Word Of The Day: Cheesecloth

No, they haven't made cheese into cloth yet. Trust us, the second they do, it's gouda boxer-briefs all the way. Nice and snug. That said, cheesecloth is a gauze-like fabric made of loosely woven cotton which acts as a natural strainer and compressor.

The basic idea of cheesemaking is this: create curds from milk, separate curds from whey, press curds into cheese. The pressing part comes from the cheesecloth. The cheese solids stay in, while the whey drips out.

Draping a Thanksgiving turkey with cheesecloth helps keep the white meat moist, as the highly absorbant cloth retains basting liquid better than moisture-repelling turkey skin. That's our key turkey tip for you. Find cheesecloth in any supermarket.

Use today's Word of the Day: How to Make Ricotta Cheese