I want to try making my own paneer for some indian recipes but i dont have any cheesecloth and would like to avoid buying it if i can. I was wondering if a thin cotton, nylon, or polyester tee shirt or cloth would work instead of cheesecloth. Does anybody have any recommendations about what type of material to use? i guess I'm just looking for any possible negatives to using these.

I goggl searched and found ideas like handkerchiefs, nylon mesh used for beer/wine brewing, flour sack bags, or thin tee shirts (polyester or cotton). But i dont know what one is best. Anybody with actual first-hand experience would be really helpful. Also if anybody has any tips about making paneer or other simple cheeses it would be helpful; thanks.

My biggest concern is safety. I dont want to use a material that presents a health hazard. To make paneer I'll be pouring 180F degree liquid onto the cloth material so i dont want it to melt or leech off chemicals.

This post was edited by NatureNames on Jan 24 2014 01:04am

you need a thin (colourless or white) cotton - can be gauze, cheesecloth or muslin
if bought by the meter/yeard cheesecloth is probably the cheapest
try drapery or curtain shops
definitely don't use any artificial fibre

This post was edited by brmv on Jan 24 2014 09:42am

whats wrong with cheesecloth? genuinely curious.

because buying it at a cookware shop or similar is expensive?

that's why i mentioned drapery/curtain shops, where you can buy the relevant materials by the meter (or foot/yard if you haven't progressed to metric yet)

Its expensive and only good for 1 or 2 time use. I dont want to have to keep buying it. also the stuff they sell here has really big holes it in so for cheese making, i'd had to layer it 3 times and this would start to get expensive.



alright. i'll check my local fabric store and see if they sell muslin. muslin sounds like it could be washed and reused many times. i think the cheesecloth i bought would just fall apart if i tried to wash it.

This post was edited by NatureNames on Jan 25 2014 03:27pm

another source you might try came to mind:

ring up any artisan cheesemaker producing quark, paneer or similar and ask them what material they use and where to buy it
or you might even be able to buy it from them
once i bought a lot of jars for jam from a small local producer at less than half the price the wholesaler of those jars would have charged me

if im not mistaken, muslin is just the british word for cheesecloth.

just look on amazon, its not that expensive.

nope, both muslin and cheescloth are specific grades of gauze with muslin being finer

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheesecloth-6-yds/19757836

3 feet wide * 18 feet long = 5$

I would just buy cheese cloth.


I don't know if a nylon Nut Milk Bag is going to impart any flavors, but it should be more reusable if your really against buying 54 square feet for 5$'s and cutting off what you need when you need it.

This post was edited by Ylem122 on Jan 28 2014 06:00am

the major problems i have with regular cheap-o cheesecloth is the holes are way too big and inconsistent in size and they fall apart easily. for it to be of any use for cheese, it has to be triple layered. this increases the cost three fold. Besides, i do not think it is unreasonable to expect there to be a reusable cheesecloth. throwing away triple layered cheese cloth after 1 use seems really wasteful. this isn't just about saving money, its about being sustainable and efficient.