Best Butter Muslin and Cheese Muslin Cloth for Cooking in

by Shariful Alam | Sep 18, 2021

Butter and Cheese Muslin Cloth for Cooking

Butter muslin and cheesecloth are finely woven, 100% cotton cloth. Both are cooking tools for different purposes. Though can use making cheese.

Muslin cloth is essential for producing butter and cheese. The question that arises to mind is what is muslin cloth? Let’s try to have a little knowledge about muslin cloth.

Muslin is a loosely-woven cotton fabric that dates back to ancient Indian Subcontinent. The production of muslin cloth requires a plain weave technique. The muslin cloth is soft, durable, lightweight, and breathable cotton fabric. Due to its softness, it is for multipurpose even Cooking!

Muslin cloth is beneficial for the production of butter and cheese. It’s a tool for making Butter, cheese & cooking ingredients. So people called Butter muslin & cheesecloth.

Both are made from cotton muslin fabrics. One is prime choice for the cheese-making process, the othe ris butter! They seems very similar but have a different role in the homemade butter, cheese-making process.

Let’s dive in to know about these clothes.

Butter Muslin and Cheese Muslin Cloth

Table of Contents

Butter muslin

Butter muslin is a tightly interwoven cloth. It carries 100% high-quality cotton. The cotton cloth is for different purposes like draining, pressing, and bandaging both hard and soft cheese. It applies to evacuate or drain soft cheese, yogurt, jelly, jam, desserts, and other dairy products.

Some of the features of the cotton cloth are below:

The muslin is finely woven cloth.
It contains 100% cotton.
Durable.
It is machine washable which, means it is reusable.
Thread count 90 per inch.

Cheese muslin cloth

Cheesecloth is a thin, loosely interwoven cloth. It is kind of net, bigger hole than cotton gauze fabric. The typical use of this cloth is to protect and prepare food. The primary purpose of this cloth is for cheese making and cooking. It is a gauze-like, cotton-woven cloth.

Here is the special characteristics of this Muslin are given below:

It contains high-quality cotton.
Resembles gauze.
It’s breathable,
By nature soft,
Air flows within the texture.
Use to bandage hard and soft cheese.

There are differences between cheesecloth and butter muslin. Keep reading to know the difference between them.

Cheese cloth Vs butter muslin

Butter muslin is a cotton cloth having a tightened or fine weave. This finer weave means (more threads per square inch as compared to standard cheesecloth). The primary purpose is to catch the curd and allow it to dry. Primarily it’s for draining the curd of soft cheese.

On the other hand, cheesecloth, the name says it’s for the cheese-making process. It is a cotton fabric having a looser weave than butter muslin. The purpose is to line cheese molds for hard cheese. Apart from the aging process, it works to cover the cheese. It also protects the cheese from unwanted mold and bacteria.

Use of Butter Muslin and Cheesecloth

Different uses of Butter Muslin and Cheesecloth

The usage of butter muslin is not similar to cheesecloth. Here, we will talk about the use of both clothes one by one.

Butter Muslin Uses:

The purpose of butter muslin is to drain butter or cheese. It is a cooking tool for draining soft and hard cheese. Some of the uses are below:

You can use it to strain liquids like honey.
Use it to drain buttermilk from milk.
Use to wrap in boned poultry to prevent it from falling apart while cooking.
Best for draining moist and soft cheeses.
It is best for holding in soft, small, and smooth curd.

The prime use of butter muslin is draining moist and soft cheeses. And it is because the tighter weave does not help in the draining of butterfat and vital moisture. Keep in mind that the piece of curd, odors, and flavors will stick more readily to this tightly woven butter cloth than to the cheesecloth. Be very careful about keeping it clean.

Keep the cotton cloth clean so that the previous flavors and odor do not transmit to the new cheese manufacturing process.

Cheesecloth uses :

The primary use of cheesecloth is in the making of cheese. Some of the cheesecloth uses are below:

Use to remove the whey (cheese byproduct) from the cheese curds.
Hold the curd together when the cheese is forming.
For staining stocks and custards.
Bundling herbs.
Use for the formation of ghee and tofu.
Thickening yogurt.

