how do you fix curdled yogurt

by

Sneak Preview: If your yogurt didn’t set, don’t throw your milk out yet! I’ll show you what to do next. Then, we’ll talk about what may have gone wrong so that your next batch will be successful.

Have you just discovered your yogurt project still looks like milk? So now you’re asking yourself what to do next.

I can’t count how often I get desperate emails seeking to recover and make good yogurt from the same batch of milk or recycle the non-yogurt milk into something entirely different.

Starch and fat reduce the chance of the clumping of the solids in the yogurt thus lessening the chance of curdling. Once curdled it is hard to fix. However, whisking the sauce to beat up the curds, add some cream and flour can effectively hide the curdle and get it to the point of being acceptable.
how do you fix curdled yogurt

Well, I did get more milk, to continue the yogurt experimentation, and made yogurt again over the weekend. A gallon of it.

It works! The texture is still slightly funky, but I’m not sure if that’s due to remaking it, or because the unnamed kidlet turned the heat up to 155 degrees again. (Arrggh!) Apparently I caught it quickly enough this time, because we still essentially have yogurt, and this is definitely better than the weird, sweetened milk I had last night.

I was totally at a loss as to why it didn’t set up, as I’d done everything the same as the last two times. Or so I thought. Well, when I moved on to the next stage of my experiment, I discovered the reason for the failure. Someone, who shall remain nameless, turned the dehydrator up to 155 degrees while it was incubating the yogurt. Sheesh.

Summary: You may be able to rescue your failed yogurt! Sometimes a yogurt failure can be redeemed by “rebatching.”

Nobody likes to throw away food — and certainly not raw milk, which is not alway easy to obtain in the first place — so I decided to try a page out of soapmakers’ book, and see if I could “rebatch” it. I whisked each jar of (failed) “yogurt” with new starter, and attempted to incubate it again. The hope was that this would rescue it. I hoped so, ’cause that’s a lot of milk!

Should I add a new starter?

Yes, especially if you suspect the original starter was the cause of your failure. Make sure the new starter is fresh and contains no additives.

Yogurt Making 101 – Problem solving

FAQ

How do you fix lumpy yogurt?

Sometimes overculturing (too long or too warm) can cause the yogurt to curdle or become lumpy before it separates fully. To make a smooth consistency, simply whisk it. (Remove some of the whey if you like, or stir it back in.)

What can I do with failed yogurt?

A plain cup of yogurt, one that specifically reads as having live, active cultures, can be added to the failed yogurt as a way of reviving the cultures and making for a wonderfully thick and sour yogurt.

Is curdled yogurt still good?

Germs that cause food poisoning don’t always cause off-flavors or smells, but if yogurt has a curdled texture or rancid smell, it’s best to be safe and throw it out. It likely wouldn’t have been enjoyable to eat anyway.

What can I do with separated yogurt?

So what—if anything—should you do about it? Since the whey came from the yogurt, the easiest thing to do is just stir it back in, Sauceda says.

Related posts:

  1. is it easy to get a barback job
  2. what happens if you pick watermelon too early
  3. is white zinfandel wine fattening
  4. are barmen allowed to drink

Leave a Comment