Bestest Yogurt [Moved from The Best]

[ben61820]

whats your fav yogurt? it seems to be all the rage right now (and certainly has been for years now) and there are a plethora of types, styles, animals available.
when i got into the stuff hardcore i, like many, went with stonyfield. they boasted live and active cultures (which many werent doing at the time) and their nonfat plain actually had good flavor and texture. i initially also liked their use of inulin as a thickener. then i read a lot about their completely terrible treatment of animals, use of reconstituted milk powders, etc. and gave them up.
i bounced around a lot until finding a somewhat nearby farmer who makes it himself and buy from him. i do however, from time to time buy Redwood Hill Farm's goat yogurt. great thick consistency, awesome flavor, and full fat which is nice. i gave up the nonfat stuff:)
Fage has some nice product and i know many people absolutely swear by them.

[litchick]

We usually make our own, but when I do buy yogurt, I treat myself to Erivan. It is sooooo sour! I love it!

In terms of straining, our fool-proof method is pretty simple. Get ahold of one of those mesh coffee filters (like a gold cone one), spoon the yogurt into it, set it upright above a jar or dish in the fridge, and let it strain. You get a lovely thick yogurt like greek or lebanese style products.

[Brigita]

I nominate the Key Lime lowfat Wallaby. A new staple for me.

[rawumami]

Absolutely love Saint Benoit!!

When this is not available Fage & Nancy's organic are delicious. I am concerned that when Fage opens their US plant in the NY/NJ area later this year the taste and quality will be compromised as the current is imported from Greece with European milk quality standards!

[koreankorean]

I finally tried goat milk yogurt and sheep milk yogurt..
Sadly I liked neither!
Intellectually I know that drinking cow milk is just as weird as drinking goat or sheep milk but for some reason I can't seem to get over it..

I'll keep trying until I find one I like, but so far I haven't found one I like as much as the ones I found in Europe. Maybe it's the pasteurization, whatever that means..

[Veggietales]

Brown Cow Whole MIlk Plain Yogurt with Cream Top.

The cream top is sinful.

[Gelato_in_Roma]

I agree, I love Brown Cow yogurt with the Cream top. Can't do it daily, but love it a couple times a week! Yum.

[gigondas]

I like Fage, but I have to say Wallaby's lowfat plain. Right kind of tang and creamy texture. I liked Nancy's plain before but now I can't resist always having Wallaby's for breakfast. also organic so I feel good about what I am eating.

[Put a Sake in it]

Wallaby nonfat strawberry guava. So so good.

[marlie202]

I have a new favorite--Liberte Mediteranne yogurt-thick and delicious-haven't tried the one with the grains yet-just the one with the fruit on the bottom-try this--it is really good and made with organic milk from Vermont cows.

[mardy]

For readers who like to strain their yogurt through cheesecloth, here's an easier way. Open a quart container, take a teaspoon and create a hole in the center and scoop out the yogurt almost down to the bottom. Cover the container and refridgerate. After about two hours, open container and pour out the whey that collected in the hole.

This can be repeated until you get the consistency you want........

[welle]

This sounds much more labor-intensive than regular straining method. I just cover the bottom of a collander with paper towel, put my yogurt in, cover and leave overnight. Easy.

[mardy]

But consider that I don't have to wash a collander, nor do I waste a paper towel. Plus, I've got my result in a couple hours.......

[welle]

the cheesecloth/paper towel thing works in couple hours too, I just like to conveniently 'forget' about it overnight.

[Loren3]

I don't know how new this stuff is, but my chowspouse just brough home some Cultural Revolution from Whore Foods.

The up side - no additional thickeners and no additional sweeteners. Just organic yogurt with fruit puree.

The down side - this is very thin stuff. Thin in texture, thin in flavor. I would peg it as an acquired taste. I think if you're a fan of Stoneyfield, this would be for you.

In other yogurt news, Yoplait has apparently migrated some of their Sapor Latino flavors to their mainstream label. I saw passionfruit and guava in my mini-deluxe grocery yesterday.

Still prefer Liberte and Emmi. I like the thicker texture and richer flavor.

[piccola]

Just out of curiosity - did you mean to type "Whore Foods"? Because if not, that's the funniest Freudian slip I've seen in a long time :)

[lee.]

Liberte is my new favorite. I love the 5 Grains varieties, which is chewy and fruity. Their Mediterranee yogourt is out of this world, too.

