I use a kit from New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. Basically, you take milk, heat it up, add some rennet and citric acid. That makes it curdle - splits into curds and whey. You heat the curds, and it becomes stretchy. You stretch it until it’s shiny - it’s kind of like what you see candy makers doing sometimes. You add salt, and eat it.
Really fresh mozzarella cheese is amazing. It’s worth doing at least once or twice, so you can understand what it’s supposed to taste like.
Making Tofu is even easier, from what I’ve read. Use soy milk instead of cow or buffalo milk. You don’t do the second heating or the stretching. Instead, you take the curds, put them in a cheese cloth, and put it in a tofu box. The box basically is a mold that lets you put weight on it and drain out extra whey. You leave it for a while, and presto! Tofu!
Some people find making stuff like this easy - it’s just following some simple directions. Some people always find a way to have something go wrong..or are forgetful and leave something out for three days. Happily, I’m normally on the easy side of these recipes.
-D/a
I’m now officially a milk maker! Want to see my badge?
Ok. I made my first batch just now. I forgot I was going to do it today…so I didn’t soak the beans until early afternoon - I only let them go for 6 hours, but they definitely swelled a good bit.
I’ll see how I like it in the morning, when I have my cereal.
VOW, I didn’t have any Mexican chocolate handy…but I used some chocolate syrup and it was pretty tasty. I’m actually not a huge chocolate person, but I can see doing a mug of hot chocolate as a treat when I make a fresh batch of milk. And a little chocolate is good for you, right?
-D/a
Next time you go to the grocery store, pick up a package of Mexican chocolate. I think I used 1-1/2 to 2 “cakes” of it per batch of soymilk.
When you first open the soymilk maker after it finishes processing, the top of the milk is covered with a beautiful froth. By adding the Mexican chocolate, you are mimicking the way the chocolate is whipped to produce a fragrant, flavorful froth.
A cup of that good stuff at bedtime and you sleep like a baby!
~VOW
That’s a really interesting idea…I think I have some coffee beans in the freezer. I tend to grind my beans at the store to get a coarse grind for my French Press…but I keep whole beans for visitors when I have to make a whole pot. It’s something to play with.
I used the milk this morning. It does have a little egg smell, but I kept it without any flavoring. With a little vanilla, and maybe some sugar or honey, it’ll be perfect for my cereal.
FYI…I’m making my second batch of soy milk right now. And I’m going to use some of the okara!
I’m going to make my no-pasta lasagna, since I have to watch my blood sugar levels. (Use deli chicken breast…the texture and taste work amazingly well.) So I’m going to throw some of the okara in with the cheese. I think it’ll just blend in. Not that I need MORE protein in the dish, but it seems like a good way to add nutrition and eliminate a little waste.
That’s the real reason I posted, VOW..to remind you that you have a machine and should use it.
Seriously..the consistency is so close to ricotta..I expect it to be just like you said - I won’t notice it. Which means I can buy less ricotta and not have to waste the okara. Win!
I don’t eat many muffins or breads..see blood sugar above..but I do bake muffins for other people sometimes. What they don’t know won’t hurt them, right?
-D/a
Try using different whole grain flours in your muffins. Use applesauce for the oil, and reduce the amount of sugar, but increase the spices. And add the okara. The end product will be MUCH friendlier to your blood sugar than the typical muffin monstrosities you’ll find a Starbucks, et al.
Pumpkin muffins are brilliant and healthy. Add currants–they are so tiny, you can use half as much as you would raisins, but they distribute throughout the batter!
I almost wish that I did home testing for my blood sugar, so I could see the impact. I know I can make stuff “healthier”…but can I make them “healthy?” Or am I still better off not eating the muffins? Not that I only eat things that are good for me…
But that’s a very different thread.
As predicted, I can’t even tell the okara is in the lasagna. Just what I was looking for…a way to use it without waste. Gotta love it…
-D/a
Read up on the Glycemic Index of foods. Once you understand the concept, you can do food combinations that can lower the GI of dishes, and thus minimize the impact on your blood sugar.
And yeah, get a glucometer. If your doctor has diagnosed you with “pre-Diabetes,” your insurance may cover the test strips.
~VOW
And if you get the “store brand” glucometer and strips, the cost is even less; for instance, Walmart’s Reli-on is a rebranded Abbott Precision Xtra – the meters are the same, bar the name on the top, and the strips are significantly cheaper for the Walmart brand than the name brand.
We’re straying off topic…but I guess it’s ok since it’s my OP.
I’ve read that home glucose meters are inaccurate enough that it’s difficult to really do systematic comparisons on what a given meal does to you. But if that isn’t true, I think I’d like to get into it. Really understand what my various snacks are doing to me. See what happens with whole wheat pasta. Stuff like that.
I should chat with my doc a bit at my next regularly scheduled blood test.
I seem to remember that one of my Dad’s friends had a bucket of tester equipment, because companies keep sending him free units. Hmm.
-D/a
Given that insulin dependent diabetics dose their insulin off of them, I’d say they’re pretty reasonable.
Officially, home glucose meters in the USA have a FDA-approved tolerance of 20%. However, that being said, there are ways to approximately calibrate them, either by using control solutions and seeing where you are with respect to the stated ranges, or by comparing against glucose results from whole blood tests. Many people find that certain brands work better with their blood chemistry than others; for instance, I find that the Freestyle strips as used with my insulin pump are consistently within 5% of lab results (and associated uncertainties), whilst the Precision Xtra (and Reli-On) strips always read 20-30 mg/dl higher for me (I take both meters with me to the doc’s office, and ask the phlebotomy to let me use some blood from the vein before they stop the blood flow). Both are within acceptable ranges, but for me, and my blood chemistry, one works better than the other. YMMV of course.
