The Lady's Country Companion; Or, How to Enjoy a Country Life RationallyLoudon, Mrs. (Jane)
General
The Lady's Country Companion; Or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally
Loudon, Mrs. (Jane)
Cooking; Country life; Home economics
As soon as the curd is well set, it is divided and turned over with a
bowl to separate it from the whey; after which it is broken into small
pieces by the hand, and suffered to settle down, while the whey, which
swims at the top, is poured off. The curd is pressed on one side of the
tub with a loose board, and the whey that runs from it is again poured
off. The curd is then drawn into the centre of the tub, and formed into
a heap, and the board is laid on the top and heavy weights placed on
it, generally amounting to a hundred pounds. This presses the curd into
a solid mass, and squeezes out an additional quantity of whey.
The mass of curd is then cut into slices, and boards and weights put
upon each slice. This is repeated several times, till not a drop more
whey will run from the curd; after which it is removed to a dry tub,
and crumbled with the fingers as small as possible. It is then well
salted, and put into a cheese-vat made warm by being scalded with
boiling water, and heaped up as high as it will go, the additional curd
being kept in its place by a movable tin hoop. A flat board is then
laid across the top to press down the curd, which generally rises to a
point in the centre of the vat, and the heavy weights are again put on
it. At the same time wooden skewers are run into the cheese, in order
that every particle of whey may be drawn out of it.
After standing some time, the cheese is taken out of the vat, and laid
on a large cheese-cloth, and the curd again broken from the top down
the centre, and more salt mixed with it; after which it is pressed into
the vat by the hand as before, and weights are again put upon it, while
skewers are run through holes purposely left in the vat, into the sides
of the cheese, as before. Another vat having been scalded by being
rinsed with boiling water, the cheese is wrapped in a cloth and put
into it; the ends of the cloth being folded over the cheese as tightly
as possible, and tucked inside the vat, where they are kept down by a
tin hoop called a binder, which is forced in between the cheese and the
upper part of the vat. The cheese is then put into the press under a
pressure of about a ton weight, and a number of thin iron skewers are
passed through the holes in the vat into the sides of the cheese. After
four hours it is turned, and the skewers removed to fresh places, when
the cheese is put into the press for another four hours; after which,
the process is repeated. It is then put into the press, and left there
all night; the following morning it is again turned, and put into the
press without the skewers. It remains in the press for four or five
days, being regularly turned every morning and evening; and it is taken
from the press into the cheese-room, where it is salted on the outside,
and tightly bound with a linen cloth. It is kept in this state and
turned twice a day for a week; after which it is put on the shelves
to dry for a fortnight or three weeks, during which period it must be
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account