# Fage Yogurt? how to eat this stuff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588 "2012-10-03T15:41:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/21 "2012-10-04T14:11:47Z")
Wasn’t Fage an awful disease in Star Trek where the skin fell off of those who were affected? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/22 "2012-10-04T14:12:47Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > The sidecar is a marketing ploy. I’m also not impressed with Fage – yes, it’s a tad denser than Chobani, but that’s it IMO. I tried Chobani after trying Fage. I see no reason to have Chobani. > [@](#): > > Besides I like to mix my yogurt and fruit/honey/whatever. The denseness of Greek yogurt means that it’ll never meld into something smooth and creamy like Yoplait: You’re always going to have those “ribbons” in there. As I said, that’s the whole point of strained Greek-style yogurt. It’s like a firm custard. That’s exactly why I like it better than Dannon or Yoplait. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/23 "2012-10-04T14:17:59Z")
The manufacturers are rarely the best judges of how to use their own products so stir if you like. It is purely a textural and mouthfeel issue. If you like that sort of thing you can leave it unstirred and have chunks of it with honey. Or, if you are using it as an ingredient for curries and soups or perhaps as a dip then of course stirred is the way to go. The Fage brand is decent enough and well known over here in the UK (though I prefer Lidl’s MASSIVE buckets of the stuff) In any case, for those worrying about shelf life, don’t be. I’ve had pots of it in the fridge for weeks and as long as the lid is on and you give it a quick sniff test you’ll be good to go. I’ve never had refrigerated greek yoghurt go off. Hell it is “off” milk anyway, how much more “off-er” can it get? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/24 "2012-10-04T14:54:31Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > First you scoop Fage some into a bowl and pour some of my homemade cherry “slurry” over top. Pour all you want, I made close to 40 pints this year for this very purpose. Then you eat it by scooping a little of each as you go, until you get tied of that and decide to mix them. What’s that you say, you didn’t make any cherry slurry this year? My heart goes out to you but my family only keeps me around for the slurry so I have none to spare. Shiftless, don’t you recognize me? I’m your long-lost cousin! I will PM you my address so you can mail some of our famous family cherry slurry to me ASAP. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/25 "2012-10-04T15:28:31Z")
Wow, have we found a new “MINE is The Correct Right And Proper Way You Clueless Heathen!!” to argue about? Goody, I was getting bored with toilet paper direction and shoes in the house… Greek yogurt is clumpy and thick. European style yogurt is smooth and thin. (American mass market yogurt is sweet and gelatinous and comes in scary colors.) They’re really related but different foods, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s like saying cheddar is right and swiss is wrong. But yes, if you stir Greek yogurt, you’ll make it more like European yogurt, and then what’s the point of buying Greek yogurt? Unless, of course, what you want is something in between Greek and European yogurt, in which case…stir away. Just know that if you don’t finish it in one sitting, you’re going to come back to lots of separated whey. You haven’t ruined it, just stir it back in, but it looks kinda gross. Yes, Greek yogurt will get even firmer and form visible curds if you let it sit around a long time in the fridge. This is not a bug, it’s a feature. Eventually, you’ll get a lowfat [fresh cheese](http://www.foodsubs.com/Chefresh.html), which you can spread on biscuits and top with fruit preserves or put in cheesecake or omelets or just about anything you’d do with cream cheese. (You can speed this up by giving it a stir and then draining your yogurt in cheesecloth.) ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/26 "2012-10-04T15:37:37Z")
I heard an interesting story on NPR about the Greek yogurt craze and how the knock-off brands are cheating the system. Apparently Fage and Choboni are really Greek-style yogurt but store-brands like Safeway and even Yoplait just add cornstarch or something to replicate the mouth-feel of the Greek-style. Ah, found it: [High-Tech Shortcut To Greek Yogurt Leaves Purists Fuming : The Salt : NPR](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/19/156997600/high-tech-shortcut-to-greek-yogurt-leaves-purists-fuming) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/27 "2012-10-04T15:49:03Z")
If you stir, Willem Dafoe (the Fage ad voiceover guy) comes over to your house and looks at you menacingly. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/28 "2012-10-04T20:01:43Z")
Every time I look up Fage on Sparkpeople it says “Did you mean face?” Yep, I totally had face for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/29 "2012-10-04T20:14:22Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Wasn’t Fage an awful disease in Star Trek where the skin fell off of those who were affected? Yes, but spelled Phage. Which is why I don’t eat it. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/30 "2012-10-04T20:27:08Z")
