Tag Archives: homemade greek yogurt

Euro Cuisine GY50 Greek Yogurt Maker Review

Posted on by
Reply

Greek yogurt is one of today’s hottest culinary trends. Once considered somewhat exotic, Greek yogurt is finding its way into more health-conscious diets and everyday recipes than ever before.

Regular yogurt is a very healthful food, loaded with calcium and live bacterial cultures, but low in calories. Yogurt’s versatility, and its ability to be mixed with myriad flavorings, makes it a favorite at either mealtime or snacktime. Greek yogurt takes regular yogurt’s tastiness and health benefits up a notch, and its popularity is making Greek yogurt makers like the Euro Cuisine GY50 a must for any kitchen that want to add this healthy food to meals and snacks.

Euro Cuisine GY50 Greek Yogurt Maker

Euro Cuisine GY50 Greek Yogurt Maker

Click Here for Customer Reviews.

Click Here for the Price on Amazon!

Greek yogurt is essentially regular yogurt that’s been strained thoroughly through a very fine mesh filter. This straining process removes a great deal of the lactose, sugar, and liquid whey that regular yogurt contains, and this gives Greek yogurt a much thicker consistency, nearly as firm as some cheeses. This delivers up to twice the protein in a serving that contains the same amount of calories as regular yogurt. The process also filters out sugar, and along with calorie reduction, prompts dieters and the health conscious to rave about the benefits of eating Greek yogurt. The finished product has a thicker, drier consistency that many people prefer to regular yogurt, and retains a somewhat sour tang that makes yogurt a favorite.

Specifications

  • 2-quart yogurt strainer kit
  • 10-inch diameter, 5 inches tall with lid
  • Weighs 1 pound, 2 ounces when empty
  • Shipping weight 2 pounds
  • Manufactured without BPA

Features

The Euro Cuisine Greek yogurt maker is a very simple device. It doesn’t require any power in order to work. It relies on a large strainer that fits inside a lidded container to produce up to two quarts of Greek yogurt per batch. The filter required to produce Greek yogurt from regular yogurt has to be very fine. Traditionally, Greek yogurt, sometimes called strained yogurt, labneh, Turkish yogurt, or yogurt cheese, is filtered through cheesecloth, muslin, or a paper bag to achieve its consistency. The Euro Cuisine GY50 makes for a much neater operation, and while the filter is contains is delicate, if you wash it out carefully it can be expected to last for many batches, unlike throwaway filters.

The three-piece GY50 has a lid that goes over the filter and the container that allows you to put the yogurt mixture in the refrigerator and leave it for hours without picking up a stale taste. The GY50 also comes with a recipe book that includes instructions for preparing healthy and tasteful dips and spread, like Tzatziki, berry-flavored desserts, and even naturally lo-cal salad dressings.

Pros

  • Can be used to make homemade yogurt into Greek yogurt, or transform store-bought yogurt into Greek yogurt
  • The container, strainer, and lid is made from plastic that doesn’t contain bisphenol A, a plus for people worried about the chemical leaching into their food
  • Much neater than trying to strain your own Greek yogurt using cloth

Cons

  • Mesh on strainer has to be carefully washed to avoid tearing
  • Name of product confuses some buyers who think it’s a yogurt maker.

Final Verdict

Euro Cuisine GY50 Greek Yogurt Maker

Click Here to find the Price on Amazon!

The Euro Cuisine GY50 is very reasonably priced, and is a best seller. The GY50 gets great reviews from both magazine reviewers as well as satisfied users. The Euro Cuisine receives four star or better reviews from a remarkable 90 percent of buyers, with almost 80 percent awarding it full five stars.

While users overwhelmingly sing the praises of this little device, they do caution other that the very fine filter that the GY50 uses to strain regular yogurt into Greek yogurt is delicate, and prone to split or break if subjected to rough use during the straining and emptying process, or while it’s being cleaned. Some users overlooked the instructions that advised them not to use metal utensils when scraping out the filter, but many people that had a problem with premature degradation of the filter assembly reported that they were supplied with a replacement from the manufacturer at no charge. Users also cautioned that care was recommended when cleaning the filter to avoid damage as well.

While almost no one gives the GY50 a bad review, some reviewers were disappointed to find out that the unit isn’t designed to make yogurt, and report that they were confused by the name of the device. The GY50 is a Greek yogurt maker, not a yogurt maker, and requires you to either purchase regular yogurt from the grocery store, or make it yourself in a standalone yogurt maker before placing it in the Greek yogurt maker. While somewhat disappointed by the confusion, most people still gave the unit high marks for delivering great Greek yogurt. The Euro Cuisine GY50 Greek yogurt maker is rated a best buy.

To find the best yogurt makers (to make yogurt out of milk etc), go back to the homepage or click straight to Cuisinart CYM-100 yogurt maker or the Dash yogurt maker which are the most popular models.

