Oh, I had an experiment come out really, really well
today and I have to share. I took a gallon of whole milk (organic) and put it in my crockpot yesterday afternoon and heated it to
180º, then I let it cool to 108º - 112º. Once it got to 108º - 112º I mixed enough yogurt starter for the gallon. (Next time, I'll save some yogurt for starter. These were little packets I had in my refrigerator and it was coming to the end of it's use by date!) After mixing it with a little milk in a cup, I mixed it in the remaining gallon in the crockpot. I put the lid on, covered it with a towel,
and forgot about it for about 12 hours! This morning when I got up,
it looked great! But since I wanted it thicker, and was actually hoping
for Greek Yogurt I strained it for about six - eight hours through a coffee filter in one strainer and through paper towels in another since I didn't have any cheesecloth. It came out WONDERFUL!
I just had a dish for dinner. I'll be able to use it for sour cream,
or add fruit or jam or honey to it. Even better, it's less than HALF
the cost of Greek yogurt in the store! This made me happy, I'm always glad to learn another useful skill!
I'll have to take pictures sometime. I got two quart jars and a cereal dish of thick Greek yogurt. Then I got two quart jars of whey, with about an additional cup. I know whey is great in bread, and I will be checking out what else I can do with it.
So don't pay a fortune for Greek yogurt - or regular yogurt for that matter - or buy fancy equipment you really don't need. You don't HAVE to strain it like I did if you don't want or like Greek yogurt, either.
This makes me so very happy. It was so much easier to do than I thought it would be, and the flavor is every bit as good, if not better, than the store bought kind. I think it's so much fun that I can use it for so many things, that saves the amount of things I have to buy!
Hugs
Dear Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if you have a freezer or not, but if you do you can freeze two tablespoons of your yogurt to use to make your next batch. Just remove from the freezer when required and add to your milk. I do this all the time when I make my Greek yogurt, it saves a fortune on those packet mixes.
xTania
Hey, thank you! I have a small chest freezer I use. I've been thinking of just grabbing some out as I run low and using that, but is it better to freeze it right after you make it? I'm curious since I'm so new to this Greek yogurt making thing! You are most definitely right about the packet starters, they are expensive. The one's I had in my fridge were there a long time, I literally can't remember when I got them.
DeleteI know I'd like to make Kefir too since I love it, but my first batches weren't as good as I had hoped and I got discouraged and haven't made any for a long, long time. If I remember correctly, it was getting the fruit mixed in properly and finding an appropriate sweetener.
I'm so glad you shared this with me. I so want to learn how best to do things, and I appreciate any and all assistance. Thanks so much for reading!
Hugs!
I make yogurt for my mother this way all the time and she likes it better than store bought too. I have not tried straining it to get the Greek style. Will do that next time. If you have an ice cream maker you can make awesome frozen yogurt also.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tip, I'll be trying to make some frozen yogurt. I love the stuff, and it's nice to know what you're eating! I have a little cuisinart one so I'll give it whirl (lol), perhaps this weekend.
DeleteI let mine strain in the lined seives in the refrigerator for something like six hours, and I covered the tops with paper towels. I don't know if that made any difference, I just have a thing about uncovered stuff in the fridge. Isn't it funny the things that you can become almost OCD about?
Thank you so much for sharing!
Hugs
I'm reading this almost two years, after you wrote it, so I don't know whether or not you'll see this, but I'm excited that you did that and that it turned out so well! I made some years ago with a yogurt maker. It was fun, but I think the crockpot is a great idea!
ReplyDelete