Method of preparing salted cheese curd loaves

A method for preparing a salted cheese curd loaf, comprising:

• (a) dewheying a mixture of cheese curd and whey to remove the preponderance of liquid whey therefrom;
• (b) introducing the resulting curd into a blender having a valved discharge outlet for holding said curd and a small amount of residual whey and combining therewith a predetermined amount of salt which is essentially that amount desired in a final cured cheese to form a salted cheese curd;
• (c) discharging the salted cheese curd to a cylindrical downwardly and outwardly tapered curd accumulation, draining and dewheying column having a perforated segment formed therein to permit whey to pass therethrough and out of the draining column while retaining the salted cheese curd in the draining column to form a downwardly and outwardly tapered curd column;
• (d) maintaining a sufficient head of salted cheese curd in the draining column to form a column of curd and to dispel excess whey therefrom and thicken and compact the salted cheese curd to the desired loaf-forming consistency as it moves downward in the draining column;
• (e) sequentially severing and discharging a predetermined amount of the compacted salted cheese curd from the discharge end of the curd column in a uniform series of salted cheese curd loaves severed from the bottom of the curd column formed in the draining column, whereby the curd column is intermittently impacted by downward dropping of the curd column as a result of the sequential severing and discharging of each cheese curd loaf from the end of the curd column;
• (f) introducing the discharged curd loaves into a series of sequentially conveyed cheese curd loaf receiving forms sequentially disposed in curd loaf receiving position adjacent the discharge end of said curd column;
• (g) pressing the loaves in the loaf receiving forms;
• (h) removing pressed cheese curd loaves from the cheese curd loaf receiving forms;
• (i) contacting the cheese curd loaf with a brine solution by immersion of the loaves for a time sufficient to form a rind on said loaf, but not sufficient to substantially alter or increase the salt content of the cheese curd loaf;
• and
• (j) removing the rinded cheese loaf from the brine solution and curing the rinded cheese loaf for a defined period of time required by the standard of identity for the cheese being made.