something most of us never encounter except in kid's rhymes has entered my life for the long-term: whey. it's kinda stinky, gross greenish-yellow watery liquid, but somehow this stuff is also really great. i'm experimenting with the many uses for it and since i expect it to be a resident in my fridge as i continue to play with dairy, i decided to be its friend. as a result of a failed yogurt-making trial yesterday (i cooked it WAY too long b/c i left the crockpot on when it was supposed to be off...), i have a pint of cheese whey hanging around at the moment.
last night i dumped some in a bowl with steel cut oats and cranberries to soak for this morning's breakfast, and when i woke up i added more whey and some of the draining yogurt-cheese whey, a spoonful of sugar, and cooked it for about 10 minutes. that was the best oatmeal i've ever eaten; i am SO excited to have a fermented, homemade, uber-healthy breakfast that i actually want to eat again! can't wait until rowan is over her picky-about-new-things phase so i can feed it to her too. (right now she will only eat eggs, cooked apples, or date-coconut rolls for breakfast. sigh.) i did manage to sneak some into her eggs in place of milk for scrambling though; that made me happy. i swear it added nice flavor, too.
ever-growing list of uses for whey:
1) soaking grains
2) baking ANYTHING
3) cooking, in place of milk or water
4) smoothies - though i am skeptical on this one
5) gjetost/mysost - boiled down to a thick goo, it makes some kind of norwegian cheese...
6) caramelized w/ sugar into syrup
7) soapmaking, in place of water
8) ricotta
9) marinating meat, with seasonings - apparently the enzymes tenderize and help seal the flavors
10) fermenting veggies and/or pickling
11) (yogurt whey) making fizzy drinks - add some lemon juice, sugar, and soda water
update 8/29: how about yogurt whey? it's a bit more tart, and with the good bacteria arguably more healthy. i say go for it in any of the recipes above... it's worth a try! the problem i'm having with my whey is that it competes with buttermilk--which i also have in abundance--in too many cases and i never know which one i'd rather use. *sigh*
last night i dumped some in a bowl with steel cut oats and cranberries to soak for this morning's breakfast, and when i woke up i added more whey and some of the draining yogurt-cheese whey, a spoonful of sugar, and cooked it for about 10 minutes. that was the best oatmeal i've ever eaten; i am SO excited to have a fermented, homemade, uber-healthy breakfast that i actually want to eat again! can't wait until rowan is over her picky-about-new-things phase so i can feed it to her too. (right now she will only eat eggs, cooked apples, or date-coconut rolls for breakfast. sigh.) i did manage to sneak some into her eggs in place of milk for scrambling though; that made me happy. i swear it added nice flavor, too.
ever-growing list of uses for whey:
1) soaking grains
2) baking ANYTHING
3) cooking, in place of milk or water
4) smoothies - though i am skeptical on this one
5) gjetost/mysost - boiled down to a thick goo, it makes some kind of norwegian cheese...
6) caramelized w/ sugar into syrup
7) soapmaking, in place of water
8) ricotta
9) marinating meat, with seasonings - apparently the enzymes tenderize and help seal the flavors
10) fermenting veggies and/or pickling
11) (yogurt whey) making fizzy drinks - add some lemon juice, sugar, and soda water
update 8/29: how about yogurt whey? it's a bit more tart, and with the good bacteria arguably more healthy. i say go for it in any of the recipes above... it's worth a try! the problem i'm having with my whey is that it competes with buttermilk--which i also have in abundance--in too many cases and i never know which one i'd rather use. *sigh*
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