WTH is yogurt cheese?

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If you've been curious about making cheese, but don't feel confident enough to engage in kitchen chemistry yet, yogurt cheese can be a good starter project. There's no acidification, no heating, no aging. You pretty much just scoop some yogurt into some cheese cloth and wait.

This cheese works best with plain yogurt without additives. Gelatin, pectic and the like can leave you with a gummy texture. Any good store-bought yogurt will do. You can also start with homemade yogurt you made yourself.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. plain yogurt

Equipment

• a colander or strainer
• 8 layers of cheesecloth (purchase at the grocery store or online here)
• a bowl

Directions

Line the strainer with cheesecloth and place it in your bowl. Add yogurt and let it drain for six to 12 hours. The longer you let it sit, the firmer the cheese will be. I typically let mine cure on the counter, which just results in the yogurt cheese getting a little more tart. You can also drain it in the fridge.

A bunch of whey will gather in the bowl below. If I'm baking, I'll use it to replace water or milk in whatever recipe I'm cooking. If I'm not, I just toss it. It's also not bad in a smoothie. 

The cheese can be used pretty much anywhere you'd use cream cheese. Add it to a bagel or mix in herbs and serve with crackers. Be gentle with it, otherwise it'll come apart on you.