Can yogurt be frozen? And other culinary questions.

[romansperson]

I just made an entree which required the use of 3/4 of a cup of plain low-fat yogurt. Seeing as how there's no place around here I can get a small cup of plain yogurt, I was forced to buy the quart size and I've got a lot of yogurt left over. Can I freeze it, or will it turn gross on me?

Also, is there a particular word to describe cutting meat (in my case, a boneless, skinless chicken breasts) apart so that you have two pieces that are half as thick as the original piece was to start with? 'Cut lengthwise' isn't it, because that gives one the impression that you cut the breast into two halves at the midpoint of the breast, which isn't what I am trying to describe.

[UrbanChic]

I'm not sure about the first question, but I'll offer an answer to the second question. If someone were to tell me to "butterfly" the breast half, I would cut it as you described.

[Cheesesteak]

Yogurt does freeze nicely, "frozen yogurt" anyone? I can't say whether or not it thaws nicely as well.

Are you thinking of the term "butterfly"? That's when you slice a piece of meat so that it is thinner and cooks more quickly.

[vetbridge]

Another vote for "buttterfly". Long ago when I spent some time cooking for a living, I had someone order the filet mignon butterflied Pittsburgh rare (cut butterfly fashion, then seared quickly over high heat, leaving the inside very rare). Things like that make chefs cry.

As for the yogurt, why not slice up some strawberries and make a nice desert?

[romansperson]

Yogurt does freeze nicely, "frozen yogurt" anyone? I can't say whether or not it thaws nicely as well.


Well, you've actually made this two questions now - the type of yogurt made into frozen novelties does indeed freeze nicely, but it also contains other ingredients like guar gum and carrageenan that may promote that. Will plain ol' yogurt freeze well? And will it separate and be gross after thawing?

Are you thinking of the term "butterfly"? That's when you slice a piece of meat so that it is thinner and cooks more quickly.

I am under the impression that butterflying involves splitting meat at the median of the cut, but only halfway or so, in order to promote quick cooking - hence the piece looking a bit like a butterfly in shape. Am I wrong about that?

[romansperson]

As for the yogurt, why not slice up some strawberries and make a nice desert?

Because I can't eat dessert currently, and I'd like to save it as is if possible, so I don't have to go out and buy yet another quart of yogurt later just for this recipe.

[romansperson]

I am under the impression that butterflying involves splitting meat at the median of the cut, but only halfway or so, in order to promote quick cooking - hence the piece looking a bit like a butterfly in shape. Am I wrong about that?

Edited to add: if my definition of 'butterfly' is correct, then that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about cutting something in half in such a way that you end up with two thinner pieces that are still the same width across as they were originally. I wish I could draw a picture ...

[UrbanChic]

I am under the impression that butterflying involves splitting meat at the median of the cut, but only halfway or so, in order to promote quick cooking - hence the piece looking a bit like a butterfly in shape. Am I wrong about that?No, I think you're spot on. I guess the kind of cut to which you're referring would be a butterfly cut that continues until there two, separated halves, right? In other words, you lay the breast flat, put your hand on top of it (palm side down), and with your knife parallel to the cutting board slice the breast in half.

[romansperson]

No, I think you're spot on. I guess the kind of cut to which you're referring would be a butterfly cut that continues until there two, separated halves, right? In other words, you lay the breast flat, put your hand on top of it (palm side down), and with your knife parallel to the cutting board slice the breast in half.

Yes, this is what I mean. If the breast was perfectly round like a penny, for instance, you'd end up with two thinner rounds, not two semi-circles (which is what I think a lot of people would do if you just say 'cut the breasts in half'). I've got to wonder if there's a particular term for this, since you are cutting all the way through - scalloping, maybe?

[UrbanChic]

Look here (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_dm_meat_poultry/article/0,1904,FOOD_19002_2370613,00.html), fourth photo down. Is this what you're doing, except continuing the cut until you have two halves?

[UrbanChic]

I don't know if "scallop" cuts it. When I think scalloping, I think cutting the meat into even slices and, to carry it further, fanning the slices slightly (if cutting a finished product). My knife is either perpendicular or at a forty-five degree angle to my cutting surface. Also, I think of the finished product of something I've scalloped as disks. So I would scallop, say, a pork ternderloin. I'm sure that's not the meaning of the term, but I don't think it's what you're looking for, either.

