Making whey is one of the easiest things you can do to add to your arsenal of nourishing habits. The simplest way to make whey is by straining some good quality plain yoghurt (look for one that contains only milk, with or without cream, and cultures, or use one that you have made yourself) until the whey separates from the yoghurt leaving cream cheese behind. I happen to have a nut milk bag that I pour the yoghurt into and then place that into a sieve over a large jug. Be careful not to apply pressure to the yoghurt as you’ll then be adding milk solid to your whey – this will affect its keeping abilities. I am not yet in the habit of making yoghurt so I purchase a good quality yoghurt, such as the one below, from my favourite health food store Mountain Creek Wholefoods. However, recently at Costco I noticed a huge (like 3.6 kg huge) tub of Yalna Greek Yoghurt for sale and it contained only milk, cream and cultures. I’ll be trying that one next time, particularly as it will produce enough cream cheese to make a full sized cheesecake, with additional yoghurt left behind to use in other dishes. I feel like a sellout shopping at Costco – it is not Australian, and the whole supersize philosophy does not sit well with me – but a deal is a deal! A one kilo tub of yoghurt gives you about 1/2 litre of whey. I just store in the fridge where it will apparently keep for a few months, or pour into an icecube tray to freeze and then decant to a zip lock bag to be used as required. Often a tablespoon or two is required at a time, so the icecube method works out to be the most efficient way to store.
Whey can be used in so many ways. Typically I use a couple of tablespoons when soaking oats overnight for porridge, or when soaking grains, beans or nuts. It makes fermenting vegetables a more foolproof exercise. It can also be drunk straight or added to smoothies. I’m sure there are more uses – it is truly a versatile substance to have in your kitchen.
simple living 