Why Do People Use Cheese Cloth?
Cheesecloth is a thin, plain woven, and soft fabric made entirely from cotton fibers. As the name implies, its primary use was in cheesemaking but now has a wide variety of uses from food preparation to garment production. So, why do we love it? Let’s go over how it eases things for us:
1. Covering foods
As we slide into the BBQ season, we must be ready to protect our ribs and minced meat from bugs and insects. Ants and houseflies, in particular, love attacking our sweet foods and would do anything to frustrate us to the core. A cheesecloth is ideal for covering food and keeping it safe from bugs.
2. Straining liquid
Before you decide to use cheesecloth for straining your broth, you must make sure that it’s properly cleaned. We suggest washing it first, followed by removing lint. It’s also suggested that you use it on top of your regular strainer (colander) as an extra layer and filter the ingredients through.
You can use it in cheese making, to strain your broths, remove the curd from yogurt, remove seeds from jams, jellies and juices and even filter your coffee.
3. Bundling herbs
Herbs are great for adding flavor and subtle aromas to your food. If you don’t want stems floating in your broth or stew, you can just wrap your herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and tie its top with twine. You can then drop these bundled herbs into the pot and remove them right before serving. You can do the same with different seasonings and tea leaves.
4. Thickening yogurt
Greek yogurt is excellent comfort food and you can make it by straining yogurt until it drains most of its whey. Ditch the three dollars cup of greek yogurt you get from the grocery store and start making it yourself. All you need is cheesecloth, colander, bowl and some homemade or store-bought yogurt.
Layer the cheesecloth on top of your colander, scoop in some yogurt and let it drain until it reaches your desired consistency. It may take you up to three days to get the final product. The strained liquid is whey which is an excellent source of protein too. The thickened yogurt is your delicious, homemade greek yogurt.
5. Basting poultry
Enjoying a moist slice of chicken or turkey is tough when all you’ve got is the breast meat. But what if you knew you could use cheesecloth to make it all juicy and moist? Just make sure you’ve got a clean, lint-free cheesecloth. Drench it in a mix of olive oil, wine and butter, and use it to wrap the chicken or turkey breast. Leave the meat wrapped for a few hours. Try it with your favorite chicken or turkey recipes — you’ll love it.
6. Dusting sugar
You can dust your cakes, cookies and donuts by placing a cheesecloth over an opened canning jar containing powdered sugar. Make sure you pull the cloth on tightly and put a ring on it to keep it in its place. Dust your cookies and other desserts for enhanced flavor and an eye-catching look!
Final Thoughts: Why Do They Call It Cheese Cloth?
Cheesecloth gets its name from its most common application, which is cheese making. While it’s also used in the garment sector, it looks like people have found it to be the most useful in the kitchen. You can also use it for printmaking, wrapping citrus fruits, cleaning up gunk and water stains from pots and silverware and more!