I tried making some yogurt cheese (straining overnight through cheesecloth) - but it didn't turn out like I thought it should. Not firm enough.
Someone suggested greek yogurt to me, that it was already like yogurt cheese.
Is this true? Or would making yogurt cheese be easier with the greek yogurt? Our local store carries Fage - I think that is the brand.

yogurt 'cheese' is greek yogurt, aka strained yogurt. How long did you strain your yogurt? I've made my own greek yogurt by straining but I usually do it overnight and it comes out really thick.

That is the only brand of greek yogurt i have heard of. I know some people eat it like regular yogurt and add splenda to it because it is not sweetened or anything.

Fage has a couple of sweetened varieties, but I like the 0% or 2%. My local non frou frou grocery store has started carrying Voskos and I LOVE it. I am buying tons of the fat free Voskos with honey (ingredients - honey, yogurt). They have a bunch of other flavors too - blueberry, fig, etc, but I haven't tried them.

I absolutely adore Greek yogurt, it has a very very thick, dense texture and it doesn't have as much of a "tang" as regular yogurt. It has a texture like a very very very thick cool whip (if that makes any sense).

Fage products

Voskos products

Okay, I will have to try some. I tried straining my yogurt over night, and it still was too soft. It was Dannon non fat plain yogurt. Not sure if that made a difference or not.
I wanted to make some herbed cheese spread to put on bagels. I am a huge cream cheese fan, and want an alternative (can't stand FF cream cheese).

I absolutely LOVE Fage Greek yogurt. I prefer the 2% version as you can cook with it too without it separating. I don't think you can really make yogurt cheese out of commercial brands like Dannon, Yoplait, etc. as they contain gelatin & a bunch of other stuff. The Fage Greek yogurt is just milk, cream & active yogurt cultures. Nothing else! It is wonderful & how yogurt is supposed to be.

I like mine mixed w/berries & a drizzle of honey if the berries aren't that sweet. Also good as a veggie dip & I use it in place of sour cream on my Dr. Praeger's spinach pancakes or in Mexican dishes.

I really like Fage, also! I just wish it were cheaper. A local store (Shop Rite) sells another brand which costs less, but isn't as thick. I'll have to check and get the name of the brand. It's on sale this week for $3.00 for a large carton. I think it's called Chobani or something like that.

Sherry

ETA: Here is a link to the website for Chobani greek yogurt-there is a store finder.

Trader Joes also has ther own brand of Greek yogurt.
I think it is really good, although I have never had the Fage brand to compare it to.

Hmm I would think straining dannon nonfat plain overnight would give you the same texture as fage. Another option would be to place something heavy on top of it to try to strain more of the water out of it.

Another thing you could try is pressed tofu. I recently made some pressed tofu and was surprised at how thick it is.

Greek yogurt is much thicker then regular yogurt, but I think you are wanting something even thicker that's the texture of cream cheese right?

I think the problem is you need to use a brand of yogurt that is just milk, milk solids (aka dry milk powder), and cultures. They add things to help yogurt gel that will also prevent all the whey from draining out. The greek yogurt would probably work and if you can find Nancy's yogurt it would work since it doesn't contain gelatin, pectin, or any of the other types of gelling agents.

I believe the tradtional way to drain yogurt is put it in a laban bag (I use a tea towel) and suspend it from something over a bowl or sink and let it drip overnight at room temp. I use the faucet to suspend it from. So if you are using a sieve and cheese cloth I'd put a can of something on top to weigh it down.

Oh and don't throw away the whey! You can use it in recipes that call for buttermilk/sourmilk and it's lower in calories.

I strain Nancy's yogurt, too, with good results, but I'm betting it's only sold in the Northwest. I use coffee filters and a sieve or cheesecloth and a sieve, and I've never used anything to weight it down. It becomes a lot like cream cheese, and I really prefer the consistency of Fage--maybe I should add a little whey back into it?

$3.00 for Fage? Wow! I pay $4.59 for it at Trader Joe's, so I don't buy it often.

Has anyone ever found Fage at Krogers? That's about the most "exotic" store I have nearby. If so, what section did you find it in?

Sheila,

Fage isn't on sale (I wish!) It's the Chobani brand that is on sale at Shop Rite (East coast chain) this week.

Take care,
Sherry

I love Greek Yogurt and buy it every week. I prefer the 2% fat variety to the 0%, just for the texture more than taste. Here in the UK we do get the Fage brand but most supermarkets have their own branded greek yogurt as well which works out cheaper. I pay less than $2 for a 500g (1lb) tub.

Kitty

I've put the greek yogurt on the shopping list for this weekend. Makes me want to shop early to try it out LOL!