The process described is identical for Neufchâtel and cream cheese,
except for a few minor differences which will be mentioned.
_Setting._--Unless otherwise noted, 30 pounds, or about 3½ gallons
of milk, is the unit used in these directions; that quantity can be
handled conveniently in a shotgun can. For smaller quantities any
enameled or heavily tinned pail is satisfactory.
If a starter is added, it is advisable to use a quantity equal to 1
or 1½ per cent of the milk; while smaller quantities may be used, the
proportions suggested are usually the most satisfactory.
Neufchâtel is made from ordinary milk, while the cream cheese requires
milk containing about 6 per cent of butterfat. Milk for Neufchâtel is
warmed to 80° F., and one-half pint of starter is added and thoroughly
stirred in with a long-handled spoon or milk agitator. Then 8 or 10
drops of commercial liquid rennet, diluted in half a cupful of cold
water, is added to the mixture, thoroughly stirred, and the can of milk
set away to coagulate at 80° F. Powdered pepsin, which is cheaper than
rennet, may be used instead, in which case a quantity equal to one-half
of a medium-sized pea, dissolved in a cupful of cold water, is used.
Fresh junket tablets also may be substituted for rennet. One tablet
is dissolved in 10 tablespoonfuls of cold water and 3 tablespoonfuls
of the solution used. For cream cheese a slightly larger quantity of
the curdling agent is desirable. For cream cheese the milk is warmed
to 83° F., the process being the same in other respects. When starter
is not used in making either kind of cheese, the process is unchanged
except that after thoroughly stirring the milk it is set away, at the
temperature described, for several hours before the rennet or other
curdling agent is added.
After the milk has been set away to coagulate it should be kept as
nearly as possible at the same temperature. Under normal conditions,
after about 15 or 18 hours, about one-half inch of whey collects upon
the surface of the curd or coagulum; on the top of the whey a scum of
fine white curd particles sometimes collects. This formation of whey
indicates a normal fermentation. When the fermentation is abnormal,
the coagulum is more or less convex, puffed, or inflated, and there is
little, if any, whey on the surface.
A gassy fermentation of the curd does not necessarily render a cheese
unfit for consumption; but for best results, both as to flavor and
economy in handling, that condition should be prevented. Under ideal
conditions the milk usually begins to coagulate in the course of a few
hours, but is allowed to stand undisturbed for from 15 to 18 hours. It
is advisable to set it so that the curdling occurs during the night,
and if the cans are not provided with covers they should be covered
with a close-meshed cheesecloth in order to exclude dirt.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--Pouring the curd into the drain cloth.]
_Draining._--After the setting period, when whey has collected upon
the surface of the coagulum, or when the milk is firmly clabbered, the
contents of the can or pail are poured upon a strong drain cloth. (See
fig. 1.) The can may be shaken slightly before pouring, in order to
loosen any curd which has a tendency to adhere to the sides or bottom.
Unbleached cotton sheeting, which can be obtained in yard widths, has
proved to be the most satisfactory material for drain cloths. For a
small-scale operation the cloth may be thrown over a pail, can, or
wash boiler and the ends tied securely about the draining receptacle.
The curd or coagulum should remain undisturbed in the cloth for 3 or 4
hours, after which it should be worked toward the center of the cloth
in order to hasten the draining and get it in better condition for
handling. Drainage is allowed to continue until most of the visible
whey has escaped and the curd appears rather dry as compared with its
former mushy condition. Then the four corners of the cloth should be
drawn diagonally across and tied. For home consumption, and especially
when it is not cooled, the curd should be allowed to drain for a longer
time before pressing.
_Cooling the curd._--While the cooling of the curd is very desirable,
it is not absolutely necessary. The object of cooling is to facilitate
the more rapid expulsion of whey during pressing. Cooling also seems to
harden the curd so that it does not pass so readily into the meshes of
the drain cloth and thereby interfere with and retard the expulsion of
the whey. The bags of curd are placed on ice, or cracked ice is placed
about them and left for a few hours.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--An improvised cheese press.]
_Pressing._--After cooling, several bags of the curd are piled together
between two boards and a weight of 50 pounds placed on top. (See fig.
