Ask Allie!

Ask Allie is our advice column, where you can ask all your food-related questions to get digestible answers! No question is off limits!

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Hi Allie, I'm interested in straining yogurt to make soft cheese. I like the flavor of plain goat cheese (purchased at supermarket), but don't have a source for goat milk locally. I would like your opinion as to which culture will give a similar flavor using cow's milk. Or different but equally delicious! I have used filmjolk this way but don't care for the acidic or bland flavor (length of fermentation being a variable).

— Clinton

That’s… it’s not gonna work. The only way you can get goat flavor is with goat. It won’t matter what culture you use on cow, because cow and goat at their bases have vastly different flavor profiles. I’m really sorry. In terms of other cultures, I would definitely check out our “What’s Your Flavor” feature and see what’s there for each level of tartness that might be of interest to you! That’s the best way to decide, because your cheese will still taste like the culture you select.

Hi, I bake with sprouted wheat. What would be a good sourdough starter? Thank you.

— Karen

Really, any starter will be fine. Over time (won’t take long) it will convert from all-purpose to sprouted wheat starter. If you use the What’s Your Flavor widget on the main page, it’ll give you the option to choose based on the level of tartness you prefer. Because any starter can be converted to any flour type, I personally feel flavor is how people should pick in the absence of medical conditions that prohibit a specific grain, seed, or other type of flour. 

Hi! I have recently purchased the mild greek thermo yogurt, and its fantastic. Second batch came out perfect! I'd like to strain out some whey to make it thicker; my question is at what step should i do that? Step 5 says to let it sit for a couple hours; should I stain after that? Or dos it ultimately not matter? Thank you!

— Matthew

Give it its rest period before straining so it can set up properly (admission: I never do what I’m telling you to, so no it does not matter at the end of the day but conventional methods say to let it set up so there’s less curd lost during straining), but yes you can even strain it down to cheese! To do this, you’ll either use a strainer bag (we sell these) with a bowl under it to catch the whey (good for baking, fermenting other things like veggies or meat, good for smoothies, soups, and historically people drank whey as a healthful beverage) or a colander over a bowl (same same) where the colander is lined w/ 3 layers of cheesecloth, one of fine muslin (I prefer linen, but many people favor cotton), or enough coffee filters for a single layer. If you want to do it to cheese, I would strain it overnight (it’s fine if it’s room temp, and is how I do it) and if you simply want a thicker yogurt, 2 hours should be plenty. 

I’m glad you’re enjoying the yogurt!