Greek yogurt: what is it and how to cook it?

Greek yogurt is a fermented milk product, which is characterized by ease in cooking at home like cheese or cottage cheese. Today technologies and various starters provide an opportunity to make a natural yoghurt product without buying it in a store.

Greek yogurt is known as yogurt cheese, dahi or labranekh — these are all varieties of a single product, which is made through mass filtration using paper or gauze. Previously, sheep or goat milk was used for cooking, but today it is replaced by pasteurized or natural cow milk. This is a Mediterranean product, which fell on the shelves of our stores thanks to Greek manufacturers. Greek yogurt today is used not only as an independent product, but also used in the preparation of other dishes. For example, as a substitute for sour cream and mayonnaise because of its thick consistency.

Greek yogurt tastes like Georgian matsoni., but it has its own characteristics, one of which is to add more milk. And it can also resemble everyone's favorite Mascarpone cheese, only the presence of carbohydrates and harmful substances in Greek yogurt is less, which makes it a dietary product. According to doctors, Greek yogurt is considered a product of longevity, if consumed every day in small quantities. Its use is recommended for pregnant women and children, if there are no contraindications.

The calorie content of Greek yogurt is 66 calories per 100 g.

It is necessary to consider in more detail the caloric and energy value of this natural product (the ratio of BZHU or proteins, fats, carbohydrates):

• proteins - 5 g / 30% / 20 kcal;
• fats - 3.2 g / 44% / 29 kcal;
• carbohydrates - 3.5 g / 21% / 14 kcal.

This product looks like a very thick sour cream.

It is very useful and curative due to the following composition:

• the presence of such vitamins as choline, PP, B;
• contains enough phosphorus to strengthen bones with daily use;
• contains calcium, which is good for bones and teeth;
• that the process of metabolism was normal, it contains chlorine;
• the cardiovascular system also feeds on this product, because it contains potassium, besides it, magnesium, copper and molybdenum;
• contains sulfur, which is good for hair and nails;
• Sodium is present in small amounts - this is good for the kidneys and the neuromuscular system of the body.

Both types of yogurt have similar properties, but There are a number of significant differences, such as:

• the consistency is different - Greek yogurt is thicker due to the addition of two times more milk than normal; regular yogurt is liquid, although the milk mass is removed from it as much as possible;
• the cooking process also coincides, but the whole whey is completely squeezed out of the Greek after souring, due to which it becomes thick;
• the taste and smell of Greek yogurt is creamy, which is not the case with the usual, which is achieved by squeezing the whey out of the mass and containing a large amount of protein, this makes this yogurt more useful to use than the usual one;
• unlike conventional yogurt, Greek does not contain sugar and lactose.

Fitness trainers and nutritionists strongly recommend using Greek yogurt. In the diet it should be present daily. Above it was considered that the product is filled with useful substances, minerals and vitamins. Calorie content is confirmed by the fact that there are 66 kcal per 100 g, which makes it an indispensable product in the process of losing weight and fighting obesity. Due to the presence of a large amount of protein, yogurt does not allow the body to lose muscle mass and reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Greek yogurt is recommended for people with diabetes. There is almost no sugar in it, which makes it possible to stabilize the level of sugar in the body and fill it with nutrients. The minimum amount of sugar and the absence of lactose increases the daily diet of people suffering from diabetes. Its use does not allow to develop problems with the intestines. And if you use it every day, the body will receive 10% of calcium, which is vital.

According to the reviews of nutritionists, Greek yogurt is considered an antidepressant and has a positive effect on the nervous system of the body. And also in reviews you can read that Greek yogurt at home is an additional tool in the fight against influenza, and is also used for preventive purposes. In order to avoid side effects, you should comply with the rate of use - no more than 500 ml per day. Best for good health and digestion to use Greek yogurt in the morning and evening. But because of the large number of nutrients, it should not replace a full-fledged diet, so it is advisable to use it not only in its pure form, but also with additives or as a spice for the main dish, which will be more healthy and tasty.

Greek yogurt can be considered perfect and even a perfect product, but you should pay attention to the recommendations that should be followed in order not to harm health. If you do not follow the rules in the use of Greek yogurt, it can harm the kidneys. It contains a lot of calcium, if its level in the body is above the normal level, it will lead to the formation of kidney stones. Harmful Greek yogurt to people who have problems with the portability of dairy products. The product offered by the stores is prepared by manufacturers in accordance with the regulations, but it still contains recycled products or artificial components.

Today, Greek yogurt is quite widely represented on the store shelves, but is it as nutritious as the manufacturers say on the labels. Therefore, the preparation of this fermented milk product at home is common. The production of Greek yogurt on your own at home is a simple process, given that you can also make cheese, mayonnaise or plain yogurt.

