Dehydrated Milk?

[Wifezilla]

There are 3 methods for thickening yogurt that don't involve powdered milk.

1. Use cream. This is sold in stores as greek yogurt. It is delicious!
2. Drain your yogurt. After your yogurt is done "cooking" place it in a strainer lined with cheese cloth and drain off excess whey*. The longer it drains the thicker it will be.
3. Use pectin. Some commercial yogurts are thickened with pectin. However, I use cream and/or drain and haven't tried this method yet.

* The whey can be used for lacto-fermenting foods so I usually drain my yogurt to intentionally get the whey.

 

[valmom]

Hmph. I didn't know that was how they made low fat milk. I keep telling my SO that regular milk is better than low fat.

 

[Wifezilla]

When you take out the fat, what do you have left? Sugar.

 

[Dace]

You make it by destroying milk and making it in to an unhealthy toxin instead of a food item...

"A note on the production of skim milk powder: liquid milk is forced through a tiny hole at high pressure, and then blown out into the air. This causes a lot of nitrates to form and the cholesterol in the milk is oxidized. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that cholesterol is your best friend; you don't have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food; however, you do not want to eat oxidized cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease."
http://www.westonaprice.org/Dirty-Secrets-of-the-Food-Processing-Industry.html

GAH! I guess I'll have to start using whole milk in my coffee again!

I use heavy cream......yum!

I also made the switch to whole pasteurized milk for drinking. Would go raw, but it is pricey and I am not sure where it is coming from.

I drain my yogurt and you can leave it draining for 24 hours it gets thick like cream cheese and you can use it to make delicious dips.

 

[mrbstephens]

There are 3 methods for thickening yogurt that don't involve powdered milk.

1. Use cream. This is sold in stores as greek yogurt. It is delicious!
2. Drain your yogurt. After your yogurt is done "cooking" place it in a strainer lined with cheese cloth and drain off excess whey*. The longer it drains the thicker it will be.
3. Use pectin. Some commercial yogurts are thickened with pectin. However, I use cream and/or drain and haven't tried this method yet.

* The whey can be used for lacto-fermenting foods so I usually drain my yogurt to intentionally get the whey.

If I was to drain, I would do it after "cooking" for the several hours and BEFORE the refrigeration? How many hours? At room temp? And then refrigerate?

 

[Wifezilla]

You drain it after it is done fermenting. I have done it at room temp and in the fridge. It can get a little tangier if you do it at room temp.

 

[mrbstephens]

You drain it after it is done fermenting. I have done it at room temp and in the fridge. It can get a little tangier if you do it at room temp.

For just an hour or two? More?

 

[freemotion]

Line a colender with a piece of fabric....I use t-shirt material. Put it over a bowl, and dump in the yogurt. Do this at room temp as the whey will drain faster. Leave for several hours. I fold the corners of the fabric over the yogurt/kefir to keep the floating cat hairs and cat noses and cat tongues out!

When you are ready to put it into the fridge, you can shove the whole thing in the fridge as is, or if your fridge looks like mine, there is no room. So I tie the corners of the fabric over a spoon or knife handle, hobo-style, and hang it in a tall pitcher. I put the whey in a smaller glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and put the date and the word "whey" on it. Otherwise someone will put it in their coffee or drink it here.

Then I dump the thickened yogurt or kefir into a bowl, and put the cloth on a dinner plate to keep it clean while I scrape all the good stuff off it with a butter knife or a big spoon. If the center of the glob is looser than the edges, just stir it up until it is all smooth.

It is absolutely fantastic this way! Yum!

 

[Wifezilla]

For just an hour or two? More?

It really depends on how thick you want your yogurt. Several hours or even overnight for me, but I like it thick.

 

[mrbstephens]

For just an hour or two? More?

It really depends on how thick you want your yogurt. Several hours or even overnight for me, but I like it thick.

Thanks so much!!!!!