[torta basilica]

Yoplait used to import yougurt from France in these cute little terra cotta pots. It was insanely expensive - like $4 or $5 a pot, but the most incredible yougurt I've ever tasted - beat Fage, all locals & other Europeans hands down. I'm really picky about yougurt after having lived in Europe & experienced some incredible stuff, but this was pure Nirvana! Used to find it at Cafe Zinc in Corona del Mar, Ca, but not anymore.. :( Anyone seen/tried this?? Would love to find again.

[Ida Red]

KESSO!
I can't believe nobody's mentioned Kesso brand yogurt yet!
I have been a yogurt addict for most of my life, and Kesso brand has the best taste of all of them... real tangy. (I think Fage tastes like chalk, yuck!- although I will purchase Fage above other barands still.)
My other vote goes out to Liberty, which I've recently discovered. Can't they package it into larger cotainers for addicts like myself? Liberty's taste is sublime and the texture is so smooth and creamy, even for a 2%. According to the label info, it's all Vermont milk, and I believe this is the secret to their unique taste... that they keep the milk source from one area - in true "terrior" fashion.

[grocerytrekker]

Turkish yogurt.
Faye, I mean Fage Total brings me right back to Turkey. (I've never been to Greece.) Really good stuff. You could add honey to it, but I like it plain.

[Jeters]

more of a guilty pleasure but.....YoBaby. yep, baby yogurt.
the little packages are SOO convenient, perfect for bringing to work to mix with my granola. sure it's runny and sweet, but...you know, when I'm mixing with cereal I really don't mind.

I've just discovered Fage and it was truly incredible yogurt, but I just can't bring myself to pay that much for something I eat every morning. Definately would buy it for cooking, frozen yogurt or as a treat though. Might bite the bullet and buy one next time I'm in TJ's and see how long it lasts =)

Gotta try the Trader joes greek yogurt too.

[chef chicklet]

Trader Joe's, non fat plain. Add a little splenda and strawberries,raspberries or blueberries and then rice crispies, or grape nuts. I love that stuff.

[grocerytrekker]

I just did a TJ's yogurt taste test against Fage.

1) TJ's Greek Style Plain Yogurt 454g
2) TJ's Mediterranean Cheese Style Yogurt 454g
3) Fage Total 500g

I had never tried TJ's before, and I was rooting for them actually.. but in the end, it was no contest.

Serving sizes are all different.
1) TJ's Greek style -1 cup 200g, total fat 20g
2) TJ's cheese style - 2 tbsp 30gm total fat 5g
3) Fage - 1 cup 227g, total fat 23g

1) is firmer (added gelatin?), and as you can see in the picture, it cuts too cleanly. It tastes pretty good, but relatively flat, however. It is not strained, so it produces some whey after a while.

2) is a thick yogurt, almost too thick and cheesy - I forget how much it cost - but considering the small serving size, it is a good deal. It is so rich that you almost forget about that tiny bit of dull taste -

3) Fage - the least gelled (the messiest) among the three. The tanginess feels natural. This is good yogurt. Worth paying that much? Possibly. Keep in mind that Fage produces practically no whey since it's already strained. It may not be firm, but it's dense. I'll keep looking for alternative reasonably priced options, but for the time being...

I forgot to test the Fage 2% or 0%. I am sure they'd be very good, but I'm happy with full fat.

[kindofabigdeal]

I bought some fage 0% for a mental comparison, as I have to TJ's nearby. Texture wise I'd say fage is smoother, but i think TJ's was tangier, which I like. I've only had the fat free for both of those brands.

[Ellen]

I love Pequea Valley yogurt, available in the Delaware Valley. It's lovely cream on top yogurt. If you can't get it locally (like at the local farm stand in the Reading Terminal Market in Philly or the Amish Farmers Market in Kingston or Flemington, NJ), it can be ordered online. See attached article for more info. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/vie...

[kindofabigdeal]

tj's greek yogurt. it's a great strained yogurt and it's about half the price of fage.

[Alice Patis]

Trader Joes greek yogurt's also my favorite (the full fat one, which strangely is cheaper than the lower fat one), but I haven't tried Fage (can't bring myself to pay that much for yogurt). Can someone who has tried both tell me if there's a discernible difference worth the $$?

[PseudoNerd]

Yes, otherwise people wouldn't pay that much for it.