What you're doing is flaying it, almost, except there's no skin involved.

[romansperson]

Look here (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_dm_meat_poultry/article/0,1904,FOOD_19002_2370613,00.html), fourth photo down. Is this what you're doing, except continuing the cut until you have two halves?

Yes, that's it, except cutting it all the way through. That site says the finished product is called a paillard or scallopine. Maybe I can use that in some way ...

I've been trying to explain this to my friend - I'm thinking it'll just be easier to tell her to buy the thin-cut breasts instead of the whole ones!

[UrbanChic]

That's interesting. I always thought a scallopine was produced by pounding a small cut of meat thin.

[Exapno Mapcase]

My impression has always been the same as yours, UrbanChic. Butterflying, not scallopine, is exactly the right term. Any restaurant would know what you meant if you asked for, say, a butterflied filet.

And freezing yogurt doesn't make frozen yogurt any more than freezing milk makes ice cream.

I wouldn't freeze yogurt. I haven't tried it, but I'll bet that the fluid portion would differentially freeze out of it and be very difficult to properly stir back in.

[Shalmanese]

Another vote for "buttterfly". Long ago when I spent some time cooking for a living, I had someone order the filet mignon butterflied Pittsburgh rare (cut butterfly fashion, then seared quickly over high heat, leaving the inside very rare). Things like that make chefs cry.

As for the yogurt, why not slice up some strawberries and make a nice desert?

Why would this make a chef cry? It seems like a much more reasonable request than "Filet mignon, grilled to a crisp"

[MLS]

I've enjoyed ordinary commercial yogurt that has been frozen. We used to do this for kids who were taking lunch to school and would not have a place to refrigerate it. By lunchtime it would be just about thawed out, and it was like having ice cream for lunch. If it's the kind that has fruit preserves or whatever on the bottom, you do have to stir it up before you freeze it, though.

If the container is really large, what I'd do is separate it into portion sizes that you'd be likely to use, and put the portions into individual freezer bags. Just be sure to have as little air as you can manage in each baggie.

[romansperson]

I've enjoyed ordinary commercial yogurt that has been frozen. We used to do this for kids who were taking lunch to school and would not have a place to refrigerate it. By lunchtime it would be just about thawed out, and it was like having ice cream for lunch. If it's the kind that has fruit preserves or whatever on the bottom, you do have to stir it up before you freeze it, though.

If the container is really large, what I'd do is separate it into portion sizes that you'd be likely to use, and put the portions into individual freezer bags. Just be sure to have as little air as you can manage in each baggie.

No fruit - it's just plain yogurt that I needed for my recipe. I think I'll try an experiment and take a small portion, as you say, and freeze/thaw it. If it works out, then I'll portion out the rest and freeze it all. If it doesn't work, then the dog gets what's left in the fridge :).

[zuma]

I once froze a container of yoplait to see if it would end up as something resembling "frozen yogurt". It didn't. I recall I had to let it thaw a bit, and at that point the consistency was way off... too many ice crystals, etc.

I let it fully thaw, and stirred it up, at which point it was pretty much the same consistency of regular yogurt. I don't think it'll destroy it to freeze and fully thaw, but you won't get "frozen yogurt" just by throwing it in the freezer.

When I was talking with a friend about my little experiment, she told me that it would actually work if you used the yoplait whipped version. Haven't tried it yet though.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

I'd think that the term you could use would be fillet, and yes, yogurt does freeze ok, my dad used to make it, and freeze the excess. As other's have noted, just be sure you have all the air out, and I'm not sure how long it remains "good" when frozen. I dislike yogurt though. I can't eat it, I've tried because I didn't want to hurt dad's feelings, but it tastes like vomit to me.

[vetbridge]

Why would this make a chef cry? It seems like a much more reasonable request than "Filet mignon, grilled to a crisp"

To butterfly cut a nice, thick filet kinda defeats the purpose.

[MrDibble]

I'd think that the term you could use would be fillet
No it wouldn't, "fillet" as verb means to cut out all the bones.

Another vote here for "butterfly". Failing that, if we need to come up with a new term, since the cut pieces are mirror halves, i vote for "Rorschach", I can see it now: "I Rorschached some duck breasts and sauteed them with butter and truffle oil"

[jsgoddess]

I would call those pieces of chicken "chicken breast cutlets."

