Cheese Making Equipment, Cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is the generic name for a loosely woven gauze that was originally used to wrap cheeses, it is also written as cheese cloth and has no standards, thus the term is often used generically, without specification. A term that is also often used in Cheese Making is Butter Muslin. Butter Muslin just means a cheesecloth that has a tighter weave.
Cheesecloth can quantified through three parameters, material, thread count and thread size:
- Material: Common materials are bleached or unbleached "natural" cotton, nylon, and polyester. Cotton is the traditional and most common, but more difficult to get hygienically clean as the indivdual threads are woven and thus can easily harbour unwanted bacteria. Nylon can be cleaned easier as it is a non-woven "thread", and as the "threads" are heat sealed together, it doesn't need to be seamed to stop lose threads. Polyester can also be cleaned easier as it is a non-woven "thread", however, as it is woven, unless seamed, it is very prone to "loose threads".
- Thread Count: Sometimes called grade, varies from very open to extra-fine weave and are defined by the number of threads per inch or cm in each direction, however many providers or sellers of cheesecloth do not list them.
- Thread Size: This is the thickness or diameter of the individual threads which determines the cloths thickness and is the key determinant of the cloths strength. Weight per yard or square meter is often an indicator of thread size, but like thread count, many providers or sellers of cheesecloth do not list it.
The following are rough guidelines for cheese making cheesecloths:
- Purchase several types and styles to see what works best for you.
- For draining whey from curds in a colander to support the cheesecloth, use course weave.
- For hanging curds to gravity drain whey use a heavier thread size-weight as you will need a stronger cloth.
- For lining molds or hoops, use a thinner material as strength is not required and it will leave less fold lines up the sides of your pressed cheese.
- For wrapping cheeses for aging, use a very thin material.
- Generally sheets of cheesecloth cut into squares work best, but sewn bags can be useful, not so much for hanging but for lining round hoops.
Cheesecloth is available at fabric supply stores or departments of large stores or via web stores. It is recommended to visit a large fabric store where you can inspect the different cloths available and choose smallish amounts of several types and trial them with your cheesemaking.
Note, many people cut up and use old cotton cloth from bed sheets or new handkerchiefs as seamed.
More information and discussion on Cheesecloth is available normally in the forum's Equipment - Cheese Making Board or by searching the forum.
