Curd

Fraction (or curd ) referred to in the dairy, the material that made ​​from milk curdled by adding rennet or lactic acid ( called curd or curd ) is formed after cut ( broken) was to separate the whey. For this purpose, there are different methods depending on the type of cheese: First, the curd is cut so that the whey to drain off, and only coarse for soft cheese ( more whey remains in the fracture) and always fine, the harder the cheese should be. For hard cheese curd is repeatedly cut with a cheese harp crisscross up to an apricot stone. In addition shrinks the broken grain, the longer the break is stirred. Once the curds have settled on the tank bottom, they grow back together and can be parted again what a crumbly dough results.

Cheddaring or orchestras is a form of fracture treatment, with a soft - smooth texture of the cheese is reached. In this case, the curd is cut into large blocks, which are then overlapped and shifted so that the respective bottom part is pressed, and further outputs whey.

The nature of the fracture may also be changed by heating (firing) of the curd-whey - mixture. A temperature increase makes the broken grains shrink significantly and become more compact. Thus, for a firmer cheese, which is stored longer. The firing temperature of cheese is between 41 ° C to 49 ° C or more for emmental. For the production of mozzarella or provolone Brühkäse as the fracture cake is chopped and scalded with hot water so that an elastic mass is obtained, which is then pressed, kneaded and pulled into strands. Such Knetkäse also called Filata cheese.

The released whey is skimmed off, depending on the type of cheese, made ​​to run by hanging of fracture in a permeable cloth or layers of fracture in baskets or perforated forms of wood or steel or forced out under pressure from the break.