wrote:
> On Jun 19, 1:47 pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
>> I've discovered that the large coffee filters with
>> fluted sides (I don't remember the number) make
>> an excellent lining for my aluminum steamer basket,
>> which greatly simplifies cleaning. Pretty much
>> eliminates the need to clean, except for a quick
>> rinse of the basket.
>>
>> The fluting doesn't matter -- I flatten them out
>> and they become a circle of just the right size.
>> The porous paper allows water to pass through.
>>
>> I was using them frequently to steam Trader Joe's
>> chicken shu mai, but I had to stop eating those
>> for a while.
>
>>
> They're also good to use to cover food when heating in a microwave as
> they hold in any potential spatters. We use them at work all the time
> as we're not furnished with spatter shields.

Thanks for the ideas, I will use them for both applications.

Bob

They're also good for draining yogurt.

Libby

Fred/Libby Barclay wrote:
> They're also good for draining yogurt.
>
> Libby
>

That might work if I made my own, but the little liquid I have on the
top of the commercial brands I buy I just stir back in and consume :-)

Bob

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Bob Muncie wrote:
>> Fred/Libby Barclay wrote:
>>> They're also good for draining yogurt.
>> That might work if I made my own, but the little liquid I have on the
>> top of the commercial brands I buy I just stir back in and consume :-)
>
> You drain yogurt to make yougurt cheese,
> which is a sharp-tasting paste with
> a consistency like cream cheese.

I had heard of that, just didn't occur to me as I've never done it.

Thanks,
Bob

Bob Muncie wrote:
>
> Fred/Libby Barclay wrote:
> > They're also good for draining yogurt.
>
> That might work if I made my own, but the little liquid I have on the
> top of the commercial brands I buy I just stir back in and consume :-)

You drain yogurt to make yougurt cheese,
which is a sharp-tasting paste with
a consistency like cream cheese.

"Fred/Libby Barclay" > wrote in message
...
>
> They're also good for draining yogurt.
>

Draining yogurt?? Why?

"Fred/Libby Barclay" > wrote in message
...
>
> They're also good for draining yogurt.
>
> Libby
>

Never mind.

"cybercat" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Fred/Libby Barclay" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> They're also good for draining yogurt.
>>
>
> Draining yogurt?? Why?
>to make Labneh Makbur


This Middle Eastern "yoghurt cheese" (also known as kefir cheese) is a daily
staple in most Arab households. It is usually eaten with pita bread and
zaatar (see also Manakeesh). The final quality of the labneh is largely
dependent on the yoghurt you start out with, so try to use a good quality
one. Considerable amounts of fat and calories can be cut out by using a low
fat yoghurt but it would probably taste like tofu.

(I can't remember where I got this description bit from but it wasn't
written by me)





1kg thick natural yoghurt (Greek style is best)

2tsp salt

2 clean 50cm square muslin squares

2 fresh bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh oregano

2 cups good quality olive oil (Greek EV of any sort is good)

storage jar with tight-fitting lid.





Put yoghurt in a bowl with the two tsp salt and mix well.

Put the muslin squares on top of each other and put the yoghurt in the
middle (As I have just discovered, I could use filters here)

Gather up the corners and tie off either to themselves or maybe with a piece
of string

Suspend this over a bowl in the fridge – you might have to put the tied bit
through a rack and hang it over a bowl on the next shelf?

Leave it in the fridge for 3 days. Remove the whey that drains out.



Once it is drained, it should have the consistency of ricotta or at least
heading in that direction.



Take it out and place it in a bowl. Chuck the muslin out. (or the coffee
filters!)



Roll tablespoons of it into balls and place on a large-ish tray.



Cover loosely and refrigerate for 3 hours to dry out.



Place the balls in a clean, dry, sterilised jar (about 1 litre capacity)
with the bay leaves, the thyme and oregano sprigs. You can, if you want,
put in two cloves of garlic which have been peeled and squashed flat with
the side of a knife.



Fill the jar with the olive oil. Refrigerate for about a week if you want.
Leave it at least one day for infusion, maybe two.



Traditionally served at breakfast with black olives and olive oil or as an
appetiser. Good on small rounds of crusty bread or as a Marinated Cheese
Ball (see following)



Hoges in WA

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Bob Muncie wrote:
> >
> > Fred/Libby Barclay wrote:
> > > They're also good for draining yogurt.
> >
> > That might work if I made my own, but the little liquid I have on the
> > top of the commercial brands I buy I just stir back in and consume :-)
>
> You drain yogurt to make yougurt cheese,
> which is a sharp-tasting paste with
> a consistency like cream cheese.


My father's side is Lebanese. My grandfather used to put the
yogurt in a cloth and tie it to the faucet, a little bag with the whey
draining out. They call this cream cheese "laban". It's good stuff
with olives and pita bread. The laban can then be taken and used to
make actual cheese, but the procedure is too involved for my impatient
mindset. All my relatives on that side of the family were good cooks
and all of them made their own yogurt. The coffee filters are great
for draining yogurt to make laban. You can do it right in the
fridge. Another great use for coffee filters is making turd art.
Like if you want to take a crap and then mount the turd on a board for
the wall, sometimes it's too wet, so you put it in a coffee filter and
let it drain a few days, then mount it on the board and it's ready for
the modern museum of art.

Tommy Joe