A Milk Strainer with mesh is an essential piece
of milk processing equipment if you have at least a gallon of milk a day to
process. If you have tried to strain your milk with other homemade techniques,
such as coffee filters, you are probably more than ready to make the investment
Regardless of how careful you are in the milking process, it is inevitable that particles of dust, debris and even an occasional goat hair will find its way into your milk pail. The longer these foreign objects stay, the more chance they will cause the milk to have an off taste. Strainers are designed to capture large objects like hairs, as well as very small particles of dust and dirt. Milk should always be strained before it is pasteurized or cooled for storage.
A strainer is like a very large funnel with a special milk filter attached to the bottom with a metal clip. Most are made of stainless steel, though there are aluminum ones, also. The large capacity strainer generally holds a gallon of milk, and the milk filter papers allow for a very fast flow rate. You will know the importance of this if you have ever tried to hold a gallon or two of milk while waiting for a slow filter
