Greek Yogurt and Whey-More is Better? page

[spk]

I'm trying to get better versions of dairy into my fridge and support local businesses too. Always enjoyed my full-fat Greek yogurt but it's a commercial brand.

So I'm reading on a local producers site and they say:

"We offer a thin, loose set whole-milk yogurt and a thick Greek yogurt. Our Greek yogurt is the same whole milk product, but has been strained to remove most of the whey."

Now I may be slow this evening but wouldn't I want the un-strained version to gain the benefits of the whey? Provided I don't have a problem w/ whey/casein? Maybe I'm missing a piece of this puzzle re: whey.

[wiltondeportes]

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider
Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

[spk]

And I thought humor was dead....!

[cori93437]

I prefer the very thick greek style yoghurt. I find its rich creaminess very satisfying in a way that the thin yoghurt just can't match. I also sometimes strain it further into a soft cheese, mix that with garlic, spices, and herbs... SO good!

I make my own and therefore also get to keep the whey to use as I wish. You could do the same I suppose... get the thin yoghurt and strain it so that you can also use the fermented whey for other things, but expect to lose about 1/3 of the volume goign from thin to thick, half or more from thin to soft cheese. I use some reserved fermented whey in homemade Mayo, some in homemade salad dressings... some gets fed to the dogs to be honest.

I think you'd be best off just going with the yoghurt you prefer the TASTE/mouth feel of though if you aren't interested in making those changes yourself.

[spk]

Thanks so much cori93437 -- because I too prefer the richer style, Greek version. And we used to make yogurt when I was growing up and have thought about restarting it so your details really are appreciated. Especially the thought of reusing fermented whey for homemade Mayo.

[yodiewan]

I have a semi-related question that maybe you, Cori, could answer:

I just made some butter from cream that I "inoculated" with yogurt. I kept the buttermilk. The buttermilk from the first batch I made a few weeks ago seems to have gone bad. Is there any way to preserve it? Does it freeze? Does it contain whey that I can extract somehow?

Thanks in advance.

[NorthernMonkeyGirl]

I thought Greek yoghurt was strained by definition? As in yoghurt ---> greek yoghurt + whey?

[Kate Ruckman]

Thanks so much cori93437 -- because I too prefer the richer style, Greek version. And we used to make yogurt when I was growing up and have thought about restarting it so your details really are appreciated. Especially the thought of reusing fermented whey for homemade Mayo.

You can also use it to start fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut. Or just drink it!

[yodiewan]

You can also use it to start fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut. Or just drink it!

Right, I usually just drink it. I haven't tried to use it for fermenting. I've heard of using whey for that purpose but wasn't sure if buttermilk would work as well. Thanks!

[cori93437]

Hmmm... other than using the whey as a liquid for lots of things... the only other use I'm aware of is to try and make ricotta.
It won't be sweet like regular ricotta as it is from the fermented whey...

Basically just boil the whey being careful not to let it boil over... you'll see a white "scum" form. As the whey cools stir it to encourage the solids to fall to the bottom. Strain it through something very fine like a reusable gold mesh coffee filter basket. You'll not get a lot of ricotta this way... maybe a quarter-half cup.

Yes, you can freeze the liquid whey as it is, but freezing IMO defeats the purpose of having the fermented whey. It's just not going to be active after freezing like it was before.