[kindofabigdeal]

there may be a difference, but I hardly believe that the fact that some people spend extra money on something means it must be better. I'm TJless now, so I'll get some sometime soon and share what i think.

[Ruth Lafler]

I agree that the fact people spend more money on something doesn't mean it's better.

However, I'm one of those people who pays more for the Fage because I like it better. At least, when comparing the 0% fat versions; there's less difference between the full-fat versions.

It's easy to make food with fat taste good -- what makes the Fage worth the price to me is that the fat-free version tastes good (not as good as the full fat, but better than any other fat-free yogurt I've tried, including straining various high-quality store brands).

[kindofabigdeal]

well I'll try the fage then... especially since i moved away from TJ's and i don't know of any other already strained yogurts

[Melanie]

I like fage a lot more than the trader joe version. However, this is perhaps because i was spoiled by fage. Stick with the TJ brand, if you like it - it's so much cheaper.

[Vickers]

I picked up some Fage for the first time after reading this thread, and oh, boy, that stuff is fabulous. I could eat way too much of it, very easily.

[puppymomma]

I just tried a Canadian goat's milk yogurt sweetened with honey. It was really interesting and I liked it a lot. It's taste is very similar to chevre (that makes sense). I'll definitely get it again.

[Hue]

I've tried and tried, and then tried one more time, gave up and tried again, but I just cannot
develop a taste for yogurt,.. only one of two foods(as of today) that I cannot even swallow, the other being peanut butter. Maybe I'll try one more time, sometime I feel a bit like
Syphius(sic)

[ben61820]

so, does anyone have a definitive answer: can you make yogurt without heat?

[cheapertrick]

No, the bacterias L.bulgarus, S. thermophilius, L. acidophilus responsible for making yogurt need to be kept at 110-120 degrees to turn the milk to yogurt.

[steph1949]

Do you have to start with bacterias for them to grow in homemade yougurt? Or do they develop over time, from batch to batch. I make my own yougurt and would like to know if it is live by defination or can you made yougurt and it not be live cultures? thakns

[welle]

I'm pretty sure once you combine warm milk with the starter and wrap it in towels and blanket and put somewhere warm, it is good enough. You do not need a yogurt maker, that's how it's been done for generations before the electric yogurt makers.

[ArikaDawn]

I like the Fage yogurt and this really great Greek brand whose names escapes me at the moment. I have been playing around with recipes using these yogurts and have had great success. I must admit I also do not mind the weak american pudding type yogurts. It is not the most healthful, but I'll admit to putting a dannon lite and fit in my lunch sack every now and again. I am an absolute sugar fiend so the sweeter the batter IMO.

[bostonfoodie111]

Old Chatham Sheepherding Company in New York:

http://www.blacksheepcheese.com/yogur...

It's an aquired taste but I really do like the maple. Their cheeses are great too!

[welle]

mmmmm, love sheep yogurt! I like plain, I eat all my yogurt plain. too bad is soo expensive. there is a little NJ farm that sells sheep yogurt at farmer markets around NYC - I get them whenever I have a chance. Otherwise, Old Chatham as a special treat.

[melly]

Just bought my first container of Fage. The very best ever! Got it at Trader Joes.

[OCAnn]

I LOVE Stonyfield cream on top yogurt. I have a Fage 2% in my refrigerator I've yet to try.

[lollya]

LOVE LOVE LOVE STONYFIELD!

[foodwich]

i am a yoghurt junkie. tried and tried but i do agree homemade is yummy !! any recommendation on which yoghurt maker to try ?

[koreankorean]

I tried Fage 2% and full fat and while I liked them, I thought they tasted a little too dry- a sort of weird dry after-taste, if that makes sense to anyone.

I'm embarrassed to say I actually prefer Pathmark's store brand, full fat, regular plain yogurt to any other ones I've tried (I did my own taste test with 5- 6 brands). It is creamy but still slightly sour, and it has 30% calcium (as opposed to 10 -15% calc in Fage 2%). Since I eat yogurt to stay healthy, I figure, more calcium better, no?

[wonderwoman]

i prefer the store brand as well. either stop and shop or market basket (in the boston area). don't like shaws/star market's store brand, however.

