Greek Yogurt And All It's Whey

My Homemade Greek Yogurt

I have started making my own Greek Yogurt and it is so yummy. It's uses are endless. It is so creamy and just right for breakfast with blueberries or other fruit and it can be used as sour cream in a myriad of recipes. But along with the creamy Greek Yogurt comes a lot of whey. And you mustn't just throw that away down the drain because it is not good for the fish that it would eventually come in contact with.

This is how I make my Greek yogurt:

I buy a gallon of vitamin D milk for $2.25 at Smith's in Utah.

My homemade double boiler.

I put the milk in a large pot and set that pot in another larger pot to make a double boiler. It heats faster that way and you don't get any scorch to the milk, which makes a grainier yogurt. 

I heat the milk to 180 degrees and then put it in my freezer covered until it comes back down to 110 degrees. 

At that point I can add my live culture which is about 3 Tablespoons of yogurt or 1/2 cup of the whey I saved from my last batch of yogurt. Or sometimes I mix the two and add that. I put my covered pot in the oven that has the light on so it stays at about 110 degrees and I wait for about 8 to 12 hours. I use 12 hours if I've shut the light off and it is a bit cooler in the oven. 

Remember don't jiggle it or stir it or anything like. I don't touch it for 12 hours.

Then I put it in a strainer covered with a thin dish cloth that I set in a larger bowl. I like to keep it higher than the bottom so it doesn't sit in the whey. I tried using cheesecloth doubled but it ran through it. It probably would have been fine if I would have tripled it. 

My tea-towel strainer.

I clip up my ends of the cloth with clothes pins and make sure they are folded to the inside or it will drip out on your counter or frig.  

I set it in the frig for a few hours and then I put it in containers and wha-la I have the yummiest Greek yogurt I've ever tasted. I saved my Greek yogurt containers that I had gotten at the store. 


The Brand that Costco sells is a good price but gave me a stomach ache so I knew it had some raw milk or cream added to it after the rest was cultured. If your lactose in tolerant the cultured yogurt won't bother you. 

The brand Greek God's Greek Yogurt didn't give me a stomach ache either. It was $4.50 at Walmart. 



But mine is $2.25 from my kitchen and gives me almost twice as much. Plus I have Whey. What to do with it all?

Whey for smoothies.

I figured that if you can buy powdered whey for shakes and smoothies I'd try my liquid whey. So I have used it in my smoothies and it works out great. It is loaded with proteins and minerals. 

One muscle builder guy said; "Whey is really rich in protein and contains nine amino acids that would help to gain muscle mass. " I'll pass on the muscle mass but it might be cuter than fat mass. :) In fact Cheese-makers have developed a lucrative business selling whey protein for use in body-building supplements and as a food ingredient. And Greek yogurt makers are eager to follow suit.

My Happy Plant

I diluted it and watered the plant on my front porch. It was looking a bit sad. Now it is a very happy healthy looking plant. 

I freeze it for use in the future.

It is fantastic in baked goods like bread, cupcakes and even pancakes. 

Now it's your turn. What do you use whey for. Any kind of whey. Just give us some ideas that have worked for you. 

Love,
Grammy T.