2.) Frequent rearrangement of the bags will hasten the process. After
this weight has been left on the cheese overnight, the curd should be
in flat cakes. For Neufchâtel it is preferable to press the curd from
30 pounds of milk until the pressed curd weighs 4½ pounds, while for
cream cheese it should weigh about 5½ pounds. Special care should be
taken in determining the yield of cheese in order to obtain a uniform
quality from day to day, which can be done by weighing the curd. The
manner and length of time of pressing determines, in a large measure,
the texture of the cheese. By using a screw press the curd may become
too dry and gummy, but under ordinary conditions there is little danger
if improvised equipment is used. (See fig. 3.)
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--A screw press.]
_Working and salting._--After having been properly pressed the cakes of
curd are salted and worked with a potato masher or butterworker, or run
through a food chopper to produce a smooth, buttery consistence.
Fine, dry salt is sprinkled over the curd at the rate of about 2 or 2½
ounces to 10 pounds of curd, or about two level tablespoonfuls to the
curd from 30 pounds of milk. (See fig. 4.) The quantity of salt may
be varied to suit the individual taste; the quantities recommended,
however, usually give the best satisfaction. If the curd is worked
with a potato masher the addition of salt aids in obtaining the proper
smoothness of the cheese.
When cheese is made for home consumption it may be placed in a glazed
crock or porcelain dish immediately after salting and held at a
temperature as near 50° F. as possible until consumed. Under favorable
conditions it will keep in good condition for from 6 to 12 days. When
cheese is kept a few days at a temperature of 60° to 70° F., it will
become disagreeably sour. It is most palatable immediately after it is
made, for then it is fresh, soft, and sweet. When very cold, or after
having been kept for some time, it does not have so fine a flavor.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--Salting and working the cheese.]
_Combinations with Neufchâtel and cream cheeses._--Finely chopped
pimiento peppers may be mixed with either Neufchâtel or cream cheese
at the time of salting. Such cheese has a mild though pronounced flavor
and is very popular for sandwiches and salads. The pimientos seem to
have a certain preservative effect and tend to cover up “off flavors”
that may develop. About 1 pound of the chopped pimientos is added to 12
pounds of cheese, or about one-half pound for the cheese from 30 pounds
of milk.
While there are numerous other cream-cheese combinations, there are two
that are worthy of especial note--olive-pimiento cream and Roquefort
cream cheese. Both of these flavoring ingredients should be added at
the rate of 1 part to 10 parts of cream cheese. When Roquefort cheese
is uniformly incorporated with cream cheese it gives to the combination
a rich and pleasing flavor very similar to Roquefort cheese, though
milder.
_Molding._--Cheese for home consumption need not be molded. When
marketed a special device is necessary in order to shape the cheese
into a commercial package. Neufchâtel, cream, and pimiento cheeses
require a special style of package. While there are numerous devices
for molding, many of them are not suited for meeting market demands. As
a result of considerable experimenting the attachments described below
were devised to fit the ordinary food chopper and proved to be very
satisfactory for handling the several kinds of cheese.
For molding small quantities of cheese the following equipment is
desirable: (See figs. 8 to 12.)
1. A food chopper.
2. A hopper.
3. Two molding attachments for chopper.
4. A cheese conveyer.
5. A cheese cutter.
When used for molding, both the knives and the plate should be removed
from the chopper; otherwise the cheese will go through with great
difficulty. The cheese hopper is a boxlike arrangement clamped to the
top of the food chopper to prevent the scattering of particles of
cheese upon the worktable. The cheese is poured into the hopper at
short intervals, since it is not advisable to keep the hopper more
than half full, or the feed screw will not force the cheese so readily
through the hopper. If the hopper is full the cheese may become too
“gummy” and will not only be difficult to force through the chopper,
but will adhere to the long-handled spoon used to push the lumps of
curd into the machine. It is advisable to use a spoon in order to keep
one corner of the hopper free of the cheese and, by allowing the escape
of air, facilitate the grinding of the cheese.
The lips of the molding attachment are fastened to the chopper by means
of a ring. The attachment for molding Neufchâtel cheese is cylindrical
and is about 1½ inches in diameter at its delivery end. The cheese,
forced through this attachment, comes out in the form of a roll or
cylinder.
