Experiments In My Kitchen: Greek Yogurt and Ricotta Cheese

I’m recently retired and have more time on my hands to experiment in the kitchen. I absolutely love Greek yogurt, especially the unflavored, unsweetened variety because I can control the amount of sweetness in my morning yogurt with granola. I also add it to dips instead of sour cream. So, I decided to try making my own Greek yogurt.

Crockpot Method – Not All It’s Crocked Up To Be!

First I tried using my Crockpot to make yogurt using this recipe. You need a full day to make this recipe, and all total, it takes 12 hours. The first time I tried it, it turned out great, the second time it didn’t set, probably because it didn’t stay warm enough. The recipe tells you to wrap it in a thick towel, so I instead used my down jacket – you would think that was warm enough! But all was not lost, to thicken it up I placed the crock in a warn oven for about 30-50 minutes and that firmed it up nicely. After the yogurt was done, I placed a colander into a bowl and poured the yogurt  in and cover it to drain in the fridge overnight. The next morning the result was a thick, decadent yogurt (I used whole milk). I use it as a substitute for butter on breads and muffins, and drizzle it with a little honey or swirl blueberry jam on top. Delicious!

Instant Pot Method – Instant Success!

After the Crockpot method failed the 2nd time, I tried using my Instant Pot for better heat control. I used this recipe and it turned out great. I used the fast-cool method to speed up the process.

Whey? Why Not!

When you drain yogurt to make Greek yogurt, you are draining off the silky, golden-colored whey that collects in the bowl. Every recipe I consulted said there are many uses for the nutritious whey, so don’t throw it out. You can use whey instead of water in recipes when making soup, bread, cornbread, pancakes, waffles, muffins, and more. I didn’t have time to do anything with the whey the first few times, so my dog, Remy, was the happy recipient when I mixed a bit in with his dog food. But, here are some ideas on what to do with whey.

Making Ricotta Cheese With Whey & Milk

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey…I had read that you can use whey to make ricotta cheese, so when I had 2 cups of whey after making Greek yogurt I thought I’d give that a try. It is super easy to do with this recipe and only took about 1/2 hour from start to finish. Just heat whole milk to 190°, then add the whey (if you don’t have whey, you can add a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar). The acids in the whey immediately starts to curdle the milk. After waiting the required 15 minutes I felt it wasn’t curdled enough, so I added a tablespoon of white vinegar, as the recipe suggested. That worked perfectly! Within a few minutes I had a pan full of warm curds. Again, you drain it using cheesecloth and a colander placed over a bowl. The liquid that drains off can be used the same way as above, but can’t be used again for ricotta making.  I plan to use the ricotta as a savory dip with lemon zest, olive oil and herbs. I also saved some for a sweet spread – I combined it with a little yogurt, honey and blueberry jam for a thick spread for toast or as a delicious topping for French toast.  I may even use a dab of ricotta topped with fruit filling on top of the Czech-inspired Kolache pastry I am making for Christmas.

Below are my photos from the stages of making Ricotta Cheese. I hope you learned something new to try!

Always keep experimenting! ~ Therese Oldenburg