The Book of Cheese Part 9

+121. Molding machinery.+--For work on a large scale, special power machines[37] are regularly used. These consist of a hopper and worm delivering a standard size stream of curd through a proper size and shape of delivery tube. This curd stream is cut by an automatic device into the proper lengths to form the standard cheese. In this way a uniform size of cheeses is obtained. Experimental work with hand apparatus showed that a worm six inches in diameter is required to deliver curd in a smooth column one and one-half inches square. If the pressure is not sufficient, the column will frill at the edges. Such irregular surfaces cannot be wrapped smoothly enough to delay spoilage.

On a small scale, a fair grade of product can be molded through a tin tube (see Fig. 15) one and three-quarters inches in diameter and ten inches long in which the curd is compressed by a close fitting plunger operated by hand.

+122. Milk for Neufchatel+ should be clean, free from gas and taint.

Such milk should preferably be not more than twelve hours old when received and in no case show higher than 0.20 per cent lactic acid by t.i.tration. Milk testing 4 per cent fat or higher will produce a higher quality of product than lower grade milk, although every grade from skimmed-milk to cream is used in producing some form of Neufchatel. This milk should be pasteurized unless shown to be free from tuberculosis by proper test of the cattle. Evidence[38] that the organism of tuberculosis will withstand the regular handling process for cheeses of this group and retain its ability to cause disease in experimental animals makes the introduction of pasteurization necessary in this whole group of cheeses. Any effective pasteurization may be used, but temperatures of 140-145 F. for thirty minutes have been effective with less changes in the milk than higher temperatures for shorter periods.

The milk should be cooled to curdling temperature and the starter and rennet added and stirred into the milk in bulk. The milk may then be quickly distributed into the curdling cans with a hose or from the gate valve of the mixing vat.

+123. Starter.+--To insure the development of a clean acid flavor, a small amount of lactic starter should be used. The quant.i.ty to use depends on the quality of the milk. With skimmed-milk, a pint for each thirty-pound can is recommended by Matheson and Cammack[39] and by Dahlberg. (See page 98.) For whole-milk Neufchatel, 2 c.c. to a thirty-pound can of milk commonly gives good results. On this basis 2 ounces of starter would be sufficient if properly stirred into about 1000 pounds of milk. Too slow development of acid is preferable to over-rapid souring.

+124. Renneting or setting.+--The milk should be cooled after pasteurizing to between 70 and 75 F. Rennet is added at the rate of 1/3 c.c. to a thirty-pound can (roughly 1/3 ounce to 1000 pounds). This will thicken the milk sufficiently in the first few hours to reduce the separation of the cream. For completion of the curdling and souring process, twelve to eighteen hours are required. Usually the cans stand overnight at uniform temperature. When ready to drain, the curd should be firm, smooth and mildly acid. Whey separating from it should not t.i.trate above 0.35 per cent t.i.trated as lactic acid.

+125. Draining.+--A cloth is spread over a draining rack and the contents of one "shot-gun" can poured upon the cloth with as little breaking as possible. In this way a large surface is exposed. The room must be kept wet to prevent the surface of the curd drying to form crusts which stop draining. A temperature of 60 F. is favorable to the maintenance of proper texture and humidity without the development of objectionable organisms, especially _Oidium lactis_, which tends to cover every exposed surface in such rooms. Draining may be hastened by turning the curd or changing the position of the cloth. In factory practice, the large draining surface reduces the necessity of handling the curd and reduces the loss of fat. About twelve hours are required upon the draining racks.

On a small scale with a few cans of curd in the home, any form of draining rack may be used, such as a potato or berry crate, or the corners of the cloth may be brought together, tied and the ma.s.s hung up.

The curd must be turned by pulling up the corners of the cloth to prevent drying at the edges and stoppage of draining from the center of the ma.s.s. Such treatment produces much more rapid drainage than the factory practice and involves proportionately more labor and larger fat losses.

+126. Cooling Neufchatel.+--When whey ceases to separate readily, the corners of the cloth are loosed from the rack, folded diagonally or tied, and the curd cooled on ice or in refrigerators. When thoroughly chilled the bags of curd are put into presses, where light but increasing pressure forces more whey out of the ma.s.s. Tests at this time should show about 0.60 per cent acid in the whey. With low-fat curd every step of the process may be hastened, but with high-fat care must be exercised to prevent loss of fat during pressing especially. Any pressing device permitting continuous pressure with ease of manipulation may be used.

