DIY Yogurt

     Have you noticed recently how many options there are for yogurt in the dairy case at the local supermarket?  So many choices!  Knowing which one tastes best and which one is the healthiest can be daunting.  Non-fat, low-fat, flavored, plain...the variety seems endless.

     

     But if you want to be sure you are getting the best taste and the most bang for your buck you should consider making your own.  That way you can control what goes into it (and what doesn't), and you can customize it just the way you like it.  Flavor, tartness and thickness are all yours to decide.  "In addition to tasting incredible, homemade yogurt is cost effective," says Cheryl Sternman Rule writing for fine cooking magazine.  She goes on to provide this economic fact: "A gallon of milk (about $4) yields 14 cups of yogurt (about $14, if you were to buy it by the quart).  And she adds that making yogurt is a straightforward, largely hands-off process.  All it involves is heating milk, cooling it, culturing it, keeping it warm for several hours, then chilling it.

     Once it's cold, you can eat your yogurt as is, strain it to make it thicker still (like Greek yogurt or Middle Eastern labneh) or cook with it.

Tomorrow:  How to make your own yogurt.