Cheesecloth for Making Cheese and Other Uses

Cheese preparation with Cheesecloth

The primary use of cheesecloth is in some styles of cheesemaking, where it is used to remove whey from cheese curds, and to help hold the curds together as the cheese is formed. Cheesecloth is also used in straining stocks and custards, bundling herbs, making tofu and ghee, and thickening yogurt. Queso blanco and queso fresco are Spanish and Mexican cheeses that are made from whole milk using this cloth. Quark is a type of German unsalted cheese that is sometimes formed with cheesecloth. Paneer is a kind of Indian fresh cheese that is commonly made with cheesecloth.

Other uses

• This can also be used for several printmaking processes including lithography for wiping up gum Arabic. In intaglio a heavily starched cloth called tarlatan is used for wiping away excess ink from the printing surface.
• This is used in product safety and regulatory testing for potential fire hazards. Cheesecloth is wrapped tightly over the device under test, which is then subjected to simulated conditions such as lightning surges conducted through power or telecom cables, power faults, etc. The device may be destroyed but must not ignite the cheesecloth. This is to ensure that the device can fail safely, and not start electrical fires in the vicinity.
• This cloth is made to United States Federal Standard CCC-C-440 is used to test the durability of optical coatings per United States Military Standard MIL-C-48497. The optics are exposed to a 95%-100% humidity environment at 120 °F for 24 hours, and then a 1/4″ thick by 3/8″ wide pad of cheese cloth is rubbed over the optical surface for at least 50 strokes under at least 1 pound of force. The optical surface is examined for streaks or scratches, and then its optical performance is measured to ensure that no deterioration occurred.
• This is used in India and Pakistan for making summer shirts. Cheesecloth material shirts were popular for beachwear during the 1960s and 1970s in the United States. Cheesecloth has been used to create the illusion of “ectoplasm” during spirit channelings or other ghost related phenomena.
• This cloth may also be wrapped around young trees in order to protect them from cicadas.
• It may be used for water hash extraction in place of bubble bags.
• It may also be used to filter out the ground up marijuana while making canibutter or oil.
• It is also marketed as “muslin” cloth to parents in the manufacture of baby clothes. The price difference between a yard of cheesecloth and a yard of muslin is a factor of hundreds.