Skimming

The milk is left to stand in large, wide bowls at a room temperature of 12 °C. After 12–24 hours, the cream that has settled on the surface can be slowly skimmed off the milk using a flat ladle. The longer the milk stands, the thicker the cream layer becomes; the more cream is skimmed, the more acidified the cream and milk become (pre-ripening). Today, a centrifuge is typically used for this step.