[Snoofie]

OK, so I have a very, *very* strange question. Bear with me, because I kind of can't believe that I've gotten to the age of 32 without knowing this. So here goes.

....What does yogurt actually *taste* like? Seriously. I mean, I've never had it, not to eat on its own. I've only ever tasted it in smoothies. All I know is that the...the runny look of regular yogurt does not do much to attract me.

And is there a difference in taste or texture between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt? I've been reading online that the Greek type is much thicker, and that's kind of appealing to me, at least. But I have absolutely no idea what *any* of it actually tastes like.

....I swear I'm not an idiot, and have not been living under a rock for my entire life. *L* But I would like to try it, because I think that some plain or vanilla Greek yogurt with All-Bran Buds in it would make a fabulous snack, especially in the protein/fibre department.

So yeah. Help out a poor clueless Newfie, will ya?

[CanadianCutie]

Plain greek yogurt is similar in texture and taste to sour cream. I would suggest if you're looking to try yogurt for the first time get a sweetened (with honey) or flavored greek yogurt. I see you're in Canada, like me, so you probably have access to Libertee brand yogurt. I love their blood orange flavor, I just got it the other day.

[valalltogether]

^^ she is right on with the greek yogurt thing. i will always use non-fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream when i'm doing a mexican-style dish.

been a real long time since i had regular yogurt, but i imagine regular plain yogurt might have a similar taste.

for flavored greek yogurt, i love love love vanilla.

[Snoofie]

Hmmm. Sour cream, eh? Well then.

I was planning on getting the Danone Oikos brand, either plain or vanilla, but if I can find the one you recommended, I'll see about that one. The "blood orange" intrigues me. *L* Do you know if there's a lot of sugar in it, though? I try to control my sugar as much as I can -- I'm not diabetic but I have a family history of Type II, so I try to fend it off whenever I can.

[Arctic Mama]

Watch it on the flavored yogurts, they're loaded with sugar and often lacking in diverse bacterial cultures, which is really what you want. Greek Gods brand plain full fat yogurt is incredibly yum and much smoother than the nonfat Greek yogurts, while being low in carbs and high in calcium. I'd say it tastes like a mix of whipping cream and sour cream, just the slightest tangy note but otherwise rich and smooth.

Yogurt is one of those 'health foods' you must be very careful with. Most are junk masquerading as nutrition, which is a darn shame. And they taste nothing like a real, fresh cultured light cream (which is what they're supposed to be!).

[kaplods]

Since I've been making yogurt, I've discovered that every strain of yogurt has a slightly different taste and texture, and the flavor and texture also depends on how long the yogurt has incubated.

This explains why some people love one brand of plain yogurt and hate another. There are yogurt culture websites that describe the difference between the strains of bacteria, but I don't know that there's a good way to describe the flavor of yogurt.


Most commercial yogurts are quite tart, but my homemade yogurt is very mild (more like creme freche or sour cream). The longer the yogurt incubates (at about 90 degrees) before being put in the fridge, the tarter it gets.

I like it mildly flavored.

Some brands of greek yogurt I like, and some I don't. You just have to try a few.

I never thought I liked plain yogurt, but when I make my own, I do.

[freelancemomma]

Originally Posted by Snoofie

And is there a difference in taste or texture between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt? I've been reading online that the Greek type is much thicker, and that's kind of appealing to me, at least.

Big difference. I love, love, love Greek yogurt. Once I discovered it there was no going back to the regular stuff. It's tangier, thicker, creamier, and all-around yummier. Oh, and more expensive, naturally.

F.

p.s. My favourite is Oikos (Danone label) lime-flavoured cups. The 2% fat version has 100 cals, the 0% fat version 90. They taste just like key lime pie! I also like their peach-passion and cherry flavours, which have real fruit at the bottom. The perfect snack, as far as I'm concerned.

[Snoofie]

@freelancemomma: I saw the Danone Oikos key lime flavour at the grocery store today! But I wasn't sure how it would taste (although judging by the reviews I've read, it seems to be pretty popular.)

[FunSize]

FAGE is the best greek yogurt in my opinion and I've just about tried all the ones available in the stores here.

[2Dy2MrwAlwys]

I was wondering what the difference was between plain and greek myself, so thanks for asking! I think I'll have to give greek yogurt a try soon.

[Snoofie]

Update on this post: OK, on a visit to my mom's tonight I was able to try "traditional" vanilla-flavoured yogurt.

....Ick. Mind you, it wasn't the flavour/taste that grossed me out...it was the texture. Too....I almost want to say slimy. I repeat: ick.

So I'm going to give Greek a try. I wouldn't mind if it had the same basic flavour, or even if it was tangier...I just can't stand that slimy, runny texture.

[Missy Krissy]

In addition to texture, greek yogurt often has more protein than regular(around twice as much).

Kaplods, I am curious, how do you make your own yogurt?