[halfpint]

My husband I I have recently been turned on to Wallaby yogurt. We found it when we started looking for yogurt without high fructose corn syrup. We had previously been eating yoplait. We are not fans of stonyfield. Wallaby has quite a selction of flavors... all are very fresh and authentic tasting (no artificial flavors) Some of our favorites are key lime, strawberry guava, maple, lemon, blackberry, and orange passion fruit!

[cafesimile]

I like to just strain plain ole Dannon yogurt. It's much less expensive that Fage and I absolutely cannot tell the difference. There are no "fillers" in Dannon either, it's just too thin and "Americanized". Once it's been strained, add honey and or nuts and enjoy!

[Val]

Am curious about the straining technique....do you use a mesh strainer that's lined with paper towel ... cheesecloth? And how long do you strain it for? Thanks.

[wonderwoman]

i use a chemex with a double filter and let time (at least 8 hours) and gravity do the rest.

[cafesimile]

Sorry it took me so long. I use a cheesecloth over a mason jar for about 4 hours, any longer than that you really start entering sour cream territory. That's not really a bad thing, though, as wife loves it on her baked potatoe

[chigirl71]

I like plain Fage yogurt with a litttle bit of honey, some walnuts and sometimes chopped dates mixed in.

I have to admit I also am a fan of Dannon's Coffee yogurt. . .been eating it since I was a kid.

[cheapertrick]

I like to make my own. It's cheaper and is naturally sweeter since it's fresher. The longer yogurt sits the more sour it becomes. Yogurt makers are quite cheap and so is milk.

[cerisenoire]

I completely agree. there is no better yogurt than homemade. all european yogurt is simplistically made in the same way--not too thick, and nicely tangy without that bizarre sourness that most us yogurt has.

[Kaisgraham]

I have a Persian market near us and get their yogurt that has only Farsi writing on it! It is really, really thick and really, really delicious.

[katkoupai]

There are a lot of Persian yogurts that are excellent. I either buy those or Byblos. If I have no access to a Persian market, then I will buy Mountain High yogurt from the larger grocery stores (Ralph's, Vons, etc.).

[PseudoNerd]

Does anyone know whether Kaefer (originally out of Munich, Germany) exports to the US? That would be my absolute favorite yogurt of all; much of Germany apparently agrees since I've been told that the company caters the Bundestag events...

[sandrina]

I enjoy the Dannon whole milk plain yogurt. I just strain the whey over a 24 hour period, drizzle some DaVinci sugar free syrup (whatever flavor strikes my fancy for the day) and toss in a few nuts or berries.

[andytee]

strauss creamery in california makes the best.. wish i could find it in the northeast.

[Snackish]

Absolutely. It is whole milk but not too thick. It tastes absolutely of fresh green fields. It is also organic. The people are the nicest folks on earth and treat their cattle right.

[andytee]

So glad to see someone else out there likes it! I miss it dearly out here, I really am not much interested in other yogurts.

[lamoufette]

STRAUSS is not only mega - delicious, try the plain with fruit on toast, it is organic, sustainable, made in small dairies by happy cows. They are helping work to preserve our open space in West Marin, no BS factory cow / fake organic. this is the real deal.

[Loren3]

Liberte whole milk - absolutely fabulous.
Emmi Swiss - absolutely fabulous
Fage - absolutely fabulous
Yoplait "Sabor Latino" series of tropical fruit flavors - terrific
Dannon "La Creme" - a weak American substitute for the fabulous Danon sold in Europe.

[ballulah]

OOOH! I forgot about Emmi Swiss. Their pink grapefruit yogurt is delicious!

[bebevonbernstein]

Loren, I too like the Sabor Latino line of yogurts (though I usually eat Wallaby's and Liberte) -- however, I did notice on the Sabor Latino today that sugar is listed as the second ingredient . . .

[amopdx]

I love Nancy's yogurt with the fruit cup on top. Blueberry is my fav flavor
http://www.nancysyogurt.com/nancys_pr...

oh, and i usually like to eat my yogurt with some kind of granola :)

[Gelato_in_Roma]

I love Nancy's yogurt. It's yummy! But I have to say my favorite is Fage. It's just like my mom made when I was growing up. Strained and with honey on top. Wonderful!

[Karen K]

Dannon coffee yogurt; it's been my daily lunch fare for years.

[puppymomma]

OMG! I LOVE Dannon coffee yogurt. I also like some of the yoplait light - the thick and creamy.