+127. Pressing.+--The ideals of the maker must determine the extent of pressing. A high yield is obtained by leaving whey in the curd. If immediate consumption is certain, such cheese may be satisfactory, but if the cheese is to be held some days the extra whey carrying more milk-sugar favors increased acid development. This produces very sour cheese with much more danger of other fermentations which cause objectionable flavor. Too much water favors more active bacterial growth as well as produces cheese too soft for the necessary handling in the market.

In the press, several bags of curd may be piled together. The press should be released and the bags turned from time to time to insure even drainage. Several hours of pressing are usually required. The danger of insufficient pressing is due to the difference of texture between the worked and unworked curd. Before working, curd carrying 10 per cent excess moisture resembles the finished product sufficiently to deceive any but the experienced maker. But if this curd is transferred to the worker and to the molding machine, it is found to become soft, pasty and sticky, to lack "body," hence to make very unsatisfactory packages and to spoil very quickly. The ma.s.ses of curd should come out of the press as dry and hard flat cakes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 16.--Working Neufchatel.]

+128. Working and salting Neufchatel.+--The cakes of curd go from the press to the working table. Here they are broken by hand or by a b.u.t.ter-worker or kneading machine (Fig. 16). Salt at the rate of one and one-half pounds to 100 pounds of curd is added. If the curd is not sufficiently pressed, the ma.s.ses become mushy or pasty during the working process. The working is continued until the whole ma.s.s is uniformly smooth and b.u.t.tery.

+129. Storage.+--The draining and working processes permit the contamination of the curd with organisms from the air and from the apparatus. These are distributed throughout the ma.s.s. Air is also worked thoroughly into the curd. Such a product spoils quickly. Distributing houses find the Neufchatel trade uncertain in volume from day to day, hence many of them store the cheese in bulk and package only fast enough to fill orders. This minimizes the loss due to spoilage. Such curd may be packed into tubs and kept for considerable time in cold storage. If molded for the retail trade, it is more quickly perishable. When packed solidly in ma.s.s, curd is largely protected from spoilage by the exclusion of air and perhaps the quick exhaustion of free oxygen through the respiration of the micro-organisms present and by its acidity. This must be supplemented by low temperature to reduce the loss to a minimum.

Even when spoilage begins, it is easily confined to the slight growth of _Oidium lactis_ or green mold and bacteria on exposed areas. These can be removed with minimum loss and damage to the ma.s.s. On the other hand, such curd molded into the commercial package of 3 to 6 ounces and wrapped in paper, with tin-foil or carton for protection, still presents enormously increased surface for the growth of aerobic forms--especially _Oidium lactis_, green mold (Roquefort mold is the usual green species) and accompanying bacteria. Curd in tubs may be kept some days; in commercial packages lowering of quality (flavor) begins almost at once.

+130. Molding.+--When the standard molding machine (Fig. 17) is provided, curd is brought directly from the refrigerator to the machine.

If permitted to become warm, the ma.s.s becomes sticky; when cold it is more readily handled. The machine is fitted with the special delivery tube for the variety to be handled, cylindrical for Neufchatel in its various forms, rectangular in section for cream. Enough workers should be provided to wrap and label the cheese without leaving it exposed to contamination or heat. Parchment paper and tin-foil cut the proper size for each variety and bearing printed labels are readily obtainable. Each cheese should be wrapped with paper and tin-foil and put directly into a flat box which holds a standard number (usually 12 or 24) of the special product.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 17.--Molding Neufchatel.]

In working with the hand molding tube (Fig. 15) the same care is required. Chilled curd is forced into a firm smooth ma.s.s with the plunger. It is removed and wrapped when it reaches the regular size of the variety.

All forms when molded go directly into the boxes and then back to the refrigerators until demanded for actual use. The details of the process differ according to the form made.

+131. Skimmed-milk Neufchatel.+--Separator skimmed-milk is frequently made into curd by the Neufchatel process. The absence of fat eliminates the largest element of loss in manufacture. Each stage of the making process, therefore, may be shortened. The demand that the curd shall be smooth and b.u.t.tery in texture rather than rough or gritty requires the exercise of care in curdling of milk. The draining and pressing of the curd may be accomplished much more rapidly than in the fatty cheeses.

