THIS HAS BEEN A FUN EXPERIMENT. I'VE BEEN CONSUMING ONE 7 OZ. CUP PER DAY OF PLAIN FAGE GREEK YOGURT. AT $1.89 A POP, I'M OVER BUDGET! I THOUGHT I'D TRY MY LUCK AT A HOMEMADE VERSION.I HEATED 1/2 GALLON OF 2% ORGANIC MILK TO A SCALD: 180 F. THEN COOLED IT TO 115 DEGREES. I ADDED ABOUT 3Tbs OF FAGE YOGURT TO THE MILK, AND WHISKED UNTIL THOROUGHLY BLENDED. I POURED THE MILK INTO 2 CLEAN PLASTIC YOGURT CONTAINERS, AND SNAPPED ON THE LIDS. (IF I HAD 2 GLASS QUART JARS, I'D HAVE USED THOSE INSTEAD.) I PUT THE 2 CONTAINERS IN A LARGE SOUP POT, AND ADDED 115 DEGREE WATER NEARLY UP TO THE RIMS OF THE YOGURT CONTAINERS. I PUT THE POT LID ON, WRAPPED IT IN A TOWEL, AND PLACED THE BUNDLE THE OVEN, WHICH I HAD PREVIOUSLY WARMED TO 180F AND TURNED OFF. I LEFT IT OVER NIGHT, AND THIS MORNING HAD 2 QUARTS OF YOGURT!
SINCE MY STRAINER IS NOT VERY BIG, I STRAINED THE YOGURT IN 2 BATCHES. I LINED THE STRAINER WITH A PAPER TOWEL, DUMPED IN A QUART OF YOGURT, PLACED IT OVER A BOWL, COVERED WITH SARAN WRAP AND PUT IN THE FRIDGE TO DRIP. EACH QUART YIELDED 1.5 CUPS OF WHEY AFTER 3 HOURS.
USING THIS METHOD, TWO QUARTS OF MILK YIELDS 3 CUPS OF WHEY AND ABOUT ONE QUART + 1/4 CUP OR SO, OF STRAINED YOGURT, WHICH COST $4.19. (IT LOSES SOME VOLUME WHEN STIRRED AND PUT INTO ITS FINAL CONTAINER.) IT'S TAKEN QUITE A BIT OF EFFORT, BUT WITH SOME MODIFICATIONS IN MY PROCESS, I CAN IMAGINE DOING THIS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
OH . . . AND THE TASTE? IT'S FANTASTIC. SMOOTH AND CREAMY. I JUST ATE A LITTLE BOWLFUL WITH MAPLE SYRUP. YUM!
7 comments:
Hi sis,
I'm up in Ashland visiting mom and she wanted to see your blog. She is admiring your attention to detail. I'm admiring your yogurt. Nate's painting webpage is quite impressive. The child has talent and drive. Sun is shining here intermitently and there was an enormous rainbow earlier this am. Mom threatens to get a computer. If so you may find her on your blogspace with cooking advice. Just kidding, she thinks your cooking is to involved. Hope your well. Love R and Char.
there is nothing in the world tastier than homemade yoghurt. most households here make it everyday.
i had to smile to read that you put the containers in hotwater and then in a warm oven (something i don't have to do). but i am glad it works.
Hi Priya. Oh my goodness - you can just leave it out on the table and it works? That's impressive! It is still sooo cold here - winter may never end . . .
Hi Susan! This confirms my suspicion that yogurt making is not an exact science. I recently bought a yogurt maker but didn't want to buy the expensive yogurt starter. I added a small container of plain nonfat organic probiotic etc yogurt to the 2 quarts of milk and heated, cooled, warmed, waited, etc and it turned out just fine. I read the instruction manual afterwards. I imagine there are as many kinds of yogurt as there are yogurt makers. If I had seen your blog first, I would likely have saved some $$. Can't wait to try it! Thank you!
Claire
Hi Claire! S nice to see your comment. The good thing about a yogurt maker is that it maintains the required temperature. Did you read Priya's message above? She lives in India, and doesn't have to concern herself with keeping it warm!
I've always wondered how to make yogurt short of buying a yogurt-making machine. This sounds like something I could do ~ and I could use all those glass jars that sit in the basement.
Hi Kate! Good luck with your yogurt. And thanks for stopping by!
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