An old family friend had taught my mother a quick, if somewhat messy way, to make “strained” yogurt without a strainer. When my mother would make homemade yogurt, she would lay a clean, folded kitchen towel on top of the yogurt in the bowl before refrigerating it. By next day, the towel was sopping wet, but the yogurt was thick and creamy. Since I rarely make homemade yogurt, this method had faded into the dimmer recesses of my consciousness.

While in Bethany we bought some FAGE (ΦAΓE) Greek strained yogurt at a local grocery store. It is apparently now made in the USA, although not exported to Canada. It was fantastic! The 0% fat version impressed me the most because it was thicker and tastier than any low fat product I had ever bought. Internet research confirmed that there was no place to acquire this godsend back home, so I set about researching how to make my own.

Yogurt aficionados actually rave about Liberty brand yogurt made in Canada (apparently from Vermont milk – strange, eh?). Its always been our favorite, although it too runs to the watery side (pun intended). Further research indicated a number of ways to make strained yogurt at home, most involving cheesecloth and various contortions to tie and twist it into a ball in order to extrude the water in the yogurt. Being a man, and inherently lazy, I managed to find a simpler and less demanding method. Here it is:

• Take a metal fine-mesh strainer – A colander will probably work just as well;
• Line with a cone or basket-type coffee filter;
• Pour in yogurt until just below the top of the filter;
• Suspend strainer in a slightly larger bowl so that the water is free to drip out and collect at the bottom;
• Refrigerate overnight.

Next morning you will have the thickest, tastiest yogurt of your life. It will have reduced in volume by about half, but you will also only need about half the amount to feel satisfied. Drizzle with good honey or berries, or both. Make a fantastic Tzatziki. There are dozens of things you can do with strained yogurt. A few provisos:

Buy the organic yogurt if you can because it usually contains less thickeners and artificial shit. Liberty’s regular yogurt has all kinds of junk, but the organic is just milk and bacteria.

The 0% fat works just as well as the 2% or higher fat content, although the latter will taste a little richer and sweeter.

A great way to boost your calcium intake and get some healthy gut bacteria.