The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Do it Yourself Discussion! => Topic started by: ThatGuyFromCanada on September 10, 2013, 08:18:57 AM
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I made Greek yogurt last night and it was much easier than I expected it be. I used 1% milk and following the instructions here
http://www.makegreekyogurt.com/ (http://www.makegreekyogurt.com/) After I strained it I added 2tsp of sugar and some vanilla extract and it easily tasted as good as the store bought stuff.
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Interesting! I love yogurt.
I wonder if it actually saves money, though... Around these parts, you can buy a tub of yogurt for 3$... I wonder if the DIY technique is that much cheaper...
I am trying cheese these days, because that is expensive...
Will post something eventually, but right now is just for fun.
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I make yogurt. I do find some savings, but the main advantage of home made in my mind is that it tastes way better than the grocery store crap with all the artificial flavorings and preservatives!
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Except pasteurized milk from caged cows is loaded with hormones and antibiotics. I get ear infections something fierce if I drink it. I don't have that problem with raw milk from grass fed cows. Just FYI if people have chronic sinus issues, stop the dairy and it will change your life.
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If you're making your own yogurt you have a hell of a lot more control over what milk you use than if you're buying yogurt at the store so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make? You can even make yogurt at home with raw milk if you want. Plenty tutorials online for that.
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Except pasteurized milk from caged cows is loaded with hormones and antibiotics. I get ear infections something fierce if I drink it. I don't have that problem with raw milk from grass fed cows. Just FYI if people have chronic sinus issues, stop the dairy and it will change your life.
There are no hormones allowed in any milk or milk products sold in Canada. Pasteurization significantly increases the safety of the milk that you drink by eliminating many common pathogens, I'd be leery about recommending it to people without explaining the risks.
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Except pasteurized milk from caged cows is loaded with hormones and antibiotics. I get ear infections something fierce if I drink it. I don't have that problem with raw milk from grass fed cows. Just FYI if people have chronic sinus issues, stop the dairy and it will change your life.
There are no hormones allowed in any milk or milk products sold in Canada. Pasteurization significantly increases the safety of the milk that you drink by eliminating many common pathogens, I'd be leery about recommending it to people without explaining the risks.
You are more likely to get sick from eating lettuce here than you are from drinking raw milk. When you boil the milk it kills the essential enzymes and good bacteria too..so after that it's a dead product. Also factory farm cows are fed a horrible scrap diet of left over grains, sugars, etc. Crap in, crap out.
I'm all for the DIY yogurt, just make it with almond milk or raw milk from your local farmer. My kids have my allergy to factory dairy too... so they can't have yogurt...this is a good kick in the pants to start making it for them. :)
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Except pasteurized milk from caged cows is loaded with hormones and antibiotics. I get ear infections something fierce if I drink it. I don't have that problem with raw milk from grass fed cows. Just FYI if people have chronic sinus issues, stop the dairy and it will change your life.
There are no hormones allowed in any milk or milk products sold in Canada. Pasteurization significantly increases the safety of the milk that you drink by eliminating many common pathogens, I'd be leery about recommending it to people without explaining the risks.
You are more likely to get sick from eating lettuce here than you are from drinking raw milk. When you boil the milk it kills the essential enzymes and good bacteria too..so after that it's a dead product. Also factory farm cows are fed a horrible scrap diet of left over grains, sugars, etc. Crap in, crap out.
What 'essential enzymes' are killed? Do you have any studies that show what you're saying? I only ask because pretty much every food scientist and government food agency either requires or recommends pasteurization for health reasons.
I've been to several commercial dairy farms around here. The cows aren't fed a horrible scrap diet, they're fed pretty well because their health governs their milk production.
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Except pasteurized milk from caged cows is loaded with hormones and antibiotics. I get ear infections something fierce if I drink it. I don't have that problem with raw milk from grass fed cows. Just FYI if people have chronic sinus issues, stop the dairy and it will change your life.
There are no hormones allowed in any milk or milk products sold in Canada. Pasteurization significantly increases the safety of the milk that you drink by eliminating many common pathogens, I'd be leery about recommending it to people without explaining the risks.
You are more likely to get sick from eating lettuce here than you are from drinking raw milk. When you boil the milk it kills the essential enzymes and good bacteria too..so after that it's a dead product. Also factory farm cows are fed a horrible scrap diet of left over grains, sugars, etc. Crap in, crap out.
What 'essential enzymes' are killed? Do you have any studies that show what you're saying? I only ask because pretty much every food scientist and government food agency either requires or recommends pasteurization for health reasons.
I've been to several commercial dairy farms around here. The cows aren't fed a horrible scrap diet, they're fed pretty well because their health governs their milk production.
Something tells me no study would satisfy you.
I have an idea, you enjoy your dead milk, I'll enjoy mine raw, dangerous pathogens and all. Life on the edge baby. I'm going to get crazy and have some spinach later, too.
