Timing is crucial when cutting cheese curds.
In the cheese making process, once a coagulant, like animal rennet, is added to milk, the heated milk separates into curds and whey. Curds are the milk solids and whey is the liquid. Curds are sometimes cut into small pieces and sometimes left bigger. The size of the cheese curd and when it is cut or broken effects whether the cheese will turn out hard and dry or soft and moist. The timing of cutting the curd depends on the type of cheese being made.
Instructions
Timing Method
1. Set the kitchen timer after the rennet is added to the milk depending on the type of cheese you are making. (The timer may be set at 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 60 minutes. The longer the cheese is cooked, the harder the cheese will become because of the longer exposure to heat and the animal rennet.)
2. Insert the 12" icing spatula into the milk mixture after the desired time set on the kitchen timer elapses.
3. Slice the milk mixture into curds in a grid pattern of back and forth vertical cuts with the spatula. The size of the cut curds will be pre-determined by the type of cheese being made.
4. Slice the curds horizontally by pushing the spatula into the grid of curds at a 45 degree angle. Rotate the pot while doing this to create cubes of cheese curds.
Tags: type cheese, added milk, animal rennet, being made, cheese being