Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Now that you have a clean break, you need to cut the curd.
The purpose of cutting the curd is to allow for uniform
drainage of the milk liquid (known as whey) from the curd.
(Yes, this is the famous “curds and whey”—a primitive
predecessor to cottage cheese—likely eaten by Miss Muffet in
the nursery rhyme.)
Your goal in cutting the curd is to cut the curd into
uniform-sized curds for even drainage of whey. In general,
the smaller you cut the curds initially, the harder the style of
cheese you are making; though there are practical limits. In
this case, you are cutting the curd into one-inch cubes. Do this
by using your curd knife to first cut a grid at right-angles the
entire depth of the curd so you end up with a one-inch
checkerboard pattern. Then, make horizontal cuts by
positioning your curd knife at a 45 degree angle and cutting
along one row of parallel lines in your grid. Though there are
all sorts of other ways to do this and special gear you can buy,
it is really that simple.
The horizontal cuts are being made by tracing the grid with
the knife held at a 45 degree angle.
Once your curd is cut, cover the pot again and allow it to sit
for another fifteen minutes so some whey can gather at the
bottom of the pot. Then, put your pot back into the double