Edit to add some government data for you.
Milk is listed as the #1 food allergen by our own FDA. But it's healthy, right?
http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm079311.htm
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http://ethicalfoods.com/raw-vs-pasteurized-milk/
The raw view on pasteurization
For raw dairy farmers, pasteurization robs consumers of the nutritional content that makes milk a healthy product. Advocates for raw milk claim that pasteurization destroys important enzymes, such as lipase, protease, and phosphatase.
Phosphatase, for example, is critical for the body to absorb minerals and calcium. The test used to determine whether or not pasteurization has been successful is called the “phosphatase test” which determines success on the absence of phosphatase content in the milk.
Digestive enzymes that allow for the proper digestion of milk fats are also destroyed during pasteurization, which is why many may experience mucous build-up, indigestion, or may develop an intolerance to lactose. Raw milk also contains beneficial probiotic microorganisms and intestinal flora essential to digestion.
Pasteurization and allergies
Milk is listed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the number one food allergy in America. Organic Pastures, an organic raw dairy based in California, explains why pasteurized milk causes an allergic reaction.
“After pasteurization, bacteria found naturally in milk are killed. During the high temperature heating process, cell bodies of these bacteria are ruptured and their contents are spilled, releasing intracellular proteins. This causes many milk drinkers to suffer histamine or allergic reactions.”
These cell parts and their contents are not filtered out of milk, causing the immune system to react negatively towards milk when it encounters these foreign, broken cell bodies.
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Except pasteurized milk from caged cows is loaded with hormones and antibiotics. I get ear infections something fierce if I drink it. I don't have that problem with raw milk from grass fed cows. Just FYI if people have chronic sinus issues, stop the dairy and it will change your life.
There are no hormones allowed in any milk or milk products sold in Canada. Pasteurization significantly increases the safety of the milk that you drink by eliminating many common pathogens, I'd be leery about recommending it to people without explaining the risks.
You are more likely to get sick from eating lettuce here than you are from drinking raw milk. When you boil the milk it kills the essential enzymes and good bacteria too..so after that it's a dead product. Also factory farm cows are fed a horrible scrap diet of left over grains, sugars, etc. Crap in, crap out.
What 'essential enzymes' are killed? Do you have any studies that show what you're saying? I only ask because pretty much every food scientist and government food agency either requires or recommends pasteurization for health reasons.
I've been to several commercial dairy farms around here. The cows aren't fed a horrible scrap diet, they're fed pretty well because their health governs their milk production.
Something tells me no study would satisfy you.
I have an idea, you enjoy your dead milk, I'll enjoy mine raw, dangerous pathogens and all. Life on the edge baby. I'm going to get crazy and have some spinach later, too.
Edit to add some government data for you.
Milk is listed as the #1 food allergen by our own FDA. But it's healthy, right?
http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm079311.htm
You know that being an allergen isn't the same as being unhealthy. It means that it is the most common thing that people are allergic too, so those allergic to it shouldn't drink milk. And someone with a milk allergic is just as allergic to raw milk as to pasteurized milk.
Back to the original post...I made homemade yogurt for the first time about two months ago, and I too was pleasantly surprised how easy it was and how good it tasted. My kids in particular really raved about it.
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No, I drank store milk my whole life without ever knowing they were causing my sinus, seasonal allergies and ear infections. Like I said, I drink raw milk now for the past 2 years and have not had ONE infection. I was getting 3-4 a year.
So its not that I am allergic to milk, its that I and millions of others are allergic to the process of pasteurizing it.
And it is a health issue if people are unaware that an allergy even exists.
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Around these here parts (Seattle), the cost of plain store-bought yogurt purchased by the pint is about twice the cost of the milk required to make it from scratch. In my opinion homemade tastes much better than store-bought. I predicted that the taste would be the same, but it's really good. It's so good I can eat it plain without sugar or anything added to it. I'm not making this up.
Not going to weigh in on the raw milk debate.
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Regarding the original topic, I've found that occasionally containers of regular yogurt go on sale for much less than greek yogurt, so we strain them to get greek yogurt. Milk is too expensive around here to make much profit in doing up your own yogurt.
Something tells me no study would satisfy you.
I have an idea, you enjoy your dead milk, I'll enjoy mine raw, dangerous pathogens and all. Life on the edge baby. I'm going to get crazy and have some spinach later, too.
Edit to add some government data for you.
Milk is listed as the #1 food allergen by our own FDA. But it's healthy, right?
http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm079311.htm
As has been mentioned, people with milk allergies are as allergic to raw milk as pasturized. I'd be quite satisfied with a study that supports the claims you're making with regards to damaged 'essential enzymes'. I haven't been able to find any myself which is why I was asking if you had any.
