Apparatus and method for making cheese

A cheese pasta filata shredding apparatus comprising:

• a housing forming a chamber for receiving a moving mass of cheese pasta filata;
• a perforated plate of a given thickness and having perforations each of a given transverse area secured to the housing for receiving and shredding cheese pasta filata from the chamber, said thickness and area defining the mass of the shredded cheese pasta filata particles;
• a blade rotatably secured to the housing in said chamber and adjacent to said perforated plate for severing the cheese pasta filata mass in the chamber from the received cheese pasta filata in the perforations;
• a second plate external the chamber adjacent to the perforated plate, said second plate having a slot therein aligned with the blade for receiving shredded cheese pasta filata passing through the perforated plate;
• and
• means for synchronously rotating the blade and second plate.

A cheese pasta filata producing apparatus comprising:

• an outer cylindrical conduit having a longitudinal axis oriented vertically;
• an inner cylindrical perforated conduit within and extending along the length of the outer conduit forming a central cheese pasta filata forming chamber and an outer chamber between the inner and outer conduits, said cheese pasta filata forming chamber for receiving raw curd;
• fluid impervious means for dividing the outer chamber into a plurality of sub-chambers surrounding the inner conduit;
• means for inputting hot water into selected sub-chambers, said hot water for passing through the inner conduit and into the received curd for cooking said received curd to produce cheese pasta filata;
• said conduits having a length such that the mass of the curd and water produces a pressure head sufficient to convey the produced pasta filata to and through the bottom of said inner conduit;
• and
• means for exhausting excess of said hot water.

A method for continuously forming pasta filata comprising:

• continuously cooking raw prepared curd at a temperature of about 135.degree. F. to continuously form bulk pasta filata without augers;
• continuously forming the bulk cooked curd into substantially uniform filata cheese mini-portions of approximately 0.2 to 1.5 grams;
• and
• automatically cooling and salting the mini-portions.

A cheese producing apparatus comprising:

• conduit means for receiving acidified milk curd, the conduit means including means for passively conveying the received curd though the conduit means without moving parts via a gravity induced pressure head formed by the received milk curd, said conduit means including at least one conduit oriented vertically for providing said gravity induced pressure head of said curd in a column in said at least one conduit to cause said curd to vertically downwardly displace in response to said pressure head;
• means coupled to the conduit means for cooking said curd during said conveying to produce pasta filata from the curd;
• and
• shredding means connected to the conduit means for shredding the cheese pasta filata as the cheese pasta filata is produced in a continuous process.