prevent condensation
June 16, 2011 8:50 PM Subscribe
Science and food types or anyone else, help me with my home made yogurt problem.
I've got the process worked out in the past 6 months with a minor irritation. Maybe someone might have a suggestion.
The container of heated milk/yogurt sits in my cooler overnight with a couple of jars of heated water beside to keep it warm. When I'm finished, there's always a layer of water on top of the firmed yogurt.
I'm guessing it's condensation from the temp. diff. across the lid of the container. Yes? Anything that I might do to prevent this? I've tried different container materials: glass, metal, plastic, but it makes no difference.
I've got the process worked out in the past 6 months with a minor irritation. Maybe someone might have a suggestion.
The container of heated milk/yogurt sits in my cooler overnight with a couple of jars of heated water beside to keep it warm. When I'm finished, there's always a layer of water on top of the firmed yogurt.
I'm guessing it's condensation from the temp. diff. across the lid of the container. Yes? Anything that I might do to prevent this? I've tried different container materials: glass, metal, plastic, but it makes no difference.
It's water on top of the yogurt, not whey? Is there a lid on your container of milk/yogurt?
posted by kch at 8:58 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by kch at 8:58 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yes, all containers have lids that are sealed tight.
Whey? I hadn't considered that. Thanks.
posted by larry_darrell at 9:21 PM on June 16, 2011
Whey? I hadn't considered that. Thanks.
posted by larry_darrell at 9:21 PM on June 16, 2011
taste it. the whey is sour, whereas water, will be you know, like water. If you like less whey, then don't leave your yogurt as long. It will be softer and less tart, but will have less whey. You can compensate a bit to increase the firmness by adding milk powder (change it by 1 Tbsp at a time to get what you like) or gelatin. You might decide that the whey is fine, though.
posted by kch at 9:25 PM on June 16, 2011
posted by kch at 9:25 PM on June 16, 2011
When I was into making yogurt, I always strained off the whey using a wire sieve lined with double-layered cheesecloth. I was after a thick, Greek-style yogurt and would let the strainer sit for a couple hours before peeling the cheesecloth away from the almost-solidified yogurt. For a softer texture, you could either stop the straining at an earlier point, or strain off the whey, then stir small amounts of whey back in until the yogurt reaches the consistency you want.
posted by Orinda at 9:31 PM on June 16, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Orinda at 9:31 PM on June 16, 2011 [2 favorites]
Yep, it's the whey. Strain it through a sieve as orinda suggests.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:24 PM on June 16, 2011
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:24 PM on June 16, 2011
You can use the whey for soaking oatmeal or other grains, if you eat those. It's also a healthy, tasty add-in for fruity protein shakes!
posted by sunnychef88 at 10:26 PM on June 16, 2011
posted by sunnychef88 at 10:26 PM on June 16, 2011
Whey is the best thing for making pancakes or scones - they rise well.
posted by jb at 6:19 AM on June 17, 2011
posted by jb at 6:19 AM on June 17, 2011
N'thing whey. It's slightly yellowish, right?
An alternative to a cheesecloth-lined strainer is a conical metal coffee filter basket like this, with a solid base (I don't think the flat mesh-bottomed baskets would work). A dedicated one that never sees a coffee machine, obviously. The superfine mesh will work without any additional liner and when the yogurt is firm enough you can invert the basket and give it a rap and the yogurt will flop out in one piece. I hate fiddling with cheesecloth and prefer to soak the basket after use, give it a quick scrub with a veggie brush and then pop it in the dishwasher.
posted by Quietgal at 7:13 AM on June 17, 2011
An alternative to a cheesecloth-lined strainer is a conical metal coffee filter basket like this, with a solid base (I don't think the flat mesh-bottomed baskets would work). A dedicated one that never sees a coffee machine, obviously. The superfine mesh will work without any additional liner and when the yogurt is firm enough you can invert the basket and give it a rap and the yogurt will flop out in one piece. I hate fiddling with cheesecloth and prefer to soak the basket after use, give it a quick scrub with a veggie brush and then pop it in the dishwasher.
posted by Quietgal at 7:13 AM on June 17, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:54 PM on June 16, 2011