Since you seem to respect the data gathered by the FDA lets see what they have to say about raw milk - http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm079516.htm (http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm079516.htm):
- Pasteurizing milk DOES NOT cause lactose intolerance and allergic reactions. Both raw milk and pasteurized milk can cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to milk proteins.
- Raw milk DOES NOT kill dangerous pathogens by itself.
- Pasteurization DOES NOT reduce milk's nutritional value.
- Pasteurization DOES kill harmful bacteria.
- Pasteurization DOES save lives.
Or maybe we could trust the doctors at the Center for Disease Control - http://www.cdc.gov/features/rawmilk/ (http://www.cdc.gov/features/rawmilk/):
Among dairy product-associated outbreaks reported to CDC between 1998 and 2011 in which the investigators reported whether the product was pasteurized or raw, 79% were due to raw milk or cheese.
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Recently have taken on DIY yogurt. using this method: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-2/ (http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-2/)
Variable costs
1 gallon Whole Milk: $1.99-$2.49 (aldi)
1 dannon or yoplait 6 oz french vanilla or plain yogurt $0.60 (starter)
Makes about 18 cups (4 mason jars to the brim)(4 cups each + to the brim)
So about $0.15/serving.
Fixed costs
4 Mason Quart Jars
4 Lids
Thermometer capable of 190 F
Large Cooler for incubation
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Since you seem to respect the data gathered by the FDA lets see what they have to say about raw milk - http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm079516.htm (http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm079516.htm):
- Pasteurizing milk DOES NOT cause lactose intolerance and allergic reactions. Both raw milk and pasteurized milk can cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to milk proteins.
- Raw milk DOES NOT kill dangerous pathogens by itself.
- Pasteurization DOES NOT reduce milk's nutritional value.
- Pasteurization DOES kill harmful bacteria.
- Pasteurization DOES save lives.
Right. It only makes milk the #1 allergen, but does not break down healthy enzymes? Lawl. I guess they missed how pasteurization (http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/pasteurization2.htm) works? They can't have it both ways.
No one source of information is completely unbiased or infallible.
As has been mentioned, people with milk allergies are as allergic to raw milk as pasturized. I'd be quite satisfied with a study that supports the claims you're making with regards to damaged 'essential enzymes'. I haven't been able to find any myself which is why I was asking if you had any.
Uh, No. As I already mentioned, which is magically ignored, the process of pasteurization is was causes the allergies.
Here is it again for you:
Pasteurization and allergies
Milk is listed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the number one food allergy in America. Organic Pastures, an organic raw dairy based in California, explains why pasteurized milk causes an allergic reaction.
“After pasteurization, bacteria found naturally in milk are killed. During the high temperature heating process, cell bodies of these bacteria are ruptured and their contents are spilled, releasing intracellular proteins. This causes many milk drinkers to suffer histamine or allergic reactions.”
These cell parts and their contents are not filtered out of milk, causing the immune system to react negatively towards milk when it encounters these foreign, broken cell bodies.
I am living proof...but that is anecdotal, so yeah. Believe what'ya like.
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What is it with you guys hijacking threads?
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What is it with you guys hijacking threads?
Preventing wasted money on ear and sinus infections is very mustachian.
But yeah, you're right. Back to the DIY Yogurt, which I plan on trying with some raw and/or almond milk. :)
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Does almond milk yogurt even work? It can't be the same bacteria for transformation?
Or is it?...
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Does almond milk yogurt even work? It can't be the same bacteria for transformation?
Or is it?...
I don't know. The wife did just pick up some almond milk yogurt from the store and it does contain the live active cultures. I have not read the label on it very closely though.
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I've tried making yogurt a few times. The first two times turned out perfectly, but the third time only partially set up. I think the problem was temperature - I turn on the oven for a minute or so every few hours to try to keep the temperature right, but I must have left it on too long and killed the yogurt bacteria. Next time I'm going to try that site's suggestion of just leaving the oven light on and not messing with the oven itself.
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Finnish yogurt (viili) is even easier! Just whisk a teaspoon of starter with a cup of milk and let sit on the counter for a couple of days. That's it! No cooking, no straining, no yogurt maker. It makes an amazing creamy yogurt, equally suitable for eating with sweets (fruit, honey, granola) as in savory applications. If you want it thicker you can strain it in cheesecloth a bit but I like its natural texture. It reminds me of the yogurt in Greece and Turkey (which is not nearly as thick as the 'Greek' yogurt sold here). There they eat it for breakfast with cucumbers and tomatoes.
You can buy viili starters online or find a Finnish person to give you one. Mine is supposedly the same starter that my great-grandmother used. All you do is reserve a little of each batch and keep using the same starter over and over, indefinitely.
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Wow, this viili sounds amazing!
Thanks for this...
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What 'essential enzymes' are killed? Do you have any studies that show what you're saying? I only ask because pretty much every food scientist and government food agency either requires or recommends pasteurization for health reasons.