The final product should differ from cottage cheese in smoother texture, milder acidity and, as a rule, cleaner flavor. In composition, the absence of fat must be largely compensated by leaving more water in the cheese. Such a product reaches the market with 65 to 75 per cent of water and perhaps 1.25 per cent of salt. Casein forms 20 to 30 per cent of the ma.s.s.

These cheeses are very perishable on account of their high water-content. The destructive effect of microorganisms both in the interior of the cheese and upon its surface is rapid.

Cheeses of this description may be found in the trade as cottage cheese, Neufchatel style, and as Neufchatel made from skimmed-milk; skimmed-milk Neufchatel would be a strictly proper labeling.

+132. Baker's cheese.+--There is considerable market for skimmed-milk curd as Baker's cheese. This product is essentially skimmed-milk Neufchatel curd, partially drained and sold in bulk. When the bakery is near by, the curd is frequently shoveled into milk-cans in very wet condition and sent directly from the factory to the bakery. If the distance is such as to require considerable time for transportation, the same care is frequently given as for Neufchatel curd packed in bulk for storage and transportation.

Great variations in practice are found among the makers of this type of product. In some cases low grade skimmed-milk is handled on a large scale. Curdling is done quickly and little care is given to the details of flavor and texture in the curd. Working in this manner, two men are able to make a ton of such curd, and ship it out in milk-cans each day.

The resulting product, although very deficient in flavor and texture, goes into manufactured specialties which conceal its deficiencies if considered as cheese.

+133. Domestic Neufchatel.+--The name Neufchatel, unless limited clearly by the label, should designate a cheese made from fresh whole milk.

Cheeses of this group are produced in a small number of well-equipped factories scattered widely through the dairy states of the North and Northeast. Every factory uses one or more trade names for its product.

The same product is frequently relabeled by the distributor who uses his own trade name instead of that of the maker.

The usual form of package is cylindrical, about 1 inches in diameter and 2 inches long, or sometimes rectangular 2 by 1 by 1 inches. The cheese is protected by wrapping in parchment paper closely surrounded by tin-foil. These packages vary from 2 to 4 ounces. In some cases screw-topped gla.s.s jars are subst.i.tuted for the tin-foil package. They are objectionable, first, because of cost and, second, because they are so commonly a.s.sociated with less perishable products as to mislead either dealer or consumer into holding the product for too long a time. The paper or tin-foil package can be kept only at refrigerator temperature, hence automatically keeps its possessor reminded of the perishable nature of its contents.

Neufchatel of the best quality made from whole milk testing about 4 per cent fat may be expected to fall within the following limits;[40] many grades contain more water than this at the expense of flavor and keeping quality:

Water 50-55 per cent Fat 23-28 per cent Casein 18-21 per cent Salt 0.5-1.25 per cent Yield 12-14 lb. per 100 lb. of milk.

+134. Partially skim Neufchatel.+--Brands of Neufchatel made from milk that would test every gradation from whole milk to separator skimmed-milk may be found. The quality of the product varies with the skill of the maker from brands no better than cottage cheese to products scarcely distinguishable from the best whole-milk Neufchatel. Many factories that produce more than one quality of Neufchatel use labels of different color, different design or both to separate them; for example, blue labels usually stand for whole milk, red labels represent lower grades. Sometimes the difference in material is indicated by a clear cut grade mark. Frequently color, a design of label or both are the only definite marks upon the cheese. The consumer unfamiliar with the trade practice commonly has no means of knowing the quality of the product offered. Such cheeses vary in water-content from 55 to 70 per cent; in fat from 10 to 25 per cent; in casein from 18 to 25 per cent.

+135. Cream cheese.+--The Neufchatel process is also used to make cream cheese. The material utilized is commonly what has been called double cream. This is produced by separating about half of a given volume of milk and running the cream into the other half. Usually cream cheese is made in the same factory as various grades of Neufchatel. No material is lost. In some instances, cream cheese is prepared by working thick cream into the Neufchatel type of curd from practically skimmed-milk. In working with high percentages of fat in curd, care must be taken to avoid loss of fat in draining and pressing. The curd is carefully chilled before pressing to reduce this loss. This may be done under refrigeration or upon cracked ice. Otherwise the manipulations of the process are unchanged. The cheeses are commonly molded in the Neufchatel machine into square cakes weighing about 4 ounces and measuring approximately 3 by 2 by 7/8 inches. These are wrapped in paper and tin-foil and handled exactly as Neufchatel.

