Relationship of Curing Temperatures to Quality of American Cheddar Cheese

In the past 30 years the practice of storing American Cheddar cheese at 34 F. has become almost universal. ]t is the usual custom to deliver cheese to the warehouse 4 or 5 days after it is taken from the press. At the warehouse it is stacked on the receiving floor, where the temperature may vary from 50 to 70 and remains there from 1 to 5 or 6 days, depending on the volume handled. The boxes from each factory, identified by a factory and vat number, are stacked together and the cheese is graded by plugging one from each lot. The cheese is then paraffined and placed in storage at 34 where it is held until it is sent to the trade.