Homemade cheese can be a real treat if you use nice clean cheesecloth to make it.
Cheesecloth is an essential piece of equipment for making cheese and for straining other foodstuffs. While you can buy disposable cheesecloth, 100 percent cotton cheesecloth can be reused through careful washing. The priority is to wash the cheesecloth without running the risk of harmful chemicals being absorbed by the cloth and contaminating your food. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Once you have finished making your cheese or straining your food through the cloth, place the cheesecloth in one of the large pots to rinse the curds or sediment. Agitate the cloth with your hands in a swirling motion. Do not rub.
2. Run the cheesecloth under cold water from the tap to get any stubbornly stuck particles off the cloth. Add some mild dish detergent to the cold water to cut the grease if you have trouble rinsing the cloth. Rinse thoroughly with more cold water until the water runs clear and the cloth is free of soap suds.
3. Place the thoroughly rinsed cheesecloth into the second pot containing boiling water. Add the washing soda according to the instructions on the packet for the proportion of water, stir and bring to a rolling boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, swirling every so often to be sure to remove any finer particles that might linger on the cloth.
4. Rinse out the cold water pot, and clean thoroughly. Fill with clean cold water.
5. Remove the cheesecloth from the hot water using the tongs and rinse the cloth again thoroughly in the cold water pot.
6. Remove the cheesecloth from the cold water pot, rinse under the tap and wring tightly to remove all excess water.
7. Reshape the cheesecloth into a square and drape over a clean clothes dryer rail or towel rail to air-dry.
8. Once the cheesecloth is dry, fold it and place it in a plastic food storage bag to prevent it from getting dusty or contaminated.
Tags: cold water, cheese straining, cheesecloth from, cheesecloth into, cloth Rinse