Wednesday Food: Guest post by The Girl
After years of eating fruity, sugary cups of Yoplait and Dannon, I recently jumped into the wonderful world of Greek yogurt. I’d heard of it with some regularity for the past few months, but as any upstanding American would, assumed if it wasn’t good enough for my grocery store growing up, it wasn’t good enough for me.
But after hearing talk about its all-natural qualities and seeing many a delicious-looking photo of yogurt, honey, fruit and nuts posted on the internet, I went on a hunt for a tub of this bacteria-laden treat. My first stop was a local Dominick’s, where I was unable to locate it. (Sidebar: While searching, I happened to actually read the label of my formerly-preferred brand, Yoplait Light, and discovered the lightness was from Aspartame. Given that I get enough of the potentially cancer-causing chemical from the occasional Diet Coke, I’m off the YL.) I visited another Dominick’s, and there, too, was foiled. I finally found a few tubs at Chicago’s fruit and vegetable mecca, Stanley’s.
On first bite, I found it to be very strange and not “yogurt,” as I knew it. It struck me more like marscapone cheese, very thick, very creamy, a bit sour, and more like a fancy dessert than a light and healthy breakfast treat. Upon a friend’s recommendation, I added some honey, then some raspberries, and continued to eat it, becoming more hooked with every bite.
Although quite tasty, Greek yogurt is unfortunately a rather costly treat, going for about $2 a cup vs. regular yogurt that usually is on sale for about $0.50 . I was recently given a link to this NYTimes homemade yogurt receipe, and have pondered giving that a try, despite my reservations about attempting to make any sort of dairy product in my home, let alone a cool dairy product via a hot Thermos (doesn’t this just seem wrong?).
Have any of you made yogurt before? Thoughts? Who has a starter I can have? If you say nay to Greek yogurt, what is your yogurt brand of choice?
14 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Our Humble Logo
Adam’s Shared Items- Red Line rehab plans announced
- Occupy and General Strike Links, Other Links, 11/2/11
- SHOW OF FORCE
- Inequality, Economic Stagnation and Product Innovation
- Halloween Costumes, Foreclosures, Creditors’ Bargains and how the 1% View Our Laws on Debt
- New Facebook Feature Allows User To Cancel Account
- Why Quan’s Got to Go
- A Softer World: 733
- “There is room where the fences used to be”
- The virtue of Philip Blond
- Fear, American Style: What the Anarchist and Libertarian Don’t Understand about the US
- Petition to Google: don't kill Google Reader
This post was written last night but was not posted due to my negligence.
Comment by Adam Kotsko | May 27, 2009
Greek-style yogurt is the shit. All other yogurt is crap.
Comment by ben | May 27, 2009
Hell yes. Greek yogurt is indeed the shit, and all other yogurt is crap. I would rather eat Greek yogurt and honey than ice cream, and I (previously) loved ice cream. Brand of choice is Fage.
Comment by Hill | May 27, 2009
in my childhood my mom used to make homemade yogurt all the time, if you have your greek yogurt approximately one two tablespoons then it’s perhaps enough to ferment about 2L of prewarmed around 30-40-50? too hot is not good degrees C whole milk, just add the yogurt and try to keep it warm, like wrapping multiple layers of any material around the enamel pot/container as we used to do
so after 1-2-3 hrs, you have to optimize maybe how long time and voila – your homemade yogurt and you can continue making yogurt this way like indefinitely long time
yogurt lactobacterial culture in our countryside perhaps continued this way very long back into ancient times, though sure all other yogurt types too
Comment by read | May 27, 2009
I used to make yogurt back in college. The key step was having a place to keep it warm but not hot–we had access to a food warmer, which was critical.
Comment by Wrongshore | May 27, 2009
If you really want to give yourself fits, try skyr. It’s a cultured skim-milk product from Iceland that is incredibly rich, thick, and creamy, with an insane amount of protein and zero fat. Also, it’s even more expensive than Greek yogurt.
At least, this American brand goes for $3/cup in my neighborhood. This brand is what I’ve had more often, when friends smuggle it into the country for me, but I hear rumors that you can get it at Whole Foods. The latter is standard Icelandic, and is therefore very sugary. (Icelanders eat candy like crazy.) The American one is sweetened just a tiny bit with agave nectar.
I prefer to get the plain, which is super-thick and sour, and mix in some fresh milk and sugar, which whips it up into a light, glossy mound of heaven. It is lovely.
Comment by A White Bear | May 27, 2009
Next time you’re at Stanley’s, pick up a quart (for $4) of the Traderspoint Creamery Whole Milk Yogurt.
Very good stuff. Award winning.
Comment by Bruce F | May 27, 2009
I remember when Wednesday used to be all about the sex. Food is so like yoghurty in comparison. The Weblog has really sold out. Blaaargh.
Comment by infinite thought | May 27, 2009
Non-greek (but whole fat) yogurt is not crap. It just needs the correct (savory) presentation. Take some plain yogurt. Beat it. Add salt. Take a metal ladle or tiny pan and use it to heat a little oil and some whole spices, such as cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds, and maybe a little ground tumeric, until the mustard seeds crack. Add the hot oil and spices to the yogurt (pzzzz!!). If you want to make this into raita, add some cucumber or carrots or onions or whatever other vegetables you like. It’s very good all by itself, though.
Comment by redfoxtailshrub | May 27, 2009
Making yogurt is easy if you have a warm enough place to put it overnight. Ordinary store-bought yogurt makes a fine starter. If you have a gas stove with a pilot light, it provides the perfect conditions for making yogurt. So does a hot summer day.
Comment by redfoxtailshrub | May 27, 2009
(1) Many yogurts from “natural food”stores tell what active bacteria they contain. Any that do will act as good starters.
(2) A yogurt ordinaire i.e. plain unflavored or sweetened, like Mountain High for instance, can be turned into Greek yogurt, or better, Lebni, by putting in cheesecloth over the sink and draining until it reaches the desired thickness. Scrumptious and cheap.
Comment by grackle | May 27, 2009
The trick is to buy yogurt in quarts, so you get a slightly lower price, and to find some kind of local plain whole fat yogurt. Seven Stars, which is a Philly farm, distributes nationally for some reason and I’ve seen it occasionally at Whole Foods (weird, because the farm is *tiny*). I don’t know what’s good in Chicago, but try anything that has only milk and culture in it. If you ever come to Philadelphia, try Pequea Valley yogurt, which is insanely rich, more like sour cream than yogurt, and kind of a cult item here. Those usually sell for $4/quart, so $1/cup.
Making yogurt works fine, but my homemade yogurt has never turned out as well as either Seven Stars or Pequea, so at least for now I’m not doing it. It’s a lot cheaper, though.
Comment by North | May 28, 2009
“Although quite tasty, Greek yogurt is unfortunately a rather costly treat, going for about $2 a cup vs. regular yogurt that usually is on sale for about $0.50.”
Depends where you buy it. Also, turn the container around: look at the “Saturated Fat” content. Compare with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Unless you’re getting a low-fat version of Greek Yogurt, you’re talking about 30% or more of your daily allowance of saturated fat in a 4 oz serving.
Comment by Sock Puppet of the Great Satan | May 28, 2009
If you want to make this into raita, add some cucumber or carrots or onions or whatever other vegetables you like
FRANKLY, I would rather make raita (or tzatziki) with Greek yogurt. Ha!
Comment by ben | May 28, 2009