what's this for

last week there was an online company, chef's catalog, that i purchased some things from. they had a deal going. with any purchase, you could get free shipping and a complimentary 6 piece bamboo utensil set. i wanted to 6 piece bamboo set for a christmas present (don't be disappointed if you are the one that receives it!).

i purchased some cheesecloth for $3.99. i got the cheesecloth and 6 piece bamboo utensil set for only $3.99 shipped. i posted the deal on facebook and made a comment about having to figure out what to do with the cheesecloth. is this edible (please don't comment, i'm just kidding)? what do i do with it?

i have a friend who said she wanted it so i'm going to give it to her. she is one of those amazing women who make everything from scratch. not just from scratch, but scratch, scratch. you may ask what does scratch, scratch mean? well i figure that making things from scratch means you make a cake with ingredients as opposed to a cake mix. in my terminology, scratch, scratch means you may even make the ingredients you use to make the cake. yeah - that's so far out of my realm of thinking.

anywho, i received the cheesecloth in the mail yesterday. as i was looking at the cheesecloth package, it boasts "100's of uses". really? interesting. the uses they list are as follows:

1. straining - i've only strained pasta, but i'm thinking this is not the straining they are talking about.
2. steaming and blanching - don't even know what blanching is. steaming i understand, but i am not sure what the role of the cheesecloth is.
3. basting poultry - have no idea on this one either, but there is a picture of the cheesecloth on top of a turkey and someone pouring liquid on top of it. why have the cheesecloth there?
4. cleaning and polishing - i just use trusty old washcloths and paper towels.
5. poaching fish - not even going there.
6. preserving salads and cheese - what are those drawers for in the refrigerator for then?
7. staining and refinishing - i know what these are, but i don't do these things either.
8. crab and clam preparation - again don't have any idea about this. it could have been listed with the poaching fish one. there is a picture for this one on the package too. it shows a crab & lobsters tied up in the bag. it indicates the crab and crabs are stinky. it does not help me at all.
9. canning - no idea
10. automobile detailing - i guess i could give it to the officer. would he know what to do with it in the car?
11. spice bags - nothing.

i'm just figuring i got a great 6 piece bamboo set and my amazing friend is getting some cheesecloth for free.

oh by the way, when i received the 6 piece bamboo utensil set, the slotted spoon had a significant chip in it. i wrote to customer service at chef's catalog about getting the slotted spoon replaced. they wrote me back and said to not worry about it, they would just send me another new 6 piece bamboo set. yeah!!! i love it when companies stand behind their products and take care of you when something goes wrong!