I've been to several commercial dairy farms around here. The cows aren't fed a horrible scrap diet, they're fed pretty well because their health governs their milk production.
In the US most milk absolutely needs to be pasteurized due to the condition the cows are kept on. When I worked on a dairy farm we loaded the cows up with RBGH and milked them so often their utters cracked and started bleeding and pussing. We kept them on antibiotics to cut down on infections but it only did so much. The cows grazed when they could and supplemental feedings to increase production included corn, soy, and supplement powder.
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I also make homemade Greek yogurt to save a little money and time (I'd have to go to another store to get Greek yogurt at a reasonable price). It's super easy. If you have a gas oven you can incubate in there without even turning the oven on. The pilot light keeps the oven warm enough. Throw some homemade Greek yogurt, frozen berries, vanilla protein powder, and chocolate chips in a bowl, mix, and feast.
I drink tons of milk (its great for building muscle) and eat quite a bit of yogurt, so I get some odd looks at the grocery store with 5 or so gallons of milk in my cart.
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Can you freeze the bacterial culture for later use?
Also, regarding the pasteurization vs raw discussion:
Heating of any food to beyond ~44C will result in the denaturing and thermal degradation of proteins (typically so called vitamins). One of the more sensitive proteins is Vitamin C, which quickly denatures and breaks down when heated. An absence of vitamin C results in scurvy. The Inuit (used) to eat only meat, and eat it raw, but never developed scurvy. The absence of scurvy in Inuit was quite the medical mystery until it was discovered that the Inuit were receiving their vitamin C from the raw meat.
This same principle applies to milk or any other cooked foods.
The consequences of not properly sterilizing (pasteurizing / cooking) foods are usually severe, and occasionally fatal.
When you compare the risk of nutritional deficiency (which can be easily remedied with appropriate diet adjustments) to the risk of death from unpasteurized / uncooked food, the choice for the majority of people is clear.
If you choose to consume raw milk, please keep in mind your raw milk could easily be contaminated with live bacterial cultures. E. Coli bacterial cultures.
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What 'essential enzymes' are killed? Do you have any studies that show what you're saying? I only ask because pretty much every food scientist and government food agency either requires or recommends pasteurization for health reasons.
I've been to several commercial dairy farms around here. The cows aren't fed a horrible scrap diet, they're fed pretty well because their health governs their milk production.
In the US most milk absolutely needs to be pasteurized due to the condition the cows are kept on. When I worked on a dairy farm we loaded the cows up with RBGH and milked them so often their utters cracked and started bleeding and pussing. We kept them on antibiotics to cut down on infections but it only did so much. The cows grazed when they could and supplemental feedings to increase production included corn, soy, and supplement powder.
That's so disgusting, and is the reason why store milk is banned in our house. Pasteurization is too kill all the residual crap and toxins that end up in the milk, which adversely landed milk as the #1 food allergy. I thank god every day I discovered this! I probably spent $500 on copays alone in one year for me and my family going to doctor to treat our sinus and ear infections.
I've been drinking raw milk for over a year. It tastes amazing and really accentuates how bad store milk tastes and smells!. There is a lot of fear mongering going on about it, but know your farmer, know your co-op. It's a classic case of fear what you don't know. The best part, no more spring allergies, winter colds, sinus or ear infections!
Another knock on this factory farm milk is that they are wanting to add aspartame and other artificial sweeteners too it as well. They might already be doing so w/o our knowledge.
I could discuss the topic until the COWs come home. Harhar! I did try Almond yogurt and it does have the live active cultures added to it. It didn't taste too bad, but the kids didn't like it at first.
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When I worked on a dairy farm we loaded the cows up with RBGH and milked them so often their utters cracked...
Really, you worked on a dairy farm with talking cows? What an udder crack-up!
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Maybe someone can give me some "troubleshooting" help! I just tried this for the first time last night:
I had some milk that I knew I wouldn't use up in time, so I followed these directions: Heat 2qts milk to 180F. Cool to 110 and stir in 1 tablespoon natural yogurt. Let sit in a warm place for 8hrs. Strain in the fridge for 1 to 3 hrs depending on how thick you like it.
Well, I left it in my oven overnight (with just the pilot light), and when I took it out this morning, it's already yogurt! No straining required! What caused it to thicken up so much?? Was it warm enough that the cultures really got down to business? It is literally *almost* as thick as grocery store yogurt. I was happy to save the cheesecloth, but want to understand how that worked out??
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Depends which brand/type of yogurt you're comparing it to. Straining is generally the difference between regular and Greek yogurt.
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I might be the last person in the world to try Greek yogurt, so I guess I mean the old-fashioned fruit-on-the-bottom gelatin-y kind. I was able to scoop it with a spoon and leave a depression behind.
