Making your own yogurt, yogurt cheese and cheese

[aimeebee]

I have been researching and experimenting with making dairy products. I just finished a batch of yogurt and it is incubating right now. I came online to search for more recipes when I came across a youtube video for making yogurt in the microwave. It looks SO much easier than what I just did using a candy thermometer and mason jars and the stove top. I have also found some crockpot recipes for yogurt.

So, have you ever made yogurt, cheese or yogurt cheese? Do you have an easy recipe? Or an incubation method?? Do you eat plain yogurt? What do you add to your yogurt? Do you use a sweetner or fruit or something else? I have found some interesting things in my googling...like stirring in koolaid, jello, tang, ovaltine, jelly, fruit and tons of other things!

Assuming it turns out, making a half gallon of yogurt for $1.25 (plus a few tablespoons of storebought yougurt for a starter) is a really frugal way to go. Then, I can even strain it into greek yogurt.

Here's the link to the youtube for making yogurt in the micowave:
YouTube - Homemade Yogurt (Dahi)

[meems]

If you're going to go that way..look into maximizing the probiotics...

[aimeebee]

If you're going to go that way..look into maximizing the probiotics...

Sounds great. How do you do that?

[meems]

I know on one of the message boards I visit for ulcerative colitis, they talk about it often...healingwell.com. I'm only a medium fan of yogurt so it's not something I would make, but I have added oral probiotics to my diet...I think they start with script vsl #3? then use the yogurt to multiply it..I bet you could add other kinds for the same idea.

[aimeebee]

Interesting. I did a quick googling and I guees you could add some powdered starters to do this, also. They were really expensive, though like $50 for the bottle. Kinda puts a damper on the savings. LOL. But, basically it would make the yogurt healthier, giving it more live active cultures? I used a starter with live, active cultures. But, I wonder if using, say acidipholus milk or yogurt with different cultures ike Activia or something as a starter would improve the probiotics. Something to look into. Thanks, meems.

[amys]

Interesting - I know you can buy L. Acidopylus at WalMart - do you think it would work?

[meems]

All I know is probiotics are pretty critical to UCers...anyone who has done any amt of time on antibiotics needs to replace that good bacteria that is wiped out with antibiotics. Viactive is essentially a joke..keifer is better..I take both align & acidopholis (sp?) every day to try & help repopulate..

Look at how many live bacterias you have millions good..billions better!

[Annye]

I've found the crockpot method works best for our family in terms of yogurt. I rather like the start and forget method.

I've experimented with cheeses and do make my own ricotta and cottage cheese. It's simple actually, and I use dry non-fat milk for the base so it's pennies a batch. The short version is to heat the reconstituted milk then add some white vinegar to make it curdle, finally using cheese cloth or muslin to squeeze out all the leftover liquid. That creates ricotta. To make cottage cheese, add some additional reconstituted milk to the ricotta, which makes it creamy.

I'd love some other cheese recipes - particularly ones that use easy to find ingredients, like the ones I mention above.

In peace,

Annye

[GMACLAUS]

I use whole non instant powdered milk, reconstitute it in a blender and for a starter I use some store bought yogurt or yogurt from the previous batch. Just warm the milk before adding the starter and test on your wrist like you would test milk from a baby bottle for temperature, dump the milk and starter into a large picnic thermos and let it sit overnight or until it sets up. Simple!

[amys]

Meems - My SIL has UC, I emailed her the link to that site you referenced. She is pretty bad off.

Her current treatments are essentially chemotherapy to save her colon and stave off the more severe flaring.

So I am constantly looking for things that could help her. I know her dr also put her on a bland diet, that is hard to do - and she started making her own Greek yogurt, but I don't know if she is putting extra probiotics in it yet - I'm waiting to hear from her.