Cream cheese of high quality made from reenforced milk testing 7 to 9 per cent fat may be expected to test approximately as follows:[41]

Water 38-43 per cent Fat 43-48 per cent Protein 13-16 per cent Salt 0.5-1.25 per cent Yield 16-18 lb. per 100 lb. of cream.

Increases of water, hence greater yields, are very common but usually a.s.sociated with loss in quality both as to flavor and texture, and in more rapid spoilage; certain brands regularly carry 50 to 60 per cent of fat but their increased cost of manufacture and sale restricts them to the role of specialties with closely limited distribution. Trade names such as Philadelphia Cream, Cow Brand, Eagle Brand, Square Cream, Blue Label and many other factory brands are on the market.

+136. Neufchatel specialties.+--Neufchatel or cream cheese curd is frequently mixed with some flavoring substance, such as pimiento (pickled Spanish peppers), olives, nuts, spices or other cheeses, such as Roquefort. These bear appropriate trade names and form a very attractive addition to our varieties of cheese. Among the names found are Pimiento, Olive, Nut, and Pim-olive or Olimento.

+137. Gervais+ is a brand of cream cheese made in Paris and sold widely in France and even in other continental countries. It occasionally comes to America. As made in Paris, these cheeses are flat cakes containing approximately 40 per cent water and 35-45 per cent fat. It clearly differs only in detail from the square cream cheeses made in America.

The name Gervais is the property of a particular company. Since the cheese differs in no essential feature from other cream cheeses, this name should not be applied to a domestic cream brand.

+138. European forms occasionally imported.+--Among the cheeses related to Neufchatel as they reach the market are the "White" cheeses of southern Europe. These differ greatly in quality according to their source and to their content of cow, sheep, goat's milk or some combination of these. This texture and flavor link them with unripened Neufchatel. The time required for importation puts a minimum possible period of ten to fifteen days between production and consumption with a probable period of at least one month for most samples. As they come to America, these forms usually show fermentive changes beyond those tolerated in the domestic product. This may take either of several forms: (1) intensification of acid flavor with the intensification of the characteristic flavors of the particular brand; (2) the development of old or rancid flavors; (3) the development of Oidium and partial softening of the ma.s.s through its agency; (4) the growth of Roquefort mold and development of the flavor a.s.sociated with that organism. This last form was found in a shipment of Hungarian Briuse which showed about 40 per cent fat, 14 per cent protein and 43 per cent water.

CHAPTER VIII

_SOFT CHEESES RIPENED BY MOLD_

The ripened soft cheeses include a series of groups of varieties which, in addition to initial souring, have been subjected to special ripening processes, and which in the ripened condition are soft in texture and mostly have high flavors. The varieties in each group have in common some essential principles of manufacture together with a ripening process dominated by a characteristic group of organisms. In certain groups, the ripening is dominated by a yellowish or orange viscid surface slime containing _Oidium lactis_ and bacteria; in another series, the characteristic organism is a mold of the genus Penicillium (_P. Camemberti_). Referring to the a.n.a.lysis of groups (page 83), the ripened soft cheeses are found to fall into three well-marked groups, one of which may perhaps be subdivided as indicated. The series curdled by souring alone begins with approximately cottage cheese curd and develops high flavors by ripening, as in "hand" cheese. Ripened Neufchatel curdled by souring and rennet together finds its basis in Neufchatel curd also but modifies the final product until the familiar flavor and texture of the unripened form are no longer recognizable.

Among the forms curdled by rennet alone the Camembert series contains one form, Coulommiers, which is occasionally used unripe, but represents in general a mold-ripened group of highly flavored forms. The series of soft rennet cheeses ripened by bacteria may be broadly designated the Limburger group.

