Cheese cloth?

[wolffeathers]

My day is decidedly open and I have multiple jars of sweet goat's milk in the fridge. I think it's time to venture into the world of goat cheese.

I have a website showing a recipe, but the problem lies in the cheese cloth. Any everyday local stores that carry cheese cloth? Any common alternatives?

I've ready to take the dive and need some help!

Walmart? Ace Hardware? Lowes? Food Lion? We have all the common chain stores. I just don't want to make a day of driving from store to store in search when someone knows where to find it.

[berrley]

You can usually find it at any grocery store, and definitely a hardware store in the wood stain section. I would just go to Lowes, it's your best bet for sure.

[wolffeathers]

Ok! I'm off. Wish me luck on my new venture.

[Alice In TX/MO]

The cheesecloth for straining paint is not fine enough mesh. You can use sheeting, muslin, percale, men's handkerchiefs, sheer curtain material, etc.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by wolffeathers

I have a website showing a recipe, but the problem lies in the cheese cloth. Any everyday local stores that carry cheese cloth?

WM sells packages of it for $1.44. You can also use muslin or an old dish rag.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I don't like the WM stuff, either. It's really open mesh. I'm picky.

This website shows pictures of the different cheesecloth thread counts. You need the highest one you can locate!

http://www.ercwipe.com/cheesecloth.html

[Lada]

I just use the stuff from the grocery and fold the big piece into fourths. Birdseye is great too, I did have a piece of that lying around from making diapers but I can't find it.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Now if you're looking for something available at Wallyworld you can look in the kitchen linen area and pick up a package of flour sack towels...usually in a package of 5 for around $6 or so. Very nice for straining curds.

[wolffeathers]

Well, I couldn't find anything at Wallyworld. So I went to Ace Hardware and they had some.

Thanks everyone.

[Goat Servant]

Originally Posted by suzyhomemaker09

Now if you're looking for something available at Wallyworld you can look in the kitchen linen area and pick up a package of flour sack towels...usually in a package of 5 for around $6 or so. Very nice for straining curds.

Good suggestion! Im gonna try them. Been using old linen tea towels. Now, when you say Wallyworld is that Walmart??

[stamphappy]

I've used tea towels, regular cheese cloth folded over several times (same as Lada), and muslin all with fine success.

[berrley]

Oops sorry, I've never made cheese I've just bought the cheese cloth for other things so I knew where to find it. Good to know for when I do get around to making it.

[PrettyPaisley]

I don't like the paint strainer either. I used it to strain yogurt but not for milk.

I couldn't find cheese cloth at Walmart but I did find some great flour sack towels at Dollar General. I ended up getting cheese cloth at Sur le Table; unfortunately I am close enough to town to make a trip to a froo-froo mall (where I really do not belong).

[CaliannG]

I use stuff that I find on sale that is chiffon-like. So far, I still have that bolt of salmon pink chiffon that I got for $1.50, and it works GREAT.

Luckily, the curds can't get disgusted at the color.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Originally Posted by Goat Servant

Good suggestion! Im gonna try them. Been using old linen tea towels. Now, when you say Wallyworld is that Walmart??

Yep....
There is a feed/farm store here locally called Orschlen..they carry the flour sack towels also..just not in a multi pack like Walmart.

[Rannod]

Percale pillow cases works fabulous

[Laverne]

I do all of my cheese draining and pressing with the regular size zippered pillow cases in the two pack from Walmart.

[NorCalChicks]

...sorry - minor deviation!

Now please don't shudder - can you use store bought goats milk to make cheese? I don't have a milk goat, nor do I know anyone who does....sigh. Therefore I was reading this thread and the question came to mind.

There....now back to cheesecloth - who knew there were so many types! Ok - apparently all of YOU did!

[CaliannG]

Yes, you can use store bought milk of any kind to make cheese. I would actually suggest that you use store bought cow milk rather than store bought goat milk, though. Store bought goat milk is NASTY. I mean GROSS. Goat milk is more likely to pick up other flavors than cow milk, and half of the time the store bought stuff tastes like bleach, and the other half of the time, it has an undefinable, but disgusting, aftertaste.

Yuck.

Experiment in cheesemaking with regular cow milk if you go store bought.

[Laverne]

I read that high temp pasturized milk won't make a proper curd for cheese that needs a curd but I dunno I am fortunate to have proper milk.