I am always making bouquets garnis (that's French for sachet of herbs and spices) for stocks, soups, and sauces. If I know I'll be straining the end product, like a stock, I will usually just throw everything in the pot. If it's just herbs, I just tie them together with twine. But sometimes I don't want everything floating in there willy nilly, like in the case of sauces or stews. Instead of cheesecloth or leek greens, I use fine meshed tea ball. The small 1-1/2" diameter ones are fine for smaller recipes, but I also keep a larger 3" diameter one for stockpot recipes. I just pack my herbs, peppercorns, etc, in there and hang it on the rim of the pot so I can easily fish it out later. It works great and is reusable too. So save your cheesecloth for cheesemaking.
Classic Bouquet Garni:
small bunch of fresh thyme
2-3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
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