Milk

bcattoes

For the everyday situation, MAYBE skim is better for you. It really just depends on the fats (which aren't BAD for you to get a healthy amount).

Not all fat is created equal. There is conflicting scientific evidence as to whether the fat contained in milk is indeed good for you, which means that there are studies showing it as harmful (as well as those showing as not). But the overwhelming consensus of the medical community is that dairy fat should be limited. Just check any reputable medical site.

Sweet_Potato

Like I said, I don't currently have the time or resources for that. I have plenty of recipes for yogurt, but they all require that I own a yogurt maker or a thermos, neither of which I own and neither of which I can afford. I mean, I could buy one or the other, but having food now is slightly more important, to me.

How about an oven or a slow cooker or a heating pad?? I've been making yogurt for a few years now and have never used a thermos or a yogurt maker. I have filled jars with the yogurt milk and put into a preheated oven with the oven light on (oven turned off after it's warmed up) let sit overnight and ta da! Done! But then I moved and there was no oven light so I started putting it in a crock pot. Just take the crock pot thing out and wrap in a towel to keep warm. Let sit overnight and it's done in the morning. I have found recipes where you can put crock pot on low for so many hours and that works too but I've never tried it. This last time I made yogurt I had to wrap it in a heated blanket on high since the house is so cold here now that a towel wasn't keeping it warm enough but with the heated blanket it worked like a charm.

All you need is ANYTHING that can keep it warm enough (but not too warm) for long enough. I've heard of people putting the yogurt milk into jars and into a cooler with a heating pad before.

Wait, what? You don't need to do all that. The woman who taught me in India simply heated some milk to a simmer, took it off the heat, and stirred in a spoonful or two of yogurt from the previous batch. It started to thicken up right away. Her yogurt was delicious and she's been doing this for her entire life.

Tree72

Fat helps in the absorption of calcium. So there's definitely some debate that skim milk is less healthy in that respect. But 2% would be fine for those purposes, no need to have all the fat in whole milk if it doesn't fit into your calories and macros easily.

And regular skim milk should be just plain milk with the fat removed (though most here in the US will have vitamin D added). Some other milks, like lactose free milk, do have other added ingredients.

It's pretty common for me to have several varieties of milk in my refrigerator so that I can use which one fits my needs of the moment best. (Yes, I can easily go through a 1/2 gallon of skim milk and a 1/2 gallon of 2% before either of them go bad.)

Hope you figure out what works best for your needs.

KayteeBear

Wait, what? You don't need to do all that. The woman who taught me in India simply heated some milk to a simmer, took it off the heat, and stirred in a spoonful or two of yogurt from the previous batch. It started to thicken up right away. Her yogurt was delicious and she's been doing this for her entire life.

Hmm, not sure how that works because it's the incubating for a certain amount of time which causes the milk to ferment and create yogurt. That's why keeping it at a consistent heat is so important and having the milk the right temperature because if it's too hot or too cold it can kill the bacteria culture that you need to create yogurt. I've never had it thicken immediately...

I've also never seen any recipes/instructions that you don't need need to keep it warm for extended time and I've looked at lots of different instructions. (probably close to 20 different ones)

unsuspectingfish

Wait, what? You don't need to do all that. The woman who taught me in India simply heated some milk to a simmer, took it off the heat, and stirred in a spoonful or two of yogurt from the previous batch. It started to thicken up right away. Her yogurt was delicious and she's been doing this for her entire life.

Hmm, not sure how that works because it's the incubating for a certain amount of time which causes the milk to ferment and create yogurt. That's why keeping it at a consistent heat is so important and having the milk the right temperature because if it's too hot or too cold it can kill the bacteria culture that you need to create yogurt. I've never had it thicken immediately...

I've also never seen any recipes/instructions that you don't need need to keep it warm for extended time and I've looked at lots of different instructions. (probably close to 20 different ones)

That's how I've always understood it. It needs to ferment.

bcattoes

How can anyone say they dont need milk!?! Hello late night bowl of cereal, Greek yogurt after a workout, frozen yogurt as a treat! Maybe it isn't needed but I could single handedly support the milk industry. I even like a glass of chocolate milk after a workout if i dont have a protein shake.

It sounds like you want milk, which is different than needing it.