As the cheesecloth contains a loose weave, it is suitable for bandaging and air-drying cheese. It is because it allows more air access to cheese. While making cheese that is dry in texture, use cheesecloth as it permits thorough draining. Always search for good quality and unbleached cheesecloth for making cheese at home. You can also use it for different purposes like paper towels, coffee filters, etc.

Cleaning and Re-using Butter muslin

You can use this durable cotton cloth again and again. It is washable and re-useable. It will not be difficult to clean it if this cloth is only to drain curds. But butter muslin is also utilized to press the cheese for an extended period. And due to this reason, it becomes a little bit tough to clean it.

Here are some of the recommendations for washing and cleaning butter cloth:

Rinse with cold water.
Wash and sanitize.
Dry.
Store.

Let’s dive in to know about the detailed process of cleaning and reusing the cotton cloth for the cheese-making process.

Rinse with cold water

You can Rinse immediately with cold water after use. Make sure to remove all the chunks of the cheese. And also, remove all the residues thoroughly which, are not noticeable. Use cold water only to rinse the cotton muslin as it removes all the excess residue and debris. Hot water is not suitable because due to the hot water, all the residue sticks like glue.

Wash and Sanitize

There are multiple options for this step.

You can use a pot to wash it. Place hot water in the pan and also place the cloth and stir it until the water turns cloudy. After that, change the water in the pan and boil it until the water turns clear. Repeat this process to detach the entire residue from the cloth.
Alternatively can also use the washing machine for washing it. For this purpose, use mild detergents and avoid other detergents and fabric softeners. Then, rinse thoroughly to remove the remaining leftovers.

Dry

The next step is to let it dry. You can put it in a bowl or pot to air dry. You can even hang it out on the clothing line to let the sun bleach it a little bit.

Store

Now fold it and store the clean and dry cloth in a plastic bag before using it again. Before using it again, you can moisten the butter and cheesecloth in the microwave to give it a little zap of sanitation to your butter cloth.

Best Butter Muslin & Cheesecloths

Distinctive brands manufacture butter muslin & cheese cloths for cooking.

Some of them are below:

Butter Muslin

kitchen craft

Homemade butter cloth by kitchen craft brand is ideal for steaming, preserving, and cheese maturing. The material it contains is 100% cotton. It is machine washable and, you can cut it to the required size. The size available is medium. You can reuse it. You can be boiled to sterilize it.

New England Cheese Muslin Cloth

New England cheese-making Supply

Cheese and butter muslin by the New England cheese-making Supply brand are heavy-duty and 100% cotton cloths. Their thread count per inch is 90. These are reusable and machine washable. After use, rinse it with cold water to remove all the curd and then wash it in the machine. Always boil it to sterilize before using it again.

Butter Muslin by Cultures for Health

Cultures for Health brand is a tight weave cloth. It is perfect for draining soft cheese and straining yogurt. It can also work as a breathable jar. The material it contains is 100% unbleached cotton. The thread count per inch in it is 90 and, it is re-useable. For reuse, rinse it with cold water and, after that, washes it in a washing machine using mild detergent.

Conclusion: Butter Muslin & Cheesecloth

The muslin cloths are for the home cheese-making process. All of them contain 100% high quality. Butter muslins are a fine-weave for draining soft cheeses such as cream cheese, yogurt, and more. It’s a specialty item that is a little bit expensive. It is reusable and machine washable. The method of cleaning is on the backside of the packs. Always rinse it with cold water to remove all the curd or cheese from it. After that, wash it in the machine with a mild detergent. We recommend an extra rinse cycle to remove the soap residue. Always sterilize it in boiling water before using it again for the second time.

Shariful Alam

Shariful Alam Pavel, A fashion lover, passionate marketer. Love to share wisdom based on real life experience to enrich knowledge.
Founder of Muslin Dhaka, a brand, speaks the truth about royal muslin and fashion. Explore the digital fashion universe with organic cotton muslin and much more!