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When you're yogurt is done in the oven it is regular yogurt. Thickness tends to vary based on the fat content in the milk and probably some other factors I'm not aware of. You strain it to thicken it up further. If you already like the consistency then no straining required!
Greek yogurt is just regular yogurt that has been strained.
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I'm curious, I tried this before and I didn't like the taste :S, I don't actually like "real" yogurt, it's too thick for me, and I don't like the lack of flavor...
But i've been thinking, just haven't tried it yet so I thought I'd ask since I saw this thread. Has anyone made yogurt with milk other than plain milk? I mean like strawberry milk or chocolate milk? Do you end up with strawberry flavored yogurt/chocolate? I'm sure I could just add some strawberry/chocolate syrup to yogurt later. But I just wasn't sure :D
What I did to make it was boil milk, then let it cooldown a little (I used the baby milk test, if I could put a drop on my hand without being burnt) before adding the yogurt starter (or leftover yogurt from last batch) then putting a towel over the pot and letting it sit for about a day (no need to put it in oven to keep it warm). I learned how to do this from a Kurdish friend. And also how to make dugh from the yogurt as a drink, thought some of you may like to try it if you haven't, and have yogurt to spare. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugh You basically take some yogurt and add it to ice cold water then blend it until it is all bubbly. Add some salt if you like is what I was told, I didn't like it with salt but then again I didn't like it much to begin with.
edit: I might try it with goat milk later, I like it more than cow milk to drink anyhow... never thought about a yogurt from it until just now
edit: Might as well mention why I don't like yogurt much, and see if any one has a solution. It's too sour for me, store bought greek yogurt taste like sour cream to me, so I use it as chip dip/sour cream, but I can't eat it by the spoonful. Same goes for homemade yogurt, it's just sour to me (yeah I know, it really is soured milk). Without adding a lot of sugar/flavoring to cover it up, how do you make it without a sour taste?
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Goat milk yogurt is great, that's what my wife makes, we have goats. She uses a yogurt warmer thing, so I can't really fill in the details. There's a culture you can get at your local food co-op, and we also just reuse some from the previous batch.
The thickness can be controlled by adding gelatin. I like my yogurt pretty thick, she likes hers runny. So we compromise. Yogurt shouldn't taste sour, but it can if it goes bad before the cultures develop.
I use a heaping tsp of honey and some vanilla in mine. It takes a bit of work to mix the honey in.
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I rarely eat it plain. I usually add a cup of frozen berries and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. Sometimes I toss in a small handful of chocolate chips too.
If you've already tried adding suger and/or fruit to yogurt and didn't care for it I'm not sure what else you could try.
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I took a shot at making yogurt this past week. Relatively simple and it was also a great feeling to see the transformation of the milk into yogurt the next am. A little bit runnier than I was going for, but not too bad considering my non-laboratory incubator of semi-close but not too-close to the baseboard heater.
Cost-wise, milk is pretty expensive here, so I'm not certain there's much savings in Canada in making your own. I could be wrong, this is just a guess. What might make it really cost-effective is using powdered milk. This will be my next experiment.
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A little bit runnier than I was going for, [...] What might make it really cost-effective is using powdered milk.
It's often runny if you use low-fat milk (e.g., 2%). Try adding a cup of milk powder to the milk before you heat it. Adds nutrient density, too.
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To save on the cost of the starter and if you don't want to re-culture your own batches you can freeze your starter. I froze several tablespoons from a commercial yogurt in 1 T scoops. It should keep about a year. Each time I make yogurt I just stick one of those in and stir it until it mixes into the milk, and I don't have to worry about gradual culture changes. If you don't want to keep your batch warm in the oven, a heating pad works fine if you put the pot on top and wrap blankets around the whole thing.
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I've used Fankhauser's recipes (http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/CHEESE_temp.HTML) for yogurt and cheese. I just do mason jars in a mini-cooler, and follow the temperatures precisely. It comes up thicker and milder than other methods I've tried, but I also have a Donvier yogurt strainer if I want greek yogurt. Once you've made yogurt, try labneh.
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Rather than strain yogurt, I whisk dry non-fat milk (that is, powdered milk) into the milk after the heating a cooling cycle, immediately before I add some yogurt to start the culturing. I can get a texture and flavor that I want, without having excess whey.
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I made my own yogurt this weekend, and it was ridiculously easy. Bonus: It wasn't watery even though I used skim milk, and it tastes delicious. Double bonus: I didn't have to buy any equipment.
From My Plastic Free Life:
Melanie Rimmer of Bean Sprouts revealed a brilliant method of making yogurt with only a Thermos in her post, How To Make Greek Yogurt. You should check out her post to see photos of the step by step process. Here are the basics:
Fill a Thermos with any kind of milk you want to use. I used nonfat milk in my handy KQED Public Radio travel Thermos. This step is simply for measuring out the correct amount of milk.
