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1
Although the original recipe doesn't call for non-fat yogurt, non-fat works fine.
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2
Some recipes almost demand a little fat to smooth their texture on the tongue.
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3
This can be provided by beating a little bit of mayonnaise or olive oil into the non-fat yogurt cheese.
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4
It's still fat, but at least it's cholesterol free fat.
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5
If you are skinny and don't have to worry about dietary fat, you can use low-fat or whole-milk yogurt, and then you won't have to worry about adding oil.
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6
Bring 2 quarts of yogurt to room temperature, and stir thoroughly to smooth and break up all lumps.
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7
Optionally, you can add 1/2 Tsp salt (original recipe, we usually don't, because we use this for so many different things).
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8
Line a colander with a couple of dampened paper towels or a clean, dampened, loose weave cotton towel.
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Pour yogurt into the colander, cover with another paper towel or plastic wrap.
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Place in the sink, or in a bowl which is small enough to hold the colander away from its bottom.
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11
Let drain for about 8 hours for sour cream consistency or for 24 hours for cream cheese consistency; the longer it drains, the thicker it gets.
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12
If you are a real freak, you can refrigerate the yogurt while it drains, but it's not really necessary.
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13
Yogurt is a living organism; it is cultured in warmth, and it thrives on it (within reason).
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14
Draining will normally reduce the yogurt by about half for sour cream consistency, or by about two-thirds for cream cheese consistency.
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15
We normally go all the way to cream cheese consistency and mix in a little low-fat milk if we need it thinner.
