souring of the milk, and the process is hastened if the milk is kept warm, the best temperature being about blood heat, 96° F. A temperature much above this should be avoided, as the curd is likely to become hard andtough if much heated. The danger is usually not that the whole will be overheated but that the portion nearest the fire will be. In the old-fashioned kitchen there was usually a place where the milk could stand till it was uniformly warm throughout. With our present cooking arrangements it is often desirable to hasten the process. This may be done by setting the milk into a pan of warm water or by pouring hot water directly into the milk itself. The effect of the latter method is to remove much more of the acid than when the whey is left undiluted. Some consider this a great advantage.

If, for any reason, the curd is overheated, it should be put through a meat chopper. This will insure cottage cheese of excellent texture.

If the milk is thoroughly chilled before the whey is drained off it retains more of the fat than if this is done when warm. Under no circumstances, however, is much of the fat retained in cottage cheese. It is therefore more economical to make it out of skim milk and to add the fat to the curd in the form of butter or cream.

Chopped parsley, caraway seeds, chopped olives, and pimiento may all be used for flavoring if such flavored cheese is preferred to plain cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese[15]is most commonly consumed immediately, but if made in quantity for commercial purposes, it may be packed in tubs and placed in cold storage. Sometimes it is formed into rolls or blocks and wrapped in tinfoil when marketed. Such cheese is used without ripening.

Though cottage cheese is usually made by allowing the milk to sour naturally, it is sometimes more convenient to curdle the milk by adding rennet, and some housekeepers have a preference for cottage cheese thus made, since the flavor is milder and the acid taste which it possesses when made from sour milk is lacking.

When cream is to be made into cheese similar to cottage cheese, it should be drained without having previously been heated. The drainage is facilitated by moistening the cloth in salt water before the cream is poured in. The curd is formed either by souring or by the addition of rennet.

The French make cheese from sour milk without heating it. They pour the milk into earthen molds which have holes in the bottom. A very fine sieve may be used instead of the molds. The whey drips out and the curd assumes a custard-like consistency and takes the shape of the mold. When sufficiently stiff, the cheese is chilled, and is eaten with sweet cream and sugar. It is a staple dessert in many French families, especially in hot weather, and is delicious served with acid fruit, such as currants, or with strawberries.

If cottage cheese is made from sweet milk and rennet and served without breaking and separating the curd and whey, the dish is called junket. It is customary to season it a little, as with grated nutmeg or with cinnamon and sugar.

At the Wisconsin Experiment Station[16]a method has been devised for making a soft moist cheese out of buttermilk. When made on a large scale, as it might be in creameries, there are various precautions to be taken which are pointed out in the publication cited. In making it in small quantities, these precautions are unnecessary, and the method is even simpler than that of making cottage cheese, because the quality does not depend so much on the temperature.To make the buttermilk cheese, heat buttermilk gradually to about 130° or 140° F. Allow it to cool and strain it. As the curd will settle to the bottom, most of the whey may be poured off before the draining is begun.This cheese is, of course, almost wholly without fat and yet, probably because the particles of curd are very finely divided, it has a smooth consistency, which suggests the presence of fat. It may be served seasoned with salt only or it may be mixed with butter or cream and seasonings. It is suitable for combining with olives and pimientos, as recommended on page34, or for any use to which the ordinary cream cheeses are put.

To make the buttermilk cheese, heat buttermilk gradually to about 130° or 140° F. Allow it to cool and strain it. As the curd will settle to the bottom, most of the whey may be poured off before the draining is begun.

This cheese is, of course, almost wholly without fat and yet, probably because the particles of curd are very finely divided, it has a smooth consistency, which suggests the presence of fat. It may be served seasoned with salt only or it may be mixed with butter or cream and seasonings. It is suitable for combining with olives and pimientos, as recommended on page34, or for any use to which the ordinary cream cheeses are put.

This product also was devised by the Wisconsin Experiment Station.[17]By controlling the temperature in heating the buttermilk and not allowing it to go above 100° F., a compound is made which after draining has the consistency of a very thick cream. It is claimed by the station investigators that this “cream” is suitable for eating on bread in place of butter.The recipes on pages34and35suggest ways of making a salad dressing out of buttermilk cream.

The recipes on pages34and35suggest ways of making a salad dressing out of buttermilk cream.

Devonshire cream somewhat resembles sweet cream in flavor and consistency. It is very much liked in England, where it is commonly eaten with fresh or preserved fruit, but is not so well known in America.To make Devonshire cream, allow a pan of whole milk to stand for 24 hours in a cool place or for 12 hours in a warmer place. Place the pan on the cooler part of the stove and heat until the milk is very hot, but not to the boiling point. If heated too much a thick skin will form on the surface. The more slowly the milk is heated the better. Having been heated, the milk should be kept in a cool place for 24 hours and then skimmed. The thick cream obtained has a characteristic flavor and texture.

To make Devonshire cream, allow a pan of whole milk to stand for 24 hours in a cool place or for 12 hours in a warmer place. Place the pan on the cooler part of the stove and heat until the milk is very hot, but not to the boiling point. If heated too much a thick skin will form on the surface. The more slowly the milk is heated the better. Having been heated, the milk should be kept in a cool place for 24 hours and then skimmed. The thick cream obtained has a characteristic flavor and texture.

FOOTNOTES:[14]U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmer’s Bul. 166.[15]North Carolina Sta. Bul. 210.[16]Wisconsin Sta. Bul. 195.[17]Loc. cit.

[14]U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmer’s Bul. 166.

[15]North Carolina Sta. Bul. 210.

[16]Wisconsin Sta. Bul. 195.

[17]Loc. cit.

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