# Cooking with Yogurt: Question for the chefs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 2, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435 "2015-11-02T17:34:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/1 "2015-11-02T17:34:00Z")
A friend was admitted to the hospital and I offered late yesterday afternoon to make a casserole for her family. I had plenty of stuff on hand so didn’t go to the store. I boiled some pasta, made a meat sauce, and set about doing something about a cheese layer. I thought I had ricotta or cottage cheese: nope. So I improvised using yogurt. This is my own yogurt, strained and very thick. About one cup. I added two eggs, a bunch of parmesian, spices, herbs. Then a big handful of shredded mozzarella. I layered the cheese/yogurt mixture over the noodles then topped with the meat tomoato sauce, then topped with more sprinkled cheese and mozzarella. MY QUESTION IS: Will the cheese mixture set up into a nice fluffy gooey layer, or will it collapse into runny yuck liquid. I hope it’s the former. My instructions to the husband will be to bake an hour at 375. (I also made a loaf of bread, so I hope not all will be lost!) ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/2 "2015-11-02T23:17:15Z")
Wow. Tough crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/3 "2015-11-02T23:24:39Z")
My guess is it will kind of clump up, won’t look so pretty but won’t be terrible. You put enough stuff in it that it won’t separate too badly. Might get a little watery, but you already drained a lot of the water out. I wouldn’t worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/4 "2015-11-02T23:49:18Z")
I think it’ll hold together, and eggs will make it puff up. Yogurt and sour cream don’t get runny in casseroles. I have to dilute my sour cream with buttermilk to make a good _rakott krumpli_, the Hungarian potato/hard-boiled egg dish. I’m bad at science, though. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/5 "2015-11-03T00:53:15Z")
Ohhh, I can answer this definitely. It will stay set. It will be good. A little different than normal, but good. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/6 "2015-11-03T01:10:16Z")
Probably have a quiche like consistency. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/7 "2015-11-03T01:52:15Z")
At least come back and throw bouquets at the ones who responded. [sub]unless their replies were lies and wrong. Then, hit them with brickbats[/sub]. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/8 "2015-11-03T12:34:41Z")
Thank you everyone! I’m too embarrassed to ask the family if it was good for fear of looking as if I am either fishing for compliments or forcing them to lie because it was so awful. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/9 "2015-11-03T12:51:07Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Thank you everyone! I’m too embarrassed to ask the family if it was good for fear of looking as if I am either fishing for compliments or forcing them to lie because it was so awful. Don’t worry. At one time, I made yogurt daily. It works fine, especially when mixed with herbs and the like. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/10 "2015-11-03T13:31:51Z")
Meh, it worked. I’ve done vaguely similar things and the eggs are what saves you. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/11 "2015-11-03T13:38:05Z")
In my experience, strained yogurt can be substituted for ricotta, especially when combined with eggs. As noted above, however, the taste will be slightly different. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/12 "2015-11-03T14:26:36Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Probably have a quiche like consistency. It’ll be a little softer and somewhat more sour, kind of like sour cream ricotta. It’s actually pretty nice, especially with a little spice to offset the sourness. I’ve used yogurt in place of cheese in a lasagna once and it set up quite well, although it took some standing time to do so. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/13 "2015-11-03T14:35:46Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Thank you everyone! I’m too embarrassed to ask the family if it was good for fear of looking as if I am either fishing for compliments or forcing them to lie because it was so awful. I always ask, “Is this a worthwhile addition to the meal rotation, was it a fun diversion from the usual or was it an interesting experiment that we probably never need to do again?” Those options seem to be oblique enough to get around people’s desire to avoid insulting the cook. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-yogurt-question-for-the-chefs/736435/14 "2015-11-04T02:55:29Z")
I’ll probably need to make it for my family so I can taste for myself!