SC - yogurt Cheese 101?

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

>Ilia wrote:
>  > > Does it work with not fat yogurt or does it need to be whole 
>milk yogurt?>
>
>Basically, the fat changes the mouth feel and texture of the cheese. 
>the biggest issue to be aware of is AVOID THICKENERS LIKE GUMS.  Get 
>yogurt that doesn't have 'artificial' thickeners or emulsifiers 
>added like guar gum, lecithin or starches, etc.  It changes 
>everything, and gives the big gummy problem like you wouldn't 
>believe.  Thickeners seem to be more common in the non-fat  versions 
>around this neck of the woods.
>
>niccolo difrancesco

I have no idea if it's available east of the Sierra Nevadas, but i 
highly recommend Pavel's Yogurt. No gums, no gelatin, just milk and 
bacilli - comes in whole, low-fat, and non-fat. It has a really clean 
taste and a wonderful mouth feel. I really really dislike yogurts 
with gums and/or gelatin; they just don't feel or taste the same. I 
used to make my own, now i'm lazy - Pavel's is better than my 
homemade.

If i want fruit flavored yogurt, i get "Brown Cow", which made of 
milk, cultures, and fruit and is sweetened only with a small amount 
of maple syrup - no sugar, no corn syrup (and no honey, which flavor 
tends to take over whatever it's used in) - and it isn't very sweet, 
which i like. Better than putting jam into yogurt. This is a local, 
Northern California brand - but i think i heard they're getting 
distributed outside of this region...

Anahita