[Nikel1979]

As someone that has some pretty strong sensory issues with foods, not all Greek yogurts are the same. Some the texture literally makes me gag & I can't swallow it. I like fage & chobani, but try several different brands to find one that you like

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by Missy Krissy

Kaplods, I am curious, how do you make your own yogurt?

It's very simple.

Only two ingredients. Milk and about a tablespoon of plain yogurt (either from a prior batch or from a store-bought live-culture yogurt).

I like using Oikos or Chobani unflavored greek yogurt as my starter culture.


Materials

Crock pot (I use a 4 qt crock pot)
thick blanket or large bath towel.
heating pad (like for sore muscles)
digital thermometer with alarm (mine doesn't have a cool-down alarm feature - wish I'd bought one that had it, but it's not a big deal).


Ingredients

milk or combination of milk and cream (any fat percentage, even skim, and regular store-bought milk is fine too. I've read you can even use instant milk reconstituted with water, though I haven't attempted it). From what I've read, the ultra-pasteruized kind often doesn't work well - this is the stuff that doesn't have to be refrigerated.

I haven't tried skim or 1% yet, but that will be my next batch.


1. Pour milk into crockpot. leave at least an inch of headroom, so that the milk doesn't boil over easily (I fudge this a bit, as I'll use a whole gallon in my 4qt crockpot, but when I do, I usually end up spilling a bit of the milk. You can use any amount of milk, and any size crockpot).

2. Turn crockpot on high and set digital alarm for 190 degrees, put probe into milk and put lid on (the lid will hold the thermometer in place). Crockpots vary, but mine takes about 3 to 4 hours this way (depending on whether I use 2 or 4 quarts of milk).

3. When the alarm sounds, turn off the alarm, but leave the thermometer in place. Unplug the crockpot (you can also remove the crock from the heating element if you want, as it will cool faster. I don't bother).

4. Check the temperature after an hour and then about every 30 minutes until the temperature reads somewhere between 100 and 120 degres. You want it under 120 degrees, because otherwise the yogurt bacteria will not survive. I always aim for around 115 degrees.

5. With a clean measuring cup or ladel, dip out about a cup of the warm milk into a small bowl and whisk in about 1 - 2 tablespoons of yogurt (the exact amount isn't important, but less actually works best. Supposedly using more can make the yogurt bitter. I've used everything from a tablespoon to a cup of yogurt in my batch as starter, and haven't really noticed a tremendous difference, though I would agree that the flavor and texture actually is better on the low end of the spectrum so now I don't ever use more than a scant quarter cup).

6. Stir the yogurt mixture back into the pot. Stir well with a spoon or whisk
I wasn't using step 5 in my first batches. I would just add the tablespoon or so of starter and only stirred a couple times. My yogurt was then very thick on top, and thin on the bottom. I searched online to find why, and it turns out that I wasn't stirring the yogurt starter in thoroughly enough so steps 5 and 6 are really important.

7. Plug in your heating pad and set it on low. Unfold the towel and set it on the heating pad. Set the crock pot onto the towel (which is on the heating pad).

8. Reset the thermometer 115 degrees (make sure it's still in the milk. Sometimes all the moving from counter to towel with dislodge the thermometer).

9. Wrap the crock with the thick towel or blanket, and leave undisturbed for at least 5 hours (and up to 36 hours). If the thermometer alarm rings, turn off the heating blanket for a while.

10. Scoop out a few tablespoons of yogurt to put in a small covered container to use as starter for the next batch. You can also freeze it (I haven't done this yet. I've frozen my first starter batch with my last batch. I'm a little hesitant to use frozen yogurt as starter, but most folks who've done so have had success with it).

11. Put the crock into the fridge and scoop out with a clean ladel as you need it. Or pour the yogurt into container or containers to put in the fridge.




The longer it sits, the tarter the yogurt will be, and the less lactose it will have. Supposedly all of the lactose is used up around the 24 hour mark so if you let it sit for 24 hours or more it's supposedly safe for those who are lactose intolerant - I've never done this. The longest incubation I've ever done is 12 hours (and it's still not all that tart then).

I prefer a 5 hour yogurt.


There are many other ways to make yogurt and so if you google online you can find other ways (most are variations in how you get and keep the yogurt at the temperature you want, rather than major differences. The main component is always heat milk to sanitize, then cool milk to a comfortable temperature for the yeast, and keep it warm while it incubates (90 to 115 degrees).

Some people say that you don't need the heating pad, a thick blanket will keep the crock warm enough. I always use the heating pad because I don't want to take any chances (and it works so well for me).


You can add instant dry milk to your regular milk to help thicken the yogurt. I haven't tried that yet, but I recently bought some instant milk when I saw a good sale to try it in my next batch.

If you use instant milk, you do not have to heat the milk to 190 first, you can just heat it to the 110 degrees and go from there. I may try that too, but I'm guessing that the flavor is better when using fresh milk or mostly fresh milk anyway.

[CanadianCutie]

http://www.liberte.ca/en/liberty-yog...ducts/index.sn

here's a link to the website for the yogurt I was talking about.