I keep feeling though, that I'm missingout on the good yogurt. Does New England just have crappy brands? Stonyfield and Columbo are really popular here and I hate them both. And the shelves in the stores are so filled with kid's yogurts instead of good ones.

[cheryl_h]

Byblos, plain Greek style yogurt. Mixed with a little dribble of good honey it is heaven in a spoon.

[ipsedixit]

Don't know about Byblos, but ditto the honey part. I also like to mix in nutella into my plain yogurt ...

[katkoupai]

I love Byblos! :)

[ballulah]

Ronnybrook Farms, anything and everything they make is ridiculously heavenly. The blackberry yogurt drink ranks up there on the list of one of the most delicious things to ever cross my tastebuds.

I also like Vermont Butterworks. I'm usually a full fat yogurt kind of gal, but I buy big tubs of their non fat plain yogurt to make smoothies for breakfast, and I find it's really good.

[weetara]

Another cheer for Ronnybrook--their drinkable flavors are incomparable and their cups of yogurt are very good without a ton of added sugar. They also make a very delicious yogurt cheese.

[Produce Addict]

Liberte, I like the 5 grains but LOVE the 2% plain. Great tang, great texture (more liquidy than fage). Hard to find though.

pic on their website http://www.liberte.qc.ca/en/page.ch2?...

[PaulV]

I'm also a big fan of theirs. I like the Vanilla Mediterranean yogourt. The Black Cherry is great too.

[Produce Addict]

Those are the 8% fat yogurts, right? I am always reluctant to make yogurt a special treat item, but next time I do I'll try them!

[wonderwoman]

their strawberry is positively decadent. and while i agree with the poster below about not making yogurt a special treat (i have lowfat almost daily), for this, i happily make an exception!

[dukegirl]

Woodstock Water Buffalo.

http://www.woodstockwaterbuffalo.com/...

[Infomaniac]

Woodstock Water Buffalo yogurt is the best I've ever tasted too.

[Loren3]

Too thick for me. Too much like the "mousse" style yogurts from Yoplait. Tasty, though.

[ben61820]

yeah, i love the water buff stuff too but i DO agree that it is VERY thick.

[tatertotsrock]

Oh YESSSS! Love the Vermont Maple and even the Raspberry...eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, sleepwalking, dreaming...yum.
Best Yogart ever was some big 1/2 gallon tub my boyfriend lugged around in his backpack while we were on Maria Island in Tasmania and we bought a new one every 3 days...no refridgeration, didn't kill us and always tasted so good.

[Mike V]

Abolute favorite is FAGE (pronounced Fa-yeh). It's a Greek yogurt. It is produced from animals that are not fed by any chemicals, hormones or antibiotic substances. Very little sugar.

[ben61820]

k, so one for FAGE so far.

[kabrown]

another for FAGE....

[CambridgeKathy]

I second Fage. Truly creamy and delicious!

[Val]

I'm also just recently enamored of the Fage...Wild Oats just opened here in Naples, FL and they sold out of it the first day they were open. And, NOW I'm so excited because I saw it at my nearby Publix last night and could not believe my eyes...I about did cartwheels down the aisle! It's really awesome and has no junky fillers in it. The 2% comes in a 7 ounce container, half of which suits me for a serving because it's so creamy and dense. Haven't opened the no-fat yet, which comes in a smaller container.

[PseudoNerd]

Fage!

[L_W]

Another newbie to Fage!

[marlie202]

I just fried Fage yogurt the other day and it is quite delicious-especially with bananas or strawberries or plain and with honey

[lconnor]

FAGE RULES! We ate it all over Greece,and I'm thrilled to find it in the grocery stores here. I even like the fat free.
Best drizzled with chestnut honey, even better w/dry roasted almonds or pistachios and dried Montmorency cherries mixed in.

I use it in place of heavy cream in soups, in place of sour cream in baked potatoes (it's WAY better than sour cream there) and made rosemary biscuits using it in place of buttermilk last weekend. Those biscuits tripled in size and were ethereal with a glass of wine as a before-dinner treat.

[piccola]

After two years in NYC, I'm moving back to Canada (Ottawa, to be precise), where there is no Fage or TJ's Greek yogurt. Any other brands come close? Preferably in a skim variety?

[Nyleve]

Liberty is excellent. They have various types - definitely a nonfat organic one and a Mediterranean type (which is heavenly) but I usually buy their 2%. It tastes delicious and is just thick enough.