Yogurt Cheese

[COBound158]

Has anyone here ever tried making yogurt cheese? Apparently all you do is line a colander with coffee filters and let plain yogurt sit there for a while, and it turns into a soft-cream-cheese-like product. Anyone?

[Gordo]

coffee filter, or cheese cloth....obviously let this sit in the fridge. Really what you're doing is allowing the whey to separate out. You can then use it in tons of things.

[krosspyder]

really... wow.

must try.

does it taste good?

[featherz]

I make it all the time. The nutritional stats when drained are similar to cottage cheese and it tastes WAY better to me. I use a Donvier yogurt strainer, but a coffee filter or paper towels will also work. Make sure there's no gelatin in the yogurt (I make my own yogurt as well).

[Jokat]

Really what you're doing is allowing the whey to separate out.

But surely you dont want to lose the whey? Isn't that what people pay a fortune for in the form of whey powder?

Just a thought...

[Gordo]

Originally Posted by Preach

But surely you dont want to lose the whey? Isn't that what people pay a fortune for in the form of whey powder?

Just a thought...

err, try drinking it sometime.

Mind you, I didn't say throw out the whey. I'm sure you could hide it in a shake, or some other recipe pretty easy.

[Jokat]

err, try drinking it sometime.

Hey Gordo,

I just saw the humour in your statement. Sorry I guess my sense of humour is not everyones cup of tea...



LOL

[Gordo]

[COBound158]

Originally Posted by featherz

I make it all the time. The nutritional stats when drained are similar to cottage cheese and it tastes WAY better to me. I use a Donvier yogurt strainer, but a coffee filter or paper towels will also work. Make sure there's no gelatin in the yogurt (I make my own yogurt as well).

What are the nutrition facts on it, assuming you use nonfat yogurt?

Where do you use it in recipes?

[Silver]

Originally Posted by COBound158

Where do you use it in recipes?

+ garlic, some spices, cucumber = super healthy version of tzatziki

[guava]

Originally Posted by COBound158

Where do you use it in recipes?

Spread it on bread or muffins instead of butter or cream cheese. Espeicially if you add sweetener and cinnamon before straining it.

[jim331656]

AB just did this on good eats. He made some kind of herb spread.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._19499,00.html

[featherz]

The drained off whey is believe it or not, mostly carbs. Here's the stats from fitday:

1C Liquid whey - 65 cals, 13 carbs, 2 protein.. I guess when they make whey powder they process out only the protein /shrug.

Anyways, Yogurt Cheese (nonfat) has roughly 80 cals for 1/2 cup, 12-13 grams protein - counts can vary by how much you drain it, but that's the standard for most of my yogurt cheese recipe books. Pretty much the same stats as NF cottage cheese and it tastes better (IMO).
As for recipes - it's useable as a replacement for cream cheese for one but I usually use it like cottage cheese (top with fruit, peanut butter, etc).

[guava]

Originally Posted by featherz

I guess when they make whey powder they process out only the protein /shrug.

Too technical for me:

From the University of Guelph:

Whey Powder
Whey is the by-product in the manufacturing of cheese and casein. Disposing of this whey has long been a problem. For environmental reasons it cannot be discharged into lakes and rivers; for economical reasons it is not desirable to simply dump it to waste treatment facilities. Converting whey into powder has led to a number products that it can be incorporated into. It is most desirable, if and where possible, to use it for human food, as it contains a small but valuable protein component. It is also feasible to use it as animal feed. Between the pet food industry and animal feed mixers, hundred's of millions of pounds are sold every year. The feed industry may be the largest consumer of dried whey and whey products.
Whey powder is essentially produced by the same method as other milk powders. Reverse osmosis can be used to partially concentrate the whey prior to vacuum evaporation. Before the whey concentrate is spray dried, lactose crystallization is induced to decrease the hygroscopicity. This is accomplished by quick cooling in flash coolers after evaporation. Crystallization continues in agitated tanks for 4 to 24 h.

A fluidized bed may be used to produce large agglomerated particles with free-flowing, non-hygroscopic, no caking characteristics.

Whey Protein Concentrates
Both whey disposal problems and high-quality animal protein shortages have increased world-wide interest in whey protein concentrates. After clarification and pasteurization, the whey is cooled and held to stabilize the calcium phosphate complex, which later decreases membrane fouling. The whey is commonly processed using ultrafiltration, although reverse osmosis, microfiltration, and demineralization methods can be used. During ultrafiltration, the low molecular weight compounds such as lactose, minerals, vitamins and nonprotein nitrogen are removed in the permeate while the proteins become concentrated in the retentate. After ultrafiltration, the retentate is pasteurized, may be evaporated, then dried. Drying, usually spray drying, is done at lower temperatures than for milk in order that large amounts of protein denaturation may be avoided.

[badgolfer]

Wouldnt trust it myself.

[krosspyder]

so yogurt cheese has carbs?

so when you make reg yogurt into cheese you are creating cheese with carbs?

not good for a low carb lifestyle i guess.

[lostmind]

"
Anyways, Yogurt Cheese (nonfat) has roughly 80 cals for 1/2 cup, 12-13 grams protein - counts can vary by how much you drain it, but that's the standard for most of my yogurt cheese recipe books. Pretty much the same stats as NF cottage cheese and it tastes better (IMO)."

Quoted from above. Sounds like it's going to be fairly low carb?

In any event, I thought I'd give it a try. To those of you wishing to try this at home, please buy cheesecloth. Coffee filters are a pain.

I had to double up my coffee filters as they kept exploding out the bottom once they got a little damp. And now, it's been in the fridge overnight and I poured out maybe 2 tbsp of liquid (whey) and the yogourt has not firmed up to any significant degree at all. So... the coffee filter method may work, but it's messy and time consuming.

Too bad I can't find cheesecloth in my grocery store!

[Gordo]

Originally Posted by lostmind

"

Too bad I can't find cheesecloth in my grocery store!

That's why you need to look at the paint store

or
Homedepot, Walmart in their paint section.

[krosspyder]

if its got carbs i dont want to have anything to do with it... seeing as to it i need cheese with fat and no carbs. so can someone give me the low down on this stuff?

i understand it that reg yogurt has has fat and no carbs... if i make into cheese... i turn it into a product that has fat and carbs?

[COBound158]

Originally Posted by krosspyder

i understand it that reg yogurt has has fat and no carbs... if i make into cheese... i turn it into a product that has fat and carbs?

Regular yogurt has carbs.