Editing Cheesecloth

{{short description|Loosely woven carded cotton cloth used primarily in cooking and cheesemaking}}
[[File:Cheesecloth on Sauerkraut (5504152472).jpg|thumb|300px|right|Cheesecloth on [[sauerkraut]] (fermented cabbage)]]
[[File:Марля.jpg|thumb|Cheesecloth under a microscope]]
'''Cheesecloth''' is a loose-woven [[gauze]]-like [[carding|carded]] [[cotton]] [[cloth]] used primarily in [[cheesemaking]] and [[cooking]].<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Cheese Cloth|volume=6|page=22}}</ref> The fabric has holes large enough to quickly allow liquids (like [[whey]]) to percolate through the fabric, but small enough to retain solids like [[Cheese curd|cheese curds]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is a Cheesecloth? Uses, Substitutes, & More! |url=https://cabotcreamery.com/blogs/health-education/what-is-a-cheesecloth-uses-substitutes-more |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Cabot Creamery |language=en}}</ref>

== Grades ==

Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the number of [[thread count|threads per inch]] in each direction.<ref name=grades>[https://dairypundit.com/cheesecloth-grades-and-their-use The 7 Different Cheesecloth Grades And Cheese Cloth Uses]. May 3, 2020 by DAIRYPUNDIT.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! Grade || [[Units of textile measurement#Ends per inch|Vertical]] × [[Units of textile measurement#Picks per inch|horizontal<br/>threads per inch]] || Vertical x horizontal <br>threads/cm
|-
|#10 || 20 × 12 || 8 x 5
|-
|#40 || 24 × 20 || 9.5 x 8 
|-
|#50 || 28 × 24 || 11 x 9.5
|-
|#60 || 32 × 28 || 12.5 x 11
|-
|#80 || 40 x 32 ||
|-
|#90 || 44 × 36 || 17.5 x 14
|-
|#100
|54 x 46
|21 x 18
|}

==Uses==

===Food preparation===
The primary use of cheesecloth is in some styles of [[cheesemaking]], where it is used to remove whey from cheese [[curd]]s, and to help hold the curds together as the cheese is formed. Cheesecloth is also used in straining [[Stock (food)|stocks]] and [[custard]]s, bundling herbs, making [[tofu]] and [[ghee]], and thickening [[yogurt]]. [[Fruitcake]] is wrapped in rum-infused cheesecloth during the process of "feeding" the fruitcake as it ripens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://missvickie.com/recipes/desserts/fruitcake-carefeed.html |title=Pressure Cooker Recipes |access-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307023623/http://www.missvickie.com/recipes/desserts/fruitcake-carefeed.html |archive-date=2016-03-07 }}</ref>

[[Queso blanco|Queso blanco and queso fresco]] are Spanish and Mexican cheeses that are made from whole milk using cheesecloth. Italian [[Ricotta]] is made from cow, sheep or goat acidified whey, traditionally formed in cheesecloth cones. [[Quark (cheese)|Quark]] is a type of German unsalted cheese that is sometimes formed with cheesecloth. [[Paneer]] is a kind of Indian [[Types of cheese#Fresh.2C whey and stretched curd cheeses|fresh cheese]] that is commonly made with cheesecloth.{{CN|date=December 2024}}

===Manufacturing, testing and preservation===
Cheesecloth can also be used for several [[printmaking]] processes including [[lithography]] for wiping up [[gum arabic]]. In [[Intaglio (printmaking)|intaglio]], a heavily-starched cheesecloth called tarlatan is used for wiping away excess ink from the printing surface.<ref>Ross, Romano, Ross. "The Complete Printmaker", page. 114, 118. TheFreepress, 1990</ref>

Cheesecloth #60 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, [[Fault (power engineering)|power faults]], etc. The device may be destroyed but must not ignite the cheesecloth.<ref>[[Telcordia Technologies]] Generic Requirements [http://telecom-info.njdepot.ericsson.net/site-cgi/ido/docs.cgi?ID=SEARCH&DOCUMENT=GR-1089& GR-1089-CORE]</ref> This is to ensure that the device can [[fail safe]]ly, and not start electrical fires in the vicinity.

Cheesecloth 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 {{convert|120|°F}} for 24 hours, and then a {{convert|1/4|in|mm}} thick by {{convert|3/8|in|mm|abbr=on}} wide pad of cheesecloth is rubbed over the optical surface for at least 50 strokes under at least {{convert|1|lb-f|N}}. The optical surface is examined for streaks or scratches, and then its optical performance is measured to ensure that no deterioration occurred.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://everyspec.com/MIL-SPECS/MIL-SPECS-MIL-C/MIL-C-48497A_6070/|title=MIL-C-48497 A COATING SINGLE OR MULTILAYER INTERFERENCE|website=everyspec.com}}</ref>

Cheesecloth 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inthe70s.com/clothes/cheeseclothshirts0.shtml |title=Clothes of the Seventies, Cheese Cloth Shirts |publisher=Inthe70s.com |access-date=2011-12-07}}</ref>

Cheesecloth has a use in anatomical [[dissection]] laboratories to slow the process of [[desiccation]]. The cloth can be soaked with a preservative solution such as [[formalin]] then wrapped around the specimen or at other times simply wrapped first then sprayed with water.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://linguistics.ucla.edu/people/ladefoge/manual%20files/introduction.pdf|title=Introduction to dissection|date=8 February 2019}}</ref>

Cheesecloth has been used to create the illusion of "[[Ectoplasm (paranormal)|ectoplasm]]" during spirit channelling or other ghost-related phenomena.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.randi.org/|title=Home|website=JREF}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-79-secrets-and-seances-11-17-2017/|title=Episode 79: Secrets and Séances (11.17.2017)}}</ref>

==See also==

*[[Muslin]]
*[[Pudding cloth]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{fabric}}{{Kitchen tools}}
[[Category:Woven fabrics]]
[[Category:Food preparation utensils]]