How Is Curd Made Into Cheese?

The solid mass of curd needs to be broken up so as to allow the serum or whey to drain out. A wire knife consisting of a series of parallel wires is usually used by cheese makers for this purpose. It is inserted in the curd and is used in such a fashion that the curd is cut into quarter-inch or half-inch cubes. Sometimes larger cubes are cut when a cheese is desired with a higher moisture content.
As the acid acts on the casein in the curd, the curd undergoes changes in its physical properties. It mats together and becomes smoother, firmer and more elastic. A cutting machine is then used by cheese makers to cut the matted curd of certain cheeses into small pieces.
In some instances the curd is salted at this point, but in others the salting is done later by soaking the brick of cheese in a salt solution. The pieces of curd are now packed into moulds, and these are subjected to pressure of four to eight tons.
The amount of pressure varies according to the type of cheese that is being made. In some instances no external pressure is applied. This is so with Roquefort cheese. If it were compressed too compactly, no air could seep into it, and that would prevent a desirable mould from forming within it.
Cottage cheese is handled differently. Instead of allowing it to mat it is washed two or three times to remove the acidity. Pasteurized cream can then be added to make the cheese creamy. Since cottage cheese does not ripen, it cannot be kept for very long and so must be eaten while fresh.