If you were to have a whole chicken in front of you and you sliced down the breast, what you'd end up with is a cutlet. Starting from a whole or half breast shouldn't matter. A breast cutlet is a slice of chicken breast.

[UrbanChic]

Well, yes. But the question isn't what to call the result of such a cut, but rather what to call the cut itself.

[jsgoddess]

Halving the breasts horizontally into cutlets.

[badbadrubberpiggy]

I've also tried to freeze yogurt, and didn't like the results. It was very hard (not at all like ice cream or commercial frozen yogurt). It also had ice crystals. The amount of fat in the yogurt probably makes a difference, as well. The one I froze was either low or non-fat. I would think a full-fat yogurt would freeze a little better.

[Uvula Donor]

The technique you are describing is called "butterflying". Although usually one would stop cutting before going all the way through, it's still a butterfly cut.

Here's a demo from Food Network. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_dm_intermediate/article/0,1971,FOOD_9800_2370613,00.html)

[romansperson]

I'd think that the term you could use would be fillet, and yes, yogurt does freeze ok, my dad used to make it, and freeze the excess. As other's have noted, just be sure you have all the air out, and I'm not sure how long it remains "good" when frozen. I dislike yogurt though. I can't eat it, I've tried because I didn't want to hurt dad's feelings, but it tastes like vomit to me.

Zabali, your comment gives me hope. I make my own yogurt sometimes too, so I took one of my glass yogurt cups, filled it up, and stuck in the the freezer last night. I'll let it thaw in the fridge tonight and see what happens. If it thaws out OK and still tastes OK, I'll put what I have left in the freezer.

Even if you don't like yogurt, you might like the recipe I make that calls for it - you mix up yogurt and cornstrach with fresh basil, put it over the chicken, dust with parmesan and bread crumbs, and bake. It doesn't taste 'yogurty,' but the yogurt does add a certain tang to it that's really good and compliments the basil and parmesan really well.

Skinless chicken breasts are, by themselves, bland and tough, and this recipe actually makes them good without adding a lot of extra fat and calories.

As for cutting the chicken:

Well, yes. But the question isn't what to call the result of such a cut, but rather what to call the cut itself.

Yep, this is the problem. Butterflying is close, for sure, but with true butterflying you don't cut all the way through, and while that wouldn't be a disaster or anything, with this recipe you do want your yogurt and other ingredients to completely coat the entire top surface of your chicken, so splitting them competely is ideal. There just seems to be no exact wording for it that I can find - and even if it exists, I'd guess the majority if people wouldn't know what it meant. If even the Dopers can't come up with it, then it'd certainly be much too obscure to be useful.

Just last night I was watching an episode of Molto Mario where he took a thick piece of swordfish steak and cut it into several thinner slices. I went to the Food TV web site to look up the recipe, hoping my elusive word would be listed there - it was not! The recipe said "Have your fish monger cut the steak up into thinner slices." Cheaters. So maybe an exact verb for this just does not exist.

Failing that, if we need to come up with a new term, since the cut pieces are mirror halves, i vote for "Rorschach", I can see it now: "I Rorschached some duck breasts and sauteed them with butter and truffle oil"

Good start!

[ShibbOleth]

Q: Can yogurt be frozen?
A: Yes, we call it "frogurt", but beware, it carries a terrible curse!

[Smeghead]

Q: Can yogurt be frozen?
A: Yes, we call it "frogurt", but beware, it carries a terrible curse!
That's bad!!


There was an episode of Good Eats once where AB made homemade yogurt, then froze it in an ice cream machine to make frozen yogurt. So, yes, you can make frozen yogurt from regular old yogurt - you just have to do it in an ice cream machine. You'd probably need to add stuff to make it taste good, though.

[jacquilynne]

I've frozen yogurt in the past. If you want to unfreeze it and use it in your recipe, or something else that involves mixing it in very well, and then cooking it it's fine. I wouldn't just eat it as yogurt, though, as the texture does change.

[romansperson]

SUCCESS!!

It works! I stuck a cup of it in the freezer Tuesday and then took it out yesterday and let it thaw. It's fine! Yay!

One thing I decided to do is put plastic wrap directly on the top of it, like you do with pudding when you don't want 'skin' on it. That seems to keep ice crystals from forming on the top.

So yes, you can freeze it, thaw it and use it again.