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[McNee]

Ok, after some recent discussions in other threads, I finally decided to tackle making my own "Greek" yogurt.

And... I decided to write a posting about it over on Former Fat Dudes

Basically, it is cheaper to make your own by straining - but at least with the yogurt I use, it does up the sugar content (by concentrating it) as well as the protein... but I can't figure out just how much cause I can't figure out how much is in the whey you strain out vs the solids.

Go check out the posting for more thoughts :>

[T2Nashville]

Rob - I can always count on you to make me THINK! Thanks so much for the effort you put into this - plus the science and math of it all. I will definitely do some thinking on this subject now and decide what I need to do. Because I cannot live without Greek yogurt in my life!

[McNee]

personally, I buy some chobani here and there for having an easy, last minute option to add to my lunch box, or take when I'm out on the paintball field all day or something like that.

for every day use, I have the two brands I tend to buy... and they're usually thick enough for what I use them for, and I have the option to strain if I want thicker yogurt, say for topping enchilada or making a thicker dip out of. I just have to plan ahead a bit.

Having the regular maybe gives me more options that way, like for my taco salad lunch today, I mixed some of my home-made hot sauce in some regular yogurt for my salad dressing. I don't want it really thick, I'm not looking to dip... I want it pourable... and if I was using Greek it would take much more hot sauce to thin it out. Not that I don't like it hot! but it isn't the balance of the hot and creamy that I'm looking for. Again, sorta comes down to personal taste preferences.

[T2Nashville]

I agree. I use your method of straining to do my frozen yogurt in the summertime, so I may be doing more of it - if nothing else, just to be more cost effective. The individual cups are strictly for convenience. I actually prefer adding my own SF syrups and fruits to plain Greek, as I think it tastes better.

But there really is nothing like Fage - honestly, it's just SOOO good!!

[MacMadame]

But there really is nothing like Fage - honestly, it's just SOOO good!!

yeah, I love that stuff!

I use it in cooking and eat it plain or with fruit. It does it all.

I'm not as fancy as Rob though. I don't even make hot sauce, let alone have to have the correct consistency of yogurt to mix it with. 

[McNee]

well, you could use Red Hot or similar... and it's not that I have to have it a specific way, it's just for a salad dressing you don't want it all ... gloppy? for lack of a technical term. you want something pourable, no?

[Sharvanne]

I make my own yogurt and then strain it through a reusable coffee filter for a few hours to make Greek yogurt.

I found the following nutritional information for the whey you drain off. It contains most of the sugars, and very little protein. All you have to do it subtract the nutritionals from they whey you drain off from the nutritionals of the yogurt you started with.

Good luck!

In 1 cup of sweet whey:
66 Calories
1 g fat
13 g carbs
13 g sugars
2 g protein

I grabbed this info from here: http://www.fitclick.com/how_many_calories_in_Sweet_Whey_Fluid?fd=109

[McNee]

Ok, in my original 16oz of regular yogurt, there was 220 Calories, 32g carbohydrates, 30g sugar, and 22g protein. I drained off about 8oz of liquid, which has the following stats: 66 Calories, 13g carbohydrates, 13g sugar, and 2g protein. So the 8oz of remaining, thickened yogurt would have 154 Calories, 19g carbohydrates, 17g sugar, and 20g protein

vs the stats for the 6oz of Fage:
100 calories, 7g carbohydrates, 7g sugar, and 18g protein.

I'm trying to figure out how Fage get the higher ratio of protein to sugars... the Calories are consistent... each g of protein or carbs is 4 Calories. hmmm...this may bear further study.

The other yogurt I usually get has 18g sugars and 16g protein in 8oz, subtract 4oz of the whey and it's 11g sugars and 15g proteins for 4oz of solids or 16g sugars and 22g protein for 6oz.

hmmm... this may require further study.

[MacMadame]

well, you could use Red Hot or similar... and it's not that I have to have it a specific way, it's just for a salad dressing you don't want it all ... gloppy? for lack of a technical term. you want something pourable, no?

Yeah, but just packing my lunch every day is "cooking" enough for me.  Seriously, I'm not going to be making my own salad dressings or greek yogurt or anything like that. I don't even make those great protein bars with the quinoa that you posted the recipe for that turned out so well the first (and last) time I made them.

It's weird because I got so into cooking when I was early out. But the interest faded pretty fast. I think that I just cooked because I couldn't eat and now that I can eat, I have no desire to cook. Not even stuff I really want to have like deviled eggs and those protein bars. I buy all the ingredients and then they just sit around and go bad.

[T2Nashville]

Rob - according to those stats, maybe it's not cost effective! Let me know if you study this further. Very interesting!

[Kierie]

I love Greek yogurt whirred up with some Cucumber Garlic and steak seasoning

DIY Tzaziki!!! so good and the water content in the cukes makes it salad friendly!

[shepkatt]

Yeah.. No interest in making my own..  I love me some Fage..  I don't ever eat regular yogurt.. I don't like the taste..  But I love the tartness of Fage.. 

[kristi-bisti]

I have to say that the "tartness" of greek yogurt eludes me.  As in, I really dont like it!  When I first tried it, I nearly spit it out!!  But, I buy it because I finally found it in my local grocery store and I can hide it in things like smoothies and the stats are pretty great.

[tink_lose]

Kristi,
I also didn't like it right away so I too started adding things to it to see what works for me. The one thing I really have enjoyed is 1-2 teaspoons of FF/SF pudding mix and some fruit. It took the tartness away and was perfect!

[MacMadame]

I add fruit or artificial sweetener to it. But I still prefer it to regular because it's creamier.

[Seht]

I love making my own yogurt.   Generally I eat it to fast to have any left over for making the next batch, so I end up buying a thing of Fage to use as a starter.

I recently found another yogurt that I like even better than the Fage but I can't get it in large containers like I can at Costco, so it's hit or miss as a treat.
http://www.skyr.com/about_skyr.html

It's basically the same thing, but it's even thicker than the Fage.
I usually get the plain and flavor it myself.
My favorite yogurt treat is to take some frozen blueberries and add them to the yogurt, stir it up and the yogurt will almost freeze up.  Then it's like having a frozen yogurt treat.

Scott

[T2Nashville]

Scott - I saw those at Whole Foods! Thanks for the recommendation - I might try one.