I thought the title was FaCe yogurt and really thought this was a darker, kinkier thread. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/31 "2012-10-04T20:36:43Z")
“Phage” just means “eat”, which ought to be a perfectly appropriate name for a foodstuff. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/32 "2012-10-04T21:01:33Z")
Actually, “Fage” is not pronounced like “Phage.” ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/33 "2012-10-05T00:02:14Z")
It’s not jumped on the “Greek!” bandwagon, and it’s probably one of the most expensive brands at my local Safeway, but I am LOVING Noosa brand yoghurt. Yes, they even spell it right, since it’s based on an Australian yoghurt culture, but made in the US. It’s almost cheesy flavoured, it’s so rich, and the fruit compotes are very nice, my favourite is the strawberry rhubarb. I wonder if I were to use it as my starter culture, if it would make homemade yoghurt quite as yummy? I don’t really want to mess around with cheesecloth, though. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/34 "2012-10-05T03:00:57Z")
Don’t get the kind that has honey or anything else. Just buy plain Fage yogurt. Insert yogurt into mouth. Repeat. If you don’t finish the container, and fridge the rest, yes it’s OK to stir it. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/35 "2012-10-05T07:49:43Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > I wonder if I were to use it as my starter culture, if it would make homemade yoghurt quite as yummy? I don’t really want to mess around with cheesecloth, though. I think most yoghurts work well as starters. Certainly the Fage stuff does. My method? two pints of full fat milk to just under finger temp. Two big dollops of greek yoghurt and stir. Stick it in a thermos overnight. Tip into a muslin lined sieve to strain off. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/36 "2012-10-05T15:25:49Z")
With the Fage sidecar, rather than scooping it out with a spoon (nigh impossible) I flip it up over the yogurt cup and squeeze the contents out. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/37 "2012-10-05T17:05:36Z")
I am writing down all the brands peole are mentioning and will try some of them. I’ve tried some store brands and the Dannon greek yohurt and they were all bad. Not just not good - bad. We debate Fage vs Chobani in my house. No other kind we’ve tried so far has come close. > [@Acsenray](#): > > Actually, “Fage” is not pronounced like “Phage.” It is in my house. Yes, we know it’s wrong but it’s ingrained in our language now. “WHO ATE ALL THE PHAGE?!!” > [@Ca3799](#): > > Shiftless, don’t you recognize me? I’m your long-lost cousin! I will PM you my address so you can mail some of our famous family cherry slurry to me ASAP. 😛 I would love to oblige but even my sister only got one 8 oz container of cherry goodness. I suggested she might try some homemade peach jam instead and got that tight-lipped glare sisters do sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Deegeea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Deegeea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deegeea)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/38 "2012-10-05T21:04:27Z")
I like Fage best of all the brands of Greek yogurt I’ve tried. I didn’t stir it, but I also didn’t realize you were not supposed to stir it. I only buy the kind without additives so I never saw the side car. I only stir yogurt if it’s got separated (some clear liquid next to the white part) anyway. I like it plain. I usually dip it onto flavored potato or corn chips. I like the 2% best but all %s are good. Other brands (Dannon, Chobani, etc) are not bad, and the store brands I’ve tried have been ok too, but Fage is just better tasting. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/39 "2012-10-06T16:18:40Z")
> [@Gundy](#): > > With the Fage sidecar, rather than scooping it out with a spoon (nigh impossible) I flip it up over the yogurt cup and squeeze the contents out. This how they show it on the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588/40 "2012-10-08T13:54:17Z")
Out of Trader Joe’s greek yogurt, Oikos, Chobana, Voskos, and Fage, I like Fage the best. Perhaps it’s because Fage is the first kind I ever tried and held all others to that standard, but as others said it’s just nicely dense and creamy. I haven’t had any desire to return to the Dannon and Yoplait of my childhood. As others have mentioned, they’ve begun to make their own “greek” yogurt but if you look closely at the ingredients, you’ll see a LOT more than the usual milk and cultures of real greek yogurt. They add in sweeteners and binders such as corn starch and gums. The sidecar to me is a big ripoff. Same amount of money for way less yogurt. Honey is okay but I find that the other fruit jellies are WAY too sweet (and this is coming from a person who loves sweet stuff!) I like to add in my own jelly or, better yet, my own chopped fruit and a little granola. Fage also makes a good substitute for sour cream on things like tacos, potatoes, etc. I have yet to try cooking with it, though. I don’t think it would hold up as well as sour cream. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fage-yogurt-how-to-eat-this-stuff/636588.md?page=3)