I did it, I actually bought this awesome strainer, expensive as all get out, but thanks to all of you who click on my Blogher Ads in the right sidebar, I used my mad money from Blogher, so it wasn't spendy at all. I can justify ANYTHING, just ask my family.
My kids tell me that I'm obsessive, that I get something in my head and I want it right now. Okay, so they're right, I can't argue with them when they're right. But I'm old(er) now, I have to do things right away, who knows what tomorrow will bring.
And why on earth do I need this strainer? I'm sure you are all fascinated by it, after all "enquiring minds want to know." Yeah, umhmmmm, sure you do! Well, let me tell you anyway, it's all about yogurt this month.
I have been whipping up the most delectable, dreamy, yummy tasting yogurt that you have ever put in your mouth! But I make Greek Yogurt, not regular yogurt and that requires straining off the whey. There are many ways of straining it, you can strain it through cheesecloth, an old t-shirt, or a kitchen towel, which all seem a little "wrong" to me, after all you do wash those things in detergent, and I have no desire to have soapy suds in my yogurt. So I use two layers of paper towel in this big colander I have that goes across my entire sink as I'm straining a half a gallon at a time, so the strainer has to be large.
And does this work? Yes, it works, but it takes a few hours to strain so that makes my sink unusable, sometimes the paper towel rips, and it's hard to separate the yogurt from the towel, and I usually end up with it all over moi and the countertop, and yes, dear hearts, even the floor. But you just can't use a regular strainer to strain the whey because the yogurt goes through the little holes. You have to have a chinois, aka bouillon strainer, with really fine mesh. I've researched this extensively trying to find a cheaper one, but the cheaper ones just don't work as well.
So I took a deep breath and paid $79, yes SEVENTY-NINE DOLLARS for this strainer and that’s cheap, most sites charge in excess of a hundred dollars for this same Mafter model. And do I feel guilty? Oh heck no, not a bit, after all Blogher paid for the darned thing. And I did get it on my Amazon Prime, no tax, no shipping, so it's winging it's way to Heavensville tomorrow.
I'm a diehard yogurt maker, though, I make it several times a week, and it's so much better than what you buy in the store. And since I'm doing low-carb right now in yet another futile attempt to deflate this seriously puffy body, I'm making it with whole milk, which makes it creamy and absolutely divine. Divine ladies, seriously! I made it often last fall with great success and then every batch started failing and I couldn’t figure out why. It was so defeating that I quit making it for awhile. I’ve since learned that I had a defective thermometer for testing the temperature. A good thermometer is a must have if you make yogurt. I bought a new thermometer, and voila, I’m back in the yogurt making business.
Didn't you want to know all of this, you? Of course not, but I'm just so excited!!!!!
If you're really interested in yogurt making, watch the following video from my friend Paula, at Salad-In-A-Jar, which yes I still love, but that's a whole other blog. Paula is the one who got me started with making yogurt. I also purchased a YoGourmet Yogurt Maker from last month's Blogher check, there I go, justifying my purchases again. ;o)
Now I'm telling Paula how wonderful my Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker is. I like to share the love, people, you all know that.
Watch Paula as she explains perfectly how to make this yogurt, I do it exactly the way she does, except now I incubate mine in my YoGourmet instead of the oven. And yes, she has a Mafter Strainer, too. Brilliant minds think alike after all 
If you’re interested in either of these products, here are the links:
Mafter 17360 Exoglass Boullion Strainer
YoGourmet Electric Yogurt Maker
Note: I do find that using my YoGourmet takes a longer incubation than it does using Paula’s oven method. Instead of incubating it for 6 hours, I incubate mine for 10-12 hours, and it makes perfect yogurt. I really like my YoGoumet because it surrounds the milk mixture with a water bath, and you don’t have to monitor the temperature. I also don’t use metal utensils, I use a plastic measuring spoon and spoon the yogurt culture into a small bowl, pour in a cup of the milk that has cooled to 110 degrees and whisk it with my silicone whisk, then I pour the mixture in with the rest of the milk and stir well. I prefer doing this to make sure that the live cultures get distributed evenly throughout the milk.
After you strain it you’re left with approximately two pints of Greek Yogurt. I know, you’re thinking, jeez this is lot of work, I’ll just buy mine at the store, but trust me there is no comparison, homemade is so fresh, so much better, it’s unreal. And it isn’t hard once you do it a few times, it’s a piece of cake! A walk in the park! I could make it in my sleep and sometimes do ;o) It’s indescribably delicious, pinky swear it is…
And thrifty me saves the whey to water my plants. And, I might add, that a pint container of Fage Greek Yogurt is $5.00 in the grocery store, I buy a gallon of whole milk at Aldi’s for $1.49, and that makes four pints of Greek Yogurt. Do the math, I make $20 worth of yogurt for $1.49. Hmmmm, at those prices you might be rethinking making your own, too. 
~ Jan doin’ the happy dance…
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