Take yogurt, for instance. Have you ever read the labels of all those yogurts that are out there. They are advertised on TV as being healthy, Greek, fun flavors for kids, can help you lose weight and the real funny one...make your spouse resemble John Stamos.
I personally prefer the Organic variety, yet even with these, you need to read the labels. So many of these yogurts on the market have additional additives that are not necessary for a good yogurt. Who needs corn syrup in yogurt? What is important in a yogurt are the probiotic cultures that make yogurt, yogurt.
Then there is the cost. I have eaten my fair share of Stoneyfield brand yogurt. I love the French vanilla, low fat variety. The catch with this is I will eat a quart of this in 4 days, with granola added to it. I love this for breakfast. The average cost of the quart of yogurt is $3.60. That price adds up. I need to be saving money not building to my expenditures. But, I want to continue to eat healthy.
What are my alternatives? Well, I could stop buying the Organic variety. Then I lose the wholesomeness of the yogurt. The live cultures may be there, with the standard yogurt, but you get all those additional additives. Along comes making your own yogurt. 'WHAT'!!! You are saying that I should make my own yogurt? Yes, I am and you don't need that fancy yogurt maker.
I wanted to start doing this for myself, so I started reading all the different ways to make yogurt. They are all good, but I had to find the one that would work for me. I tried the Crock Pot version. It worked, but I had more of a Kefir type yogurt than the solid yogurt I was used to. I ate it and liked it, but I still wanted a thicker yogurt. Keep looking....then I stumbled on a recipe that I found on another website.
I found this recipe on a website called: www.spicefoodie.com It is called 'How to make Homemade Greek Yogurt'. I figured I was game to try this. I got all the ingredients and since I use a cream-line milk (milk that is non-homogenized) I was going to use that and have a thin layer of cream on top of my yogurt. Well, it turned out, but not the way I liked it. It was thicker than the last batch I had made, but still not the way I wanted it to look. I felt it was even too runny to even try to strain out the whey, to make it Greek style.
Keep trying. I purchased the homogenized, whole milk, variety of Organic milk that get for my family. Followed the recipe and success. The yogurt was thick and easy to place in the separator. I use the
Donvier Yogurt Cheese Maker, for separating out the whey.
Time: it is going to take too long to make this. To this I say....NOT...the whole process of cooking the milk, to cooling it down took no more than an hour, maybe just a little more, depending on the insulation of the pot you use. The culture time is 6 hours, but you don't have to watch it. Afterwards the cooling down part is done in your refrigerator. From start to finish, you have invested about 24 hours, but most of that time is being a passive onlooker.
This yogurt is mild and an excellent base for a morning parfait, with fruit and granola. Add a little raw honey, to sweeten and you have the best yogurt money can buy.
Here is the link to get the recipe: http://www.spiciefoodie.com/2012/08/01/how-to-make-homemade-greek-yogurt/.
This is a picture of the Donvier Yogurt Cheese Maker that I use to remove the whey:
This can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Cheese-Maker/dp/B000064841/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t A very good investment.
I hope this dispels the myth to making good wholesome yogurt.
***One thing I forgot to say. The cost for making yogurt is less than purchasing the Organic variety, in your local grocery store. I pay $2.99 for a 1/2 gallon of Organic milk. This makes approx 2 quarts of yogurt. Cost of Organic yogurt can be a minimum of $3.50 and go up from there, fro a quart of yogurt. I get more yogurt for less than the cost of a quart of store purchased yogurt.
Happy yogurt making!!
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