We've always felt annoyed by cheesecloth. All those gauzy layers and then the stuff isn't even really reusable. And then we found flour sacks. They're not really thick enough to be dish towels...but they're definitely not cheesecloth. They're perfect.
Flour sacks are not really sacks at all, but sheets of fabric made of very thin cotton threads. The weave is tighter than cheesecloth, but loose enough that you can see through the cloth. They're not really intended to be used as dish towels, except for maybe polishing streaks.
What they are perfect for is straining. One layer is great for straining stock. A double layer does well for making thicker yogurts and cheeses. More layers help you filter a cleaner, clearer liquid, as we did for our milk liqueur the other day.
Beyond straining, flour sacks can be used to cover bowls to protect contents from summer insects and curious animals. We also rub one with flour and use it to line a basket for rounds of rising bread. A clean flour sack also makes a pretty lining for a bowl of hot dinner rolls or a plate of cookies.
And when we're done, we can rinse the towels out in the sink and throw them in the wash. The weave is tight enough that it can hold up to a heavy wash cycle, and the towels come out as good as new.
We ordered our flour sacks off Amazon, but we also often see them in the kitchen supply section of gourmet groceries and kitchen stores.
• Find Them! Gourmet Classics Organic Flour Sacks, $12.99 from Amazon.com
Related: Quick Tip: Use Men's Handkerchiefs Instead of Cheesecloth
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Are there any other ways of cleaning this type of cloth? I don't want to wash them with my other laundry and then use them for food...
I have to disagree about not using flour sack towels for dishes. I LOVE them for a multitude of kitchen tasks. They are especially wonderful for crystal and glasses. They do a fabulous job of drying all my dishes. They are perfect for the Julia Child method of squeezing excess moisture from sliced potatoes used for au gratin potatoes. I got the idea from her on an old video. She recommended using a dish towel to get the potatoes dry. She knew what she was talking about. I get them from Williams Sonoma. That and the bar mop wash clothes. I take out a fresh set every day. They wash up beautifully with a white load with hot water & bleach. I do not think twice about throwing them in the regular white load then using them for whatever I need in the kitchen. I do that all the time and I am pretty picky about keeping the kitchen clean.
I wash all my kitchen rags and towels in the washing machine. If you feel all icky about it, just wash them all together in a separate load.
I have cut my paper towel use down to almost nothing :)
You can wash your kitchen towels separately, though I usually wash mine with my bath towels. If you use food-safe cleaners it's not even an issue if your cleaning rags get thrown in. I even put my bathroom cleaning rags in after an overnight soak in vinegar and baking soda.
I need to track down something like this for my yogurt making. I have heard you can strain through muslin. Is this the same thing? ....I have muslin cloth from the craft store stashed away with other fabrics for craft projects. Can I use that to strain like this?
Great tip. How fun to see some homemade milk liqueur in the photo! My first batch will be ready in 9 days - looking forward to not having to strain it though a coffee filter.
yay! they sell these at the dollar tree!
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I agree with gokathymac. These are my favorite dishtowels because they are super absorbent and dry quickly because they're so thin.
@JaclynS - I've been trying to work out the same question, since we don't get fancy stuff like flour sacks over here in the UK (barring antique french ones from World War 2 according to Google), so I've been looking for an alternative.
Muslin cloth is the same stuff my mum used to use to strain her jams and jellies, so even if it's not exactly the same, the properties are close enough to work methinks!
I use a couple of men's handkerchiefs that I have marked. They also work great for straining stock and yoghurt.
I rinse them out and wash them in a separate load with my other cleaning cloths.
I use Martha Stewarts flour sack towels for everything! They're amazing.
Well, gosh! I guess I should try using the flour sacks for drying! I just felt them and assumed they'd be too thin to be very effective. Thanks correcting my assumption!
And I *think* that undyed muslin should be just fine for straining. The muslin I'm thinking of is a little coarser than flour sack, but should strain liquids just as well!
I use them for drying dishes and counters, and I loooove them!
I never even thought about using them to strain yogurt/cheese/stock/etc! What a great idea!
These look great. I do reuse and reuse my cheesecloth, since I buy the pricy unbleached/organic kind, but it becomes more and more frustrating to work with after each reuse.
@voidkraken They sell flour sacks on amazon.co.uk. Search for "floursack towels" and they will be there... £8 for three.