The equipment and utensils required for the Cheddar cheese making have to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized with steam.
The percentage of fat, casein and solids not fat content of the milk have to be determined. The casein : fat ratio of the milk is calculated and the milk intended for cheese making is accordingly standardized with skim milk / cream to get the desired casein : fat ratio of 0.70.
The milk is pasteurized at a temperature of 72°C for 15 sec and cooled to 30°C.
Fresh and active starter culture @ one percent level of milk is added and mixed thoroughly. The acidity of milk has to be recorded before the addition of starters. The temperature of the milk is maintained at 30°C for one hour and the acid developed after 1 hour is found out.
Appropriate Cheddar cheese colour, if required, is added at this stage at the rate required and mixed thoroughly.
Rennet is added after diluting it 20 times of its volume with chlorine free potable water. The quantity depends on the brand and make of the product. The diluted rennet solution is poured slowly but steadily in to the milk with thorough mixing. The milk will set in about 30 min and it is then tested for its firmness.
A thin long rod or thermometer is inserted in to the set milk at an angle of 45° and then lifted straight up. If the split is clean and there is no adhesion of milk particles around the inserted rod, it indicates that the curd is ready for cutting. If the curd is soft, the milk particles will adhere to the rod and the whey oozing out will be milky.
Initially, the curd is cut lengthwise with a horizontal knife and then lengthwise and breadthwise with a vertical knife. The acidity of the free whey is determined soon after cutting.
The curd is stirred slowly and gently after about 10-15 min of cutting. Care has to be exercised at this stage not to damage the curd cubes by splitting with vigorous agitation and rough handling.
The steam valve is opened slowly and gradually and the heat is raised at the rate of 1°C for every minute until a maximum temperature of 39°C is attained. Adequate precautions have to be taken to prevent the matting of curd at the bottom of the vat. Slow stirring is continued till the curd cubes become firm and elastic.
The cheese curd is allowed to settle at the bottom of the vat when the cooking is completed. The curd is gently pushed using a ladle towards the opposite side of the gate strainer below the vat-gate. The gate valve is opened and the whey is drained through the strainer.
A trench is formed at the center of the vat with the help of the ladle and the curd is distributed evenly on both the sides of the trench. After about 10-15 min of draining, the curd slabs are cut in to blocks of 15-20 cm wide.
When proper matting occurs, the blocks are turned upside down and the resulting whey is tested for its acidity. The turning of blocks is repeated after 15 min. The blocks are piled one over the other after half an hour of cheddaring.
Milling or grinding of the cheddared curd is done when the whey obtained reaches a final acidity of 0.40 per cent. The body and texture of the curd is examined before milling and it is ensured that the body and texture of the curd is elastic and smooth and it develops chicken breast meat like texture, tearing in to thin streams, free from mechanical openings.
First the cheese blocks are cut in to small pieces with a stainless steel knife and later milled. Salt is added at the rate of 2-3 percent of the total weight of the curd.
The salted curd is transferred in to cleaned and sanitized hoops and uniformly packed. The surface is leveled and covered with lids.
The well packed hoops are placed in the cheese press. Then pressure is applied slowly at first about 0.4 kg per square centimetre and gradually increased to a maximum of 1.5 kg per square centimetre in about 30 min.
The cheese curd is kept under the press overnight. The hoops are removed from the press and the cheese blocks are taken out from the hoops the next day.
The cheese blocks are kept at a temperature of 15°C in a room having a relative humidity of 50% for surface drying. The blocks are turned daily.
Paraffin wax is heated separately to a temperature of 115-120°C and the cheese blocks are dipped in the molten wax one by one. The temperature of the wax has to be maintained constantly throughout the operation.
The paraffined cheese blocks are kept in the ripening room for the development of proper body, flavour and texture. The temperature of the room is maintained around 8-10°C with about 80% relative humidity.
During ripening period, the blocks are turned at regular intervals of 5-7 days. During the normal course of ripening, the cheese develops full flavour within six months.
Evaluation of the Cheddar cheese for its sensory and chemical quality is done after ripening. The Cheddar cheese may be utilized as such in its natural form or it may be used for the manufacture of processed cheese.