+139. Hand cheese and its allies.+--Among skim cheeses, there is a series of forms largely German in origin in which curd not far removed from cottage cheese is the basis of the product. Harz cheese is one of the best-known of these forms as studied by Eckles and Rahn.[42] One of these forms, hand cheese,[43] is manufactured on a commercial basis in farm dairies among families of German descent princ.i.p.ally in Pennsylvania, and on a factory basis in a few places in New York, northern Illinois and Wisconsin. On the small scale, curd is made by natural souring or by use of starter, heated to expel water, cooled and molded by hand into cakes two to three inches in diameter and one-half to three-quarters inch in thickness. The freshly formed cakes are placed upon a shelf to dry. There they are turned daily until fairly firm, then packed in rolls into wooden boxes and ripened in a cool damp room. In this ripening there is a prompt development of a heavy viscous slime, which consists of Oidium and bacteria. Other molds forming loose cottony mycelium are brushed off if they appear. The proper consistency of this slimy covering depends on a close adjustment of water-content in the cheese with temperature and relative humidity in the ripening room. If conditions are too dry, the cheeses harden quickly or if less dry they are attacked by green or blue-green molds. If too wet, the slimy covering becomes too soft and watery, or secondarily covered with loose shimmering ma.s.ses of mold (Mucor sp.). Ripening should proceed slowly and occupy a period of six to eight weeks.

+140. Pennsylvania pot cheese.+--A form of "pot" cheese is made in certain counties of Pennsylvania, princ.i.p.ally for local use. Production of this cheese on a factory basis is now being attempted. The steps in manufacture are about as follows:[44] (1) The home-made type of cottage cheese curd is prepared, put into a crock or pot and covered carefully; (2) kept in a warm place (in kitchen usually); (3) stirred from time to time, until it has ripened to a semi-liquid condition. This occurs very rapidly under the attack of _Oidium lactis_ accompanied by bacteria.

Within a period of three to seven days, according to the temperature and to the water-content of the ma.s.s, the granules of curd become covered with a wrinkled gelatinous almost viscid ma.s.s of mold mycelium beneath which is a layer of semi-liquid curd with a strong characteristic odor and taste. This ripened or semi-liquid part reaches about half the total ma.s.s in four or five days at favorable temperatures. (4) The vessel is then placed in a larger vessel of water and heated over the fire with constant stirring until the whole ma.s.s is melted and smooth. (5) b.u.t.ter or cream, and salt or other flavor is finally added, stirred in and the liquid cheese poured into molds or jelly gla.s.ses to cool. If properly made and cooked, the resultant cheese has a soft b.u.t.tery consistency with an agreeable flavor, which frequently resembles that of Camembert cheese.

+141. Appet.i.tost (Appet.i.te cheese).+--A Danish b.u.t.termilk cheese is made under this name. Sour b.u.t.termilk is heated, by some to boiling temperature but others (Monrad[45]) prefer 120 F., stirred thoroughly and allowed to settle. The whey is removed as far as possible. The semi-liquid ma.s.s is covered and set in a warm place. Fermentation becomes active. This tends to make the curd more viscous or sticky. It is then kneaded and allowed to ferment again. This process is repeated until the ma.s.s is yellowish and soft but tough or viscous. When thoroughly fermented, the ma.s.s is again heated to 120 F., and 6 per cent salt is added together with spice; both are worked in and the cheese is formed into fancy shapes for sale.

+142. Ripened Neufchatel, French process.+--Neufchatel as a ripened cheese is made rather widely in France but it is produced on an especially large scale in Seine-Inferieure.[46] Some factories use whole milk, or milk with added cream, others skimmed-milk.[47] The whole-milk brands of Neufchatel are those which have the widest reputation. For making this cheese, the working room is held as closely as possible at 15-16 C. (58-60 F.). The milk is strained into earthen vessels holding twenty liters. Rennet is added to the freshly drawn milk at about 30 C.

(86 F.) in amount sufficient to produce coagulation in about twenty-four hours. Draining racks of various forms are covered with cloth. The vessels of curd are dumped upon the racks. The whey separates slowly and drains off through the cloth. About twelve hours are allowed for this process. The corners of the cloth are then brought together and folded in or tied and the ma.s.s pressed to complete the drainage. The finished curd is worked or kneaded to produce a smooth and uniform texture. This process of curd-making is essentially the same as the American factory process of making Neufchatel. The ripening process has been entirely dropped in America. The curd is finally molded in metal forms 5 cm. (2 inches) in diameter and about 6.7 cm. (about 3 inches) high, open at both ends. These molds are filled, the freshly formed cheeses are pressed out with a plunger or piston and their surfaces smoothed with a wooden knife.