Pour the milk into a pan or microwave bowl and bring it to a boil. I used a Pyrex container in the microwave.
Remove it from heat or microwave and stick a thermometer into the milk. I used a candy thermometer attached to the side of the Pyrex container. Allow the milk to cool to 122°F (50°C).
Pour milk back into Thermos and add a tablespoon of yogurt from a previous batch. I used a tablespoon of my Saint Benoît yogurt.
Cover the Thermos and let it sit for 8 – 14 hours. I left it at 8:30 this morning and opened it back up at 7:00 tonight. And it worked!
For less watery yogurt, strain it through a cheese cloth. Actually, I put it in a wire sieve over a bowl, and that method worked fine. As you can see in the photo, I ended up with some nice yogurt and a bowl of whey (the watery part.)
- See more at: http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/12/plastic-free-yogurt-well-almost-plus/#sthash.qZF3u0WO.dpuf
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I was considering posting to ask if anyone had made greek yogurt, now I don't have to! I love the FAGE 2% kind (so creamy and not too tart like a lot of the plain ones can be... with a light drizzle of honey it's basically dessert) but unless you catch it on a major sale it's really expensive. I may have to give this a try and see if it can compete. Thanks!
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I was considering posting to ask if anyone had made greek yogurt, now I don't have to! I love the FAGE 2% kind (so creamy and not too tart like a lot of the plain ones can be... with a light drizzle of honey it's basically dessert) but unless you catch it on a major sale it's really expensive. I may have to give this a try and see if it can compete. Thanks!
As a fellow Fage-lover: it does. :)
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I was considering posting to ask if anyone had made greek yogurt, now I don't have to! I love the FAGE 2% kind (so creamy and not too tart like a lot of the plain ones can be... with a light drizzle of honey it's basically dessert) but unless you catch it on a major sale it's really expensive. I may have to give this a try and see if it can compete. Thanks!
As a fellow Fage-lover: it does. :)
I agree as well. Fage has always been the "true" brand of Greek yogurt for me, it's what everyone I knew in Greece ate.
I always culture my batches from a half a small carton of Fage, and freeze the other half for my next batch. I always use full-fat Fage and whole milk, then strain the resulting yogurt for a few to several hours.
ETA: I typically make at least a half gallon of yogurt per batch.
The whey you strain off is useful too, you can use it as the liquid in making bread or other things, or added into the water you soak beans in. It's very good for you! http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/recipes-with-yogurt/18-ways-to-use-whey-a-by-product-of-greek-yogurt
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Love this. I recently started making my own too! I live in an isolated mountain town. No organic yogurt options here. Plain store brand yogurt is $3 a quart on a good day. Greek is $5 or more. I can't get good organic milk either, but I can get a gallon of 2% for about $5. That makes about 3 quarts of "greek" yogurt. That makes my price 1.67 per quart + time + electricity to heat the milk. I use the left over whey in soup and baking.
I usually make it in the evenings while I am doing and just at the house. I don't add sweetener of any kind. I've had good results using starter from store and previous batches. Will need to replace with fresh soon. I do add a little unflavored gelatin to help it thicken.
Added bonus, I can not recycle yogurt containers here (silliness!), but I can recycle milk jugs. I know that plastics aren't truly recyclable, but I do feel better about being able to take the milk jug to the recycling center to at least have a chance at another life or two. No more hoarding yogurt containers until I go out of town to a place that accepts them!
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I make yoghurt at home using a thing called an Easy-Yo. I can buy sachets of yoghurt mix for half the price or less of shop yoghurt. Just fill the Easy-yo with hot water, mix the sachet with cold water and put it in for about 8-12 hours. The thermos part and the sachets are from NZ ( also use Hansells)http://www.easiyo.com (http://www.easiyo.com).
If I made my own from fresh milk it would cost more. If I used powdered milk I could probably get the cost down further.
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I just got back into making my own yogurt again. Moving close to work has given me the extra time to do this. I really enjoy using our yogurt maker. 2 years ago when I first tried this I wrote a blog article (http://ohyonghao.com/blog/homemade-yogurt/) about it.
What I've found since then is I can make up to about five batches before something starts tasting funny. I think I've worked out some of the problems in sanitation. Before I only dipped my jars in hot water for maybe a minute or two, now I boil them for 15 minutes. Another trick I do to keep costs down is I take the yogurt I bought for starter and freeze it in 6oz containers so I can start fresh multiple times using the store bought plain yogurt.
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I made my second batch last night based off the last container of yogurt from the last batch. I used a kill-a-watt to track how much energy it consumed to make yogurt and it came out to 0.14Kwh for 12 hours of incubation. At my utility rate of 0.12/Kwh this comes to less than $0.02 per batch. After $1.50 for the half gallon of milk and $2.33 for the plain yogurt to start with we are at $3.83 ($3.87 including electricity) for two weeks worth of yogurt for our daily smoothies. If there were more of us we could save more by purchasing gallons of milk, but being only two of us we find a half gallon hard enough to go through.