To find recipes to make your own homemade yogurt, click here to see our recor here.

Euro Cuisine GY50
Greek yogurt strainer / maker from Euro Cuisine GY50
This Greek yogurt maker is a strainer to make Greek yogurt from normal (homemade) yogurt easily. Does its job very well!

Homemade Yogurt: Making Greek Yogurt At Home

Posted on by
Reply

You can always buy Greek yogurt in a store. However, there’s something awesome about making it right at home. Learning how to make Greek yogurt is easier than most people think, too.

After you make homemade yogurt, there’s an extra step. Of course, you can always eat the yogurt as-is and after it cools. But, the extra step is what turns your regular homemade yogurt into tasty Greek yogurt.

Making Homemade Greek Yogurt ~ Greek Yogurt

Greek or ‘Greek-style yogurt’ is a type of strained yogurt. Strained yogurt is yogurt that has been strained of its whey content after the culturing process. The straining gets rid of the whey, leaving behind a thicker yogurt that’s said to have a consistency between ‘unstained yogurt and soft cheese.’

Although traditional strained yogurt is typically made from sheep’s milk, it’s commonly made from cow’s milk, especially for the Greek-style yogurt you can find in stores today.

In fact, most Greek yogurt is made from cow’s milk nowadays, particularly if you’re going to buy it in stores or make it at home.

Greek yogurt with a yogurt maker

Dash Greek yogurt makerThe following recipe we’re about to show you use whole milk, as its fat content is perfect for making a thick Greek-style yogurt. Although you can use skim or low fat milk, they produce thinner yogurts that will need thickening before you strain.

The homemade Greek yogurt recipe can be made with your normal kitchen utensils but also quite easily transformed to use with a yogurt maker. A yogurt maker machine will take all the problems and timing issues out of your hands. Put in the ingredients and set the timer and you’ll have fresh Greek yogurt whenever you want!

Greek yogurt walnuts honey

Making Homemade Greek Yogurt ~ The Process

In our last article, we showed you how to make homemade yogurt with just a few ingredients and supplies. This time, we’re going to show you how to make Greek yogurt in the same way, with just one more step.

Once again, make sure your equipment is sterilized before you start. You can do that by pouring boiling water into each of the containers you plan to use for storing your yogurt. After you pour in the hot water, wait about 5 minutes and then pour out the water to let the containers dry.

You’ll also need cheesecloth and some twine for the straining process. While you can use other types of thin cloth, cheesecloth will help you produce a ‘thicker’ and more consistent yogurt.

  • Boil your milk to 180 degrees. The candy thermometer should be used to take the temperature while the milk heats. Once it reaches that temperature, take the pan off the heat, while keeping the thermometer in the pan.
  • Wait a while for the temperature to drop to 115 degrees. After that, mix in your yogurt or yogurt starter (you can temper this with milk by mixing it with 2 cups of milk before using it) until it’s completely mixed in the milk. Pour the mixture inside your sterile pot or container where the yogurt will culture.
  • Put a lid or some plastic wrap over the pot or container containing the mixture. Store the mixture in a warm place for about 10 to 12 hours. If you need to, keep the yogurt warm by wrapping the towel around the pot or container. If you want a tangier yogurt, keep the yogurt stored for an additional 3 to 5 hours.
  • Refrigerate once it’s finished culturing. Let the yogurt cool for least 3 to 4 hours before eating.

Here’s where the directions get different or, rather, here’s the extra step we were talking about: the straining process.

  • Get a big bowl ready by lining it with cheesecloth. When you’re done, dump about 2 cups of your yogurt into the center of the cloth.
  • Bring together the corners of your cheesecloth. Lift the yogurt out of the bowl, holding the corners, and twist to start draining the whey liquid.
  • Keep squeezing to get all of the whey out. Once most of the whey has drained, tie off the part that you’re holding with your twine.
  • Now, get out a strainer or colander, put it into the large bowl and sit your partially strained yogurt inside. The yogurt will continue draining for a few hours.
  • Sit the yogurt bowl inside your refrigerator, as it drains, for about 2 to 3 hours. After that, take out the bowl and remove the yogurt (still in the cheesecloth). Hold it over the sink and gently squeeze out as much whey liquid as you can.
  • Once you’re done, return the yogurt to the strainer and prepare another clean and sterile bowl, preferably one big enough to store the yogurt (make sure it has a lid, too). Remove the twine, open the cloth and (with a spoon or spatula) scoop and scrape the yogurt into a bowl. Your end result should be as thick as sour cream.

YogurtMaking Homemade Greek Yogurt: Closing Thoughts

As you can see, Greek-style yogurt is just as easy to make at home as ‘regular’ yogurt. Although you do have to strain the yogurt for a few more hours, the end result is well worth the effort. Greek yogurt is a healthy snack since it’s low fat and you can easily combine it with fresh fruits. Thanks for reading about how to make Greek yogurt!