writingwyo's Journal, 07 March 2023

I don't tolerate yogurt much.  

Oh please tell me how!$ 

I go in phases. Right now, off cycle, but it is much better than store bought for sure. 

I love to make yogurt. But I switched back to store bought because the protein content is more than double of homemade and is also non fat. What do you use when making yours? 

Haven’t made yogurt in decades, and now I use the zero fat , zero sugar, low carb kind, so I don’t know how well it could be made from that.// I use plain yogurt instead of some sour cream or yogurt. Yum. // Suggest making some labne by straining your yoghurt. Tastes great. 

I make mine from skim milk and we strain it so it's a Greek yogurt (labneh) that's high in protein, nonfat. We buy the restaurant size coffee filters in bulk to strain it, and my husband likes it strained 2 solid days. You can spread the stuff on toast like cream cheese at that point. Cheesecloth works for straining, too, and there are yogurt strainers available to buy. I use a crock pot: turn it on low and put in 1/2 - 3/4 of a gallon of milk, depending on how much you want to make. Leave it on low long enough for the temperature to come up to 180 degrees. For 3 quarts, it usually takes mine 3 hours and 45 minutes. Turn it off and unplug it. Pull your yogurt starter out of the fridge (1/4 cup) so it won't be cold when it goes in. Let the crockpot sit off until the temperature drops to between 115-120. I actually go between 120 and 125, but 115-120 is what I've seen recommended. Anything above 130 will kill your starter. In my crockpot, again making 3 quarts, it takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes to cool adequately. Mix in your starter, then wrap your crockpot in towels to keep it warm. Let it sit overnight. I try to let mine culture 12 hours. In the morning, put it in strainers in the fridge for 8-48 hours, depending on how thick you want it. We're fortunate we have a 2nd fridge to do this in -- it does take up some space. A lot of people dump the whey that drains off, especially folks avoiding carbs, but I like to drink it and my husband uses it in his sourdough starter. YouTube has a lot of videos on making crockpot yogurt -- you might want to look at some of those before you try it. Good luck and let me know how it turns out! 

WOW!! Thank you! 

Wow!!! Thanks for sharing writingwyo your the best  

I bet it is really delicious. 

Glad to share! Honestly, I love food and I love cooking, so I'm always happy to pass on anything I've learned. I'm really looking forward to cooking more in retirement (331 days... not that I'm counting...). And yep, this is tasty stuff, Kenna 

I eat yogurt A LOT, almost daily. Your yogurt looks great!! 

I've made yogurt in my Instant Pot, using non-fat Fage as a starter and it is delicious. My problem was space for the process and storing it afterwards.  

that's so cool