Uses for Whey - the Real Deal, Not Powder

[cayjohan]

I've been making a lot of soft cheeses lately, thus have been dealing with a lot of whey. Some sources I've consulted have said that the whey should be used in baking...but with no indication of *how* to use it in baking. If I Google whey, it's generally powdered supplements that come up.

I hate throwing the whey out, when it could be useful. Anyone dealing with honest-to-goodness whey? What do you do with it? How is it used in baking? I need a clue.

[babette feasts]

Make ricotta. Ricotta literally means re-cooked, and is made from the whey. I've seen it made from whole milk by heating and adding a combo of lemon juice and buttermilk then skimming off the curds, I imagine that would apply to whey as well. Don't know about baking, I'd guess if you were making bread you could use it for the water?

[lisa13]

I second the vote to make ricotta. Just take the whey and heat it to 200 degrees plus (F of course). If your whey is acidic enough, little specs of the albumen will start to precipitate out once it gets to around 200. If this does not happen, add a tablespoon or two of white vinegar. Once the albumen starts to separate, maintain the heat for a few minutes so it all has time to set up, then pour through a very fine cheese cloth. In a pinch, you could use papertowels in a colander to drain it. It usually takes several hours, if not overnight, to drain completely.

Salt if you like, then use it however you like. I usually get 1/2 - 1 cup of finished ricotta from the whey produced by a gallon of milk, after cheese making.

You can save the leftover liquid to water plants with (use it with acid loving plants) or bake bread (in place of water).

[Sharuf]

There are various whey cheeses. There's a Swiss one called "ziger" which is very nice, sliced thin with honey dribbled on it.

[JGrey]

Check out "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. The woman uses whey in nearly everything. Replace water in any bread type recipe with it. Add some to bean soaking water. Make saurkraut/pickles.

[silence9]

Favorite movie quote (invoking the use of whey) from 'Heaven Can Wait': Warren Beatty running and shouting: "Bentley! Everett! Whip up the liver and whey shake!"

[sweetTooth]

The region in India where I grew up, a cold, flavored buttermilk drink was served with lunch, especially in summer. The consistency is supposed to be much thinner (almost watery) than the cultured buttermilk you get in a carton. I am guessing that your whey is about the right consistency. Here's how to flavor it: Mash/grate a 1 inch piece of ginger, coarsely chop one hot (Thai) green chili, chop some fresh cilantro leaves. Add all of these to 4 cups of whey or thin buttermilk. Add salt to taste and a couple of teaspoons of sugar or honey. You're not going for a detectable (is that a word?) sweet taste, but just trying to balance the heat from the ginger and chilies and any tartness from the whey. Let this mixture steep for an hour or so in the fridge before serving. You could strain out the flavorings before serving. If you don't strain out the chilies and ginger when storing leftovers, remember that they will continue to steep into the liquid. The drink can taste much spicier the next day.

[FoodFuser]

You can freeze the whey to save it up for a batch of ricotta or any other apps. It freezes well.

[cayjohan]

Thank you all so much - I don't think I'll drain any more whey down the sink! These are all great ideas/uses.

Best,
Cay

[bsheitman]

I use the whey in bread baking when making slow-risen breads. I substitute about 2-4T(depending on ambient temps) of whey per cup of water. The live bacteria in un-pasteurized whey impart complexity over the course of a couple of days, and the acids help soften whole grained breads.
This morning I also poured off some whey onto my blueberry bushes which are turning red from overly alkaline soil....hope this helps.
As mentioned in Nourishing Traditions, it's very useful as an inoculant for various fermented products like sauerkraut, cukes, pickled onions, etc....

[wellfedred]

I don't bake but there is a small funky food/bbq spot near me that serves their sandwiches on whey bread that is delicious...

[DonShirer]

On the Ben & Jerry's factory tour, they mention that they recycle whey for cattle and other animal feed. So the obvious solution is to get a cow. Milk her for cheese and feed her whey for more milk. Of course if you are in an apartment, I guess you'd have to settle for a small calf.

[fromagina]

As a long time (now retired) cheesemaker, I had many uses for whey, including ricotta.

Another is to add a bit of sugar and sloooowly cook it down into a delicious caramel-like sweet syrup that's great in coffee or on ice cream.. Norwegian gjeyost (sp?) is this type of cheese. I would make pints and pints of this and can it. It's addictive.

You can use whey instead of water in baking.

You can make panir cheese by mixing 1/2 gallon whey with 1 gallon milk.. bring to near boil then add a splash of vinegar or 1/2 cup lemon juice (Meyer lemons aren't acidic enough). Skim the curds into clean cotton cloth, salt &/or season the curds (we liked chile flakes and garlic..) then lightly twist and tie the cloth to make a ball of curd, and let cool. This makes 1 pound of non-melting cheese and you end up with .. oops.. nearly 1 1/2 gallons of whey.

When I was making mozzarella, whey is the liquid I used to use to heat the curds.

My dogs loved whey.

I mixed it into chicken feed for my hens.

It's lovely in a bath for healthy skin.

I've seasoned whey with garlic and onions and used that to cook rice or polenta.

I almost forgot this one! Seasoned whey makes a wonderful marinade. The enzymes in the whey brings the flavors deeply into the meat. This is especially good for meats that have been frozen.

It's been a while since I had to deal with this.. I'll try to remember more.