Common
Cheese
The
milk that you intend to make cheese from must be made moderately
warm. Then take a calf's bag [stomach] that has been clean washed,
and put in it some salt with the curd.
Make
the bag fast with a skewer, and when you use it put it in a
pan of water mixed with salt, then boil it, and make small holes
in it, to let out the liquor, which must be poured into the
milk.
Take
care that your milk is not too warm, for if it is then your
cheese will be spoiled. It should be about the same heat as
when it comes from the cow.
When
it has curdled pour the whey from it and let what remains be
well pressed. In this condition let it stand twenty-four hours
to dry, then carefully crumble it very small, put to it a small
quantity of salt, properly mixing it in, and then put it into
your cheese mould.
The
pressing your cheese hard makes it keep longer than it otherwise
would, but the cheese which is to be eaten while new is best
when it is not pressed so hard.
from
The
Farmer's Wife
or, the Complete Country Housewife
London, c. 1780