With still having two frozen starters we should be able to make it through at least another month on this, depending on how many sequential batches we can make. Subsequent batches in this run will go for about $1.52 per two weeks. Normally a container of yogurt lasts us only one week, so this is a pretty good savings.
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I'm on batch 4 from the same yogurt I started with, I have a lid which I marked as the one I used as starter last time so I can use that as the first cup of yogurt with the new batch. So far I haven't had it go bad yet. As I said in my last post I boil the jars for 15 minutes before using them. I also pour the milk straight from the container into the jars instead of pouring into a different container first to mix the yogurt, I believe this helps to avoid contamination. There hasn't been any trouble with actually making yogurt yet, I just feed a few spoonfuls from my last yogurt jar into all the jars after boiling. I have started to fill the jars halfway before adding the yogurt just in case the jars are too hot and kill the culture; there is also the added benefit that you can handle the jars sooner since the milk has allowed them to cool faster.
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I've been making my own yoghurt for years.
1 Microwave 1 litre of UHT milk for 3 minutes
2 Mix in a large tablespoonfull of live yoghurt from the previous batch
3 Leave in a warm place fo3 6~12 hours, depending on taste preference. I use a winemaking heater.
The starter is always carried over from my previous batch, except for about twice a year, when I have been away on holiday and need to buy a new tub of yoghurt to get a starter.
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The starter is always carried over from my previous batch, except for about twice a year, when I have been away on holiday and need to buy a new tub of yoghurt to get a starter.
If I knew I was going to be gone too long I would just freeze the last batch first, yogurt cultures do very well being frozen and thawed back out. That's actually how I used to make a single quart last 20 batches was by taking one starter then freezing the rest of it in starter sized containers. Once a batch got weird I would just grab a new starter from the freezer, set it in the fridge for the day and use it that evening.
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We do yogurt in a crockpot, which is super easy and I've never had a batch fail. I use the method here:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html
Only I don't blend the fruit in at the end. We stir in fruit, jam, granola, etc, when we're ready to eat it. It keeps longer in the fridge that way for us.
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I make yogurt in the crockpot regularly to save money. (I strain it afterwards to make it greek). It's delish!
I made it once with soy milk, using the regular crockpot method and it turned out fine...except that it tasted like nothing. I know that sounds weird, but it just kind of had no taste. Also, I still used regular store-bought yogurt as my starter, so it wasn't totally dairy free.
I like to save my whey to mix into smoothies...I'm mildly lactose intolerant, but dislike the taste of all milk substitutes. Whey+soymilk is the only liquid combo that I've found to be satisfactory in my smoothies! (Plus I think the whey has some nutrients or something in it too? Protein? I don't know.)
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OK - I'm in on this one! Our first batch is currently in the CP - using the crockpot365 recipe posted here. Bought organic whole milk (spendy, but ahhhhhhh it's our first attempt) to use and some Hood River cherries to mix in. All batches after this one will be cheaper, for sure! (But this one should be super yummy.) Thanks to the PP who ran the Kill-A-Watt test on this - can at least tell the fam it cost next to nothing for the electricity.
Any idea if I can use a bit of powdered buttermilk to thicken instead of regular, low-fat powdered milk? Don't have any of that and I do have a small tub of the buttermilk powder in the fridge (comes in handy for recipes). I'm guessing it might just make the yogurt a bit more tangy...
Bought a cup of Fage for my starter this time, but love the idea of freezing a batch in little pucks to use as future starters!
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Rats - pricey epic fail on my yogurt. Not exactly sure what went wrong since I followed the crockpot365 recipe, but my batch didn't thicken up AT ALL. Maybe my crockpot temp (on low) was too high and killed the cultures or something? So, don't think I can even use the failed batch as a starter... Will try again, but :(
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Alright, I'm doing this this week! I do so many other DIY foods that I'm surprised it's taken me this long. In fact, I specifically buy Mountain High yoghurt because it tastes just like the yoghurt my Mom made growing up.
I personally like yoghurt on the tangy side, then mix it in with homemade granola, fruit, or on top of pancakes for complex flavor.
Commercial Greek yoghurt is actually a major toxic waste generator, FYI:
http://modernfarmer.com/2013/05/whey-too-much-greek-yogurts-dark-side/
So DIY Greek not only saves the plastic, but if you use the whey in baking, it saves the acidification damage.
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I don't like Greek yogurt or most American yogurt (the only exception is the Trader Joes strawberries and cream brand that comes in 4oz servings). I find that I do like the yogurt in Australia -- they are creamier and not as artificial tasting. How does homemade yogurt compare in texture and flavor? How can I flavor it since I probably won't like plain?
