Greek Yogurt

[Catrin]

Chobani (I get it at Krogers) is my current favorite - I just don't care for Trader Joe's version. I like the texture and tartness of Greek yogurt hands down over any other variety - and it helps that it has more protein

[RolliePollie]

I love the taste and texture, but I also love the high protein content. And I love that you can get nonfat and it tastes like full fat!

I'm a big cheapskate so I usually only buy it when they have it at Grocery Outlet. Do any of you have a Grocery Outlet in your town? It's a treasure trove of organic and expensive stuff at rock bottom prices. You just never quite know what they'll have on any given day.

[ColoKate]

Greek yogurt is such a racket! I buy the cheapest plain fat free yogurt tubs I can find, dump the whole thing into a strainer lined with a coffee filter and then next day I have thick, creamy "greek" yogurt for super cheap. I put it into little containers with my own honey and fruit/nuts. Two days of straining makes yogurt "cheese" which I put on bagels. Truly it is effortless and better than paying over a dollar for a 4 oz cup at the store!

I also just learned you can save the liquid whey after straining and add to smoothies. Or add it to dog's food to help with their gas like I do

[OakLeaf]

Also, every brand of yogurt uses their own combination of bacteria, but if it's really Greek style (as opposed to just meaning it's strained), it should have a combination of bacteria that's typical of Greece. Different cultures have very different flavors and somewhat different consistencies. Whatever yogurt you like, you can use that as your starter and keep the culture line going.

[Catrin]

Greek yogurt is such a racket! I buy the cheapest plain fat free yogurt tubs I can find, dump the whole thing into a strainer lined with a coffee filter and then next day I have thick, creamy "greek" yogurt for super cheap. I put it into little containers with my own honey and fruit/nuts. Two days of straining makes yogurt "cheese" which I put on bagels. Truly it is effortless and better than paying over a dollar for a 4 oz cup at the store!

I also just learned you can save the liquid whey after straining and add to smoothies. Or add it to dog's food to help with their gas like I do

/smacking myself on the head... I KNEW you could do this and had plain forgotten about it. I have moved to cheap Dannon fat-free yogurt for the cost but I really prefer strained yogurt, hands down. I will try this quite soon, thanks!

Also, every brand of yogurt uses their own combination of bacteria, but if it's really Greek style (as opposed to just meaning it's strained), it should have a combination of bacteria that's typical of Greece. Different cultures have very different flavors and somewhat different consistencies. Whatever yogurt you like, you can use that as your starter and keep the culture line going.

I really do prefer real Greek yogurt but the cost does get high since I eat so much of it. A lot of my protein comes from dairy products. This is good to remember as well, thanks!

[Crankin]

I am lazy and gladly buy the Chobani plain. I have tried several brands of Greek yogurt and this one is the best, in my opinion. It even got my DH to eat non-fat yogurt, after years of spending $ on non-fat for me and low fat for him.
I eat it for breakfast at least twice a week, with fresh fruit mixed in, as well as walnuts. I also use it as a substitute for mayo in some recipes, or mix it with low fat mayo.

[Serotta Jim]

I make my own - it is so easy and so much much cheaper! A 1/2 gallon of non-fat milk yields enough for me & DW for a week.

Also I make my own Kefir.

[kelownagirl]

I make my own - it is so easy and so much much cheaper! A 1/2 gallon of non-fat milk yields enough for me & DW for a week.

Also I make my own Kefir.

How?

[Serotta Jim]

Here is the recipe. After I make it I strain it. I find Trader Joe's is the best starter!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008...-crockpot.html

[KnottedYet]

My dog looooooooves whey from yogurt. It gets poured over his kibble, and he thinks it's ambrosia.

I use generic plain yogurt as a starter, and wrap the pan of warmed milk with a towel overnight.

Let home made yogurt drain, press and salt it, and you have a soft cheese which is very nice as a spread. You can use a tea towel (and I have), but cheese cloth works much better.

[WolfGirl]

I've been wanting to make my own yogurt from scratch (via a yogurt maker of some kind) for a couple of years now; I'm tired of the constant yogurt containers, even when recyclable. Anyone do this? There are a lot of makers out there...

(going to check out the make-your-own kefir! thanks for the link!)

[KnottedYet]

I don't use a yogurt maker.

3,000 years ago folks didn't have electric yogurt makers, and they made yogurt just fine....

Heat a pan full of milk to simmer. Turn the heat off. When you can leave a finger in the milk for 10 seconds without pain, add your starter. (about 1/2 cup or so of plain yogurt) Stir it in. Wrap the lidded pan of milk and starter in a big warm towel and leave overnight. (if you have a gas stove with a pilot light, leave it in the oven to be kept warm by the pilot light)

If it's still runny in the morning, either it needs to sit longer or it needs to be kept a bit warmer. Either one will solve the problem. (or you can cheat by adding a lot of starter)

When you are happy with the consistency, put it in the fridge.

To make cheese, dump the yogurt into a "bag" made of cheesecloth, set it on a slanted board, and put a pan of water on top as a weight. Leave it for a day where it can drain without making a mess.

Salt the resulting soft cheese as you like. Add sage, pepper, or other herbs as desired.

[zoom-zoom]

I've made a gallon of yogurt at a time using 4 1qt. containers, a cooler, and a heating pad. Prepare the yogurt as Knotted said (I heat the milk in the microwave, then add starter once it has cooled enough to not kill the cultures), then put the containers in a cooler with a heating pad on top set to low. Works like a charm. I only use about a TB of "starter" in each quart from a previous batch.

We usually drain each finished quart overnight with the paper towel and collander method. Man, I love that stuff!

[Catrin]

I don't use a yogurt maker.

3,000 years ago folks didn't have electric yogurt makers, and they made yogurt just fine....

I really have to try this - does it matter if you use skim milk? I use a LOT of non-fat dairy to get much of my protein and this would be perfect if I can use good organic skim milk...

[Blueberry]

I really have to try this - does it matter if you use skim milk? I use a LOT of non-fat dairy to get much of my protein and this would be perfect if I can use good organic skim milk...

You can use skim milk, but my experience is that it will result in a not very thick yogurt. Lots of recipes have you add extra powdered skim milk to the milk, and that does seem to help.