It should be remembered that Greek yogurt cannot be cooked without such two main ingredients as:

• 1 liter of milk 15% fat, pasteurized; if there is an opportunity to purchase a cow or goat, it will be better;
• 130-150 ml of yeast - the most common are "Activia", Vivo, "Biobalans", "Your yogurt", "Evitaliya" and others.

It is noteworthy that as a starter, if these are absent, you can use ordinary yogurts like kefir or sour sour cream. But these substitutes have their own nuance, the usual kefir or yoghurt must contain live bacteria, so you should carefully read the composition before buying.

It is necessary to disassemble the recipe for the preparation of the Greek product in sourdough at home

To do this, you must adhere to the following algorithm:

• on low heat, in order not to boil away, you need to heat the milk to + 45 ° C;
• further, in portions it is worth adding to the hot milk sourdough of the above species or another; the action should be carried out in portions so that the mass of the future yoghurt will take on the right consistency, thus, it is necessary to empty the entire package (130 ml);
• if so-called substitutes are used in the preparation process, then 3 tablespoons of yogurt or a glass of kefir are needed;
• you need to take a clean, dry plastic container and transfer the contents of the pan into it, wrap tightly with a towel and leave for 8-12 hours if the yogurt is prepared in winter; if the cooking process takes place in the summer, you should leave the yoghurt fermented in a container just on the table or in any other place;
• After 8 hours, the container with the contents should be carefully placed in the refrigerator.

Important! The integrity of the prevailing mass for 8 hours in no way need to chatter and stir. The advice of professionals - you can use a conventional thermos with a polymer internal coating for ripening.

The next step is to remove the serum. For this you need a colander and gauze in three layers. It is desirable to give the maximum serum flow. You can shift all yogurt to gauze, pull it tightly with a cloth and hang it over a bowl at a height of 20 cm, periodically repacking a so-called bag of yogurt so that the serum flows out to the maximum. If the whey is removed, and the product takes the form of a thick cream or resembles sour cream, then it is ready. Using this recipe based on sourdough, you can get up to 2 liters of Greek yogurt.

You can cook Greek yogurt on the basis of the usual homemade.

The cooking process is as follows:

• it is necessary to heat the milk to + 45 ° C, pour ordinary yogurt into it, it is used as a starter, and leave for 8 hours;
• if you want ordinary yogurt to be thicker, you must put it in a fridge to ferment.

To turn liquid homemade yogurt into Greek, you must perform such actions as:

• you need to take previously prepared plain yogurt, pour it into a colander filled with three layers of gauze;
• wait for the first fluid to drain;
• then carefully collect the contents in the bag;
• again hang over the bowl for draining whey;
• in this version of the preparation, it can be infused for 3 to 4 hours, until all the whey is released; from 1 liter of liquid yoghurt 400 g Greek.

To make Greek yoghurt drinkable, it can be diluted with water and whipped. Syrup from jam can be used as a solvent, in this case, the sweetness will be natural, and the taste is not worse than the usual bottle yogurts from the store shelf.

You can also use the following recipe to make drinking yoghurt:

• take 3 liters of milk per bottle of liquid ferment in 130 ml or you can use dry;
• further, milk on a slow fire should be boiled for 5–7 minutes, as long as the total temperature of the milk is no more than + 45 ° C;
• after that, you need to pour or fill the leaven and insist 8 hours;
• temperature in all cooking options must be respected and be at least + 40 ° C in order for the fermentation and the action of bacteria to successfully occur;
• after the specified time has elapsed, you should mix a lot - it turns out drinking Greek yogurt.

It is worth noting that all the above described cooking process can be done in a slow cooker, if there is no yogurt maker. By the time the process of preparation with the use of technology will also take 8-12 hours, the process of decanting serum is the same as described above. A big plus in the use of kitchen appliances is that you do not need to stand at the stove, saving personal time.

Serum that comes out of the product may come in handy. You can drink it, although it tastes like an amateur, but by itself it is useful. Also, whey can be used as an ingredient in the preparation of other dishes. For example, in the form of an additive in the diet cocktail, which will increase its usefulness. Serum should be used for baking pies and other dishes instead of milk or water.

You can also use the first serving serum as a starter for the preparation of the next 2-3 servings. To do this, you need to pour 150-170 ml before decanting the serum. The taste in this case may differ slightly from the first portion, but it will also result in Greek yogurt with the same ingredients and properties. For other servings, it is advisable to use whey not from 3 or 4 servings, but full leaven.

Learn more about how to cook Greek yogurt, you will learn from the following video.