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I find that I do like the yogurt in Australia -- they are creamier and not as artificial tasting. How does homemade yogurt compare in texture and flavor?
The creamy aspect could come from using whole milk, whereas a lot of American yoghurt (especially flavored stuff) is 2% or lower milkfat, which is why it's runnier.
How can I flavor it since I probably won't like plain?
Once the curd is set, stir in whatever you want! It's as easy as that.
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Hooray! Try #2 worked like a charm. Seemed the problem with my first batch was that the pricey organic milk was ultra-pasturized which doesn't work with the crockpot365 recipe - the yogurt doesn't thicken, which happened to me. So, I used regular whole milk (just plain pasturized) and sprinkled about 1/4 cup of powdered milk into the yogurt starter to mix in with the warm milk on my recent try. I also kept better track of when the milk reached the 180-185 degree mark, and then when it cooled to 110, using my candy thermometer. In my first attempt, I had just followed the recipe time estimate "2 1/2 hours on low" etc. In fact, my milk needed 3 hours on low and then a brief hit on high in the CP to reach the 180-degree mark. That surprised me. Followed by 3 hours unplugged to cool to 110 degrees so that the starter and milk powder and vanilla could be mixed in, then the unplugged CP was wrapped snugly in a towel for 6 hours to stay warmish so the yogurt could develop...and yes, thicken! Seems the longer it sits in this last phase, the tangier the yogurt - I will need to experiment a bit with this last bit.
Good luck to anyone who tries this - it is fun! (When it works!)
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I use a slow cooker method with thermometer and it works perfectly every time. I have been doing this for a number of months and still haven't had my cultures shift. I am beginning to think that my starter is too aggressive for the bad bacteria. It has 7 different strains so that isn't too surprising I guess. How long did it take some of you to have the cultures start going bad? I am at over 5 months now, I really thought I would have needed a new starter by now.
Since we use this in our smoothies, we don't strain the whey out even though we prefer greek yogurt for eating and used our last commercial batch of greek yogurt as the starter. For us, it cuts the price of the yogurt in half and since we don't have to add as much milk to the smoothies, it saves us on that as well.
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I use a slow cooker method with thermometer and it works perfectly every time. I have been doing this for a number of months and still haven't had my cultures shift. I am beginning to think that my starter is too aggressive for the bad bacteria. It has 7 different strains so that isn't too surprising I guess. How long did it take some of you to have the cultures start going bad? I am at over 5 months now, I really thought I would have needed a new starter by now.
Since we use this in our smoothies, we don't strain the whey out even though we prefer greek yogurt for eating and used our last commercial batch of greek yogurt as the starter. For us, it cuts the price of the yogurt in half and since we don't have to add as much milk to the smoothies, it saves us on that as well.
I went six months or so making weekly batches with no trouble. I only ran into trouble when I stopped making smoothies! I found sanitation was the biggest contributor to my batches eventually going bad before. I recommend not boiling the milk, or putting it in a different container to mix with the starter. Milk has already been pasteurized and put into sanitary containers, by attempting to scald the milk you risk cross contamination from every piece of equipment you use. I would boil my glass jars and then set them out just before using, tops up to let them steam dry, add the milk, then use a spoon which I had also sanitized to take a scoop from the last batch and add it to each jar. That was sufficient to produce yogurt consistently every time. As long as you stay sanitary you should not have any trouble with your yogurt going bad.
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Thanks! We are careful not to contaminate anything after the heating process so that probably explains our success.
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I used the crockpot method. Since we eat a lot of yogurt per week, I actually did 2 crockpots and 2 gallons of milk. It worked the first time with the suggested 2.5 hr low temp followed by 3 hours of cooling. However, the next time, I had to adjust the cool down period since the crockpots heated at different temps. Rave reviews so far. I'm still not sure if I am going to step it up and take a chance with raw or organic milk due to the expense.
BTW-I used the strained whey to make ricotta cheese(since I had so much whey). It wasn't as good as the fresh ricotta that I used to eat in NY, so I probably won't do that again.
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I just posted this if anyone is interested in homemade mayo
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/diy-mayo-simple-recipe!/
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Still tinkering - and eating lots of yummy yogurt! Most recent batch: heated 1/2 gallon of whole milk to 180/185 degrees in the crockpot on high for 90 minutes. I had been leery of trying it on high since all the online recipes I've read say to use low. But, this worked great for me (two yr old Hamilton Beach CP) and it cut 90+ minutes off the already lengthy time to make the yogurt. Also upped the powdered milk to 1/2 cup. Strained this batch and got gorgeous creamy thick yogurt - wow - so much more whey drained out than I ever would have guessed. (And left not as much yogurt! Might start using a gallon of milk, so that I get a decent yield and I'm not making yogurt every other day.) Now to start tinkering with lower-fat milk to start and perhaps mixing in more non-fat powdered milk to keep it creamy, but less-calorie-laden...