Pimiento cheese is forced into a special glass jar smaller than a jelly
glass or a paraffined wood-fiber container held horizontally over the
end of the Neufchâtel attachment so that the cheese reaches the end
of the container and flattens out without difficulty. (See fig. 5.)
If the pimiento cheese is to be used in a short time, the wood-fiber
containers are especially recommended, as they are less expensive than
glass jars. If the cheese is marketed directly to the consumer, the
glass jars may be returned and used again.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.--Filling jars with pimiento-cream cheese.]
The attachment for cream cheese is rectangular at its delivery end. By
its use the cheese may be molded into smooth, ribbonlike bands which,
as in the case of Neufchâtel cheese, may be cut with a wire into pieces
of the desired size.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.--Molding and wrapping cream cheese.]
The cheese is delivered from the attachment on a canvas conveyer,
supported by rollers, which turn with sufficient friction to cause
the plastic curd to be firmly pressed together as the cheese is
automatically pushed forward. (See fig. 6.) The first cheese that
passes through the attachment often “frills”; that is, it presents
an irregular surface, but later the difficulty becomes less marked,
and the cheese comes out with a surface well defined and smooth.
“Frilling” occurs more often in molding cream cheese than in Neufchâtel.
_Cutting the cheese._--Cream cheese and Neufchâtel cheese may be cut
into cakes of the desired size by means of fine wires drawn over a
rectangular-shaped framework. (See fig. 11.) The use of this simple
equipment makes it possible to cut half a dozen cheeses simultaneously
and prevents delay, so that one person may do the grinding while
another cuts and wraps the cakes.
_Wrapping the cheese._--After cutting the cakes they are slowly carried
along by the carrier and eventually fall upon a flat form upon which
tin-foil wrapping papers are laid. These papers may be held in place
by a cleat or clamp. In many cases it is more convenient to take the
cheese directly from the carrier, but when the person who does the
wrapping is kept very busy the platform may serve as a place where
several cakes may accumulate, thus allowing the grinding operations
to be continued. While one person is engaged in filling the hopper
and molding the cheese another is kept busy cutting and wrapping. In
wrapping, the cheese is placed in the center of the paper, each side of
the paper folded over, and the ends turned down, to cover the cheese
completely. (See fig. 10.)
_Yield._--One hundred pounds of milk containing 4 per cent fat should
yield from 14 to 16 pounds of Neufchâtel cheese, while 6 per cent milk
should give an average yield of from 17 to 19 pounds of cream cheese.
With milk testing less than the above, a smaller yield and a lower
grade of cheese will be obtained. Although there may be slight seasonal
fluctuations in the solids of milk, yet for the most part the yield of
cheese, other conditions being equal, is almost directly proportional
to the per cent of fat. There may be variations in yield of cheese,
however, due to mechanical factors, such as longer pressing.
Neufchâtel cheese is sometimes made from skim milk, in which case it
is used for cooking and baking purposes. Commercially, there are other
grades of Neufchâtel made from one-half or two-thirds skim milk. Such
cheeses are labeled as made from “partially skimmed milk” or “skimmed
milk” as the case may be.
[Illustration: FIG. 7.--Types of packages.]
_Packages._--Tin-foil or aluminum-foil wrapping paper which has
a parchment paper inside is generally used in wrapping cream and
Neufchâtel cheeses, since it gives each package a bright, uniform, and
attractive appearance. (See fig. 7.) Great care should be taken to
wrap each cake neatly and securely in order to exclude the air as much
as possible. Any “frilling” or other irregularities may be corrected
by drawing the foil tightly about the cheese. Careful and skillful
wrapping tends to increase the length of time the cheese is salable.
The yellow or amber-colored mold which often spreads over the cheese
should be prevented as much as possible, not because it may render the
food harmful or poisonous, but because it causes deterioration and
renders the cheese less appetizing.
The standard Neufchâtel package is cylindrical, about 1½ inches in
diameter by 2½ inches long, and weighs about 2½ ounces net. Standard
packages of cream cheese are about 3 by 2 inches and 1 inch thick, and
have a net weight of about 3 ounces. The pimiento cheese is marketed in
3 or 4 ounce glass jars, each packed full and covered with a disk of
paraffined paper and screw cap.