Why “do it yourself”? Once you begin changing your diet and reading nutrition labels, you’ll start to notice everything that’s been added to store-bought foods: hidden sugars and chemical additives galore. You’ll also realize that constantly buying prepared foods is much harder on your wallet than preparing food at home.
We have found that our readers begin preparing their own food products for three main reasons: cost effectiveness, a desire for products not currently available, and an intention to replace currently available foods that use questionable or low-quality ingredients. Adding simple homemade items to your diet can help your budget as much as it does your health. At first glance, a can of beans seems like an inexpensive choice, but when you compare it to the price of dried beans, you’ll realize you can save so much money by simply cooking the beans at home. The resulting dish is also tastier and more satisfying.
Gluten-free foods and vegetarian substitutes, such as seitan, vegan cheeses, and sour cream, are often only available with poor-quality, high-glycemic-index ingredients and additives. To get the full benefit from these products, they are best made at home so that you can be sure of what is and is not in your food.
With a little planning, doing it yourself can be quick and easy. You’ll end up with a less-expensive, higher-quality food that tastes even better than store-bought. We’ll show you how to make your own Greek yogurt, nut butters, bone broth, cold-brewed coffee, pickles, quick seitan, and beans, as well as some simple and inexpensive spa treatments.
Making your own yogurt is simple and much less expensive than buying it. It also allows you to control the quality and ensure that you are getting the full-fat unsweetened version, which can be hard to find.
• 1 gallon whole milk
• ¼ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt, to use as a starter
Step 1: Boil the milk.
Heat the milk in a large pot over medium heat until it starts to boil. Turn off the heat. (Note: In an effort to save time, we have occasionally skipped this step, but the resulting yogurt has a slightly slimy texture.)
Step 2: Pour the milk into jars.
Distribute the boiling milk evenly among four quart-size glass canning jars. (This serves the dual purpose of sanitizing the jars as you make the yogurt.)
Step 3: Cool the milk to 115°F.
Either let the jars cool naturally by setting them aside, or speed up the process by immersing the jars into a large pot or Dutch oven filled with ice water. Stir or whisk the milk inside the jars to cool. Measure the temperature using an instant-read thermometer (available at kitchen stores).
Step 4: Add the starter.
Once the milk has cooled to about 115°F, whisk 1 tablespoon of the Greek yogurt into each jar to start the fermentation process. Cover the jars loosely with their lids.
Step 5: Ferment the milk.
Place a large pot or Dutch oven on the counter and arrange the jars in it. (Use two pots if not all the jars fit.) Fill a kettle with hot tap water and pour the water into the pot around the outside of the jars to within 2 to 3 inches from the top of the jars.
Leave the pot on the counter for 8 to 10 hours. The hot tap water will slowly cool down, but will be enough to keep the yogurt at the right temperature for fermentation. (In colder climates, place the pot in the oven with the oven off.)
Remove the jars and strain (see step 6) or refrigerate until you have time. No transferring or dishwashing needed.
Step 6: Strain the yogurt.
Place a flour sack cloth, muslin cloth, or unbleached coffee filter inside a large mesh strainer or colander. Set the strainer over a large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the cloth or coffee filter and let it drain for an hour or two, stirring occasionally to redistribute the whey and facilitate drainage. Strain to the desired consistency; the more whey that drains, the thicker the yogurt will be.
Step 7: Store the yogurt.
Transfer the yogurt to clean containers or jars, or back to the original jar if you strained it immediately rather than refrigerating it; set the drained whey aside. Place the lids on the jars and store in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.
Step 8: Store the whey.
Store the whey in clean jars (you should have 1½ to 2 quarts whey). Here are a few suggestions for using whey:
• Add a few tablespoons or more as a starter to the brine when making quick pickles.
• Use ½ to 1 cup as a hair conditioner after shampooing.
• Add ½ cup or more in place of water in soups or other recipes to add depth of flavor.
The flavor of the yogurt will be affected by:
• Time—The longer it ferments, the more sour the taste.
• Type of Starter—Different commercial and homemade yogurts have different strains of probiotics. Choose a yogurt starter with a taste profile that you like, and feel free to experiment.
• Initial Heat—Using unboiled milk will produce a less thickly set yogurt.
Why buy expensive nut butters when whole nuts cost less and automatically come sugar-free and without additives? Once you see how easy it is to make your own, you’ll never go back to store-bought.
Step 1: Choose the nuts and any additions.
Keep in mind that however many nuts you begin with, you will end up with about half that amount in nut butter (i.e., 2 cups nuts = 1 cup nut butter). Make a simple single-nut butter or combine different types of nuts together. Combining stronger-tasting or drier nuts like almonds or hazelnuts with oily, neutral-tasting nuts like cashews creates a smoother, creamier product.
Get creative with additions as well. For example, include cocoa powder, unsweetened coconut flakes or coconut oil, spices, fresh or unsweetened dried fruit, citrus zest, or small amounts of honey or maple syrup.
Step 2: Roast the nuts, if necessary.
Oily nuts like macadamia, cashew, or Brazil nuts can be used raw. Pecans, walnuts, and seeds should be roasted to take full advantage of their flavors. Almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts can be roasted or used raw—we prefer to lightly roast these to bring out their natural flavors.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spread the nuts or seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until fragrant, 5 to 12 minutes. (Although buying preroasted nuts might save time, the taste of freshly roasted nuts is worth the little extra effort involved!) Seeds or lightly roasted nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, or peanuts will need only 5 to 8 minutes to become fragrant. Larger nuts like pecans, walnuts, or almonds will require 8 to 12 minutes. Let your nose be your guide. Once the nuts start to smell nutty, they’re done. Take them out immediately, as perfectly roasted nuts become bitter quickly when overcooked.
Step 3: Process the nuts.
Place the nuts and any additions in a food processor. (If processing a small amount and including a watery ingredient like fresh fruit, put the nuts and additions in a jar and blend with an immersion blender, or use a high-powered blender.) Process the nuts, scraping the sides of the bowl regularly until the nuts reach the desired consistency. This process involves a few stages. Be patient. First the nuts will break down into coarse pieces. Then the pieces will begin to stick together. Finally the nuts will release their natural oils, becoming the creamy finished product!
Oily nuts like macadamia, cashews, and Brazil nuts will take less time to break down than drier nuts. Almonds and hazelnuts require the longest amount of time, 5 minutes or more. Walnuts and pecans will take an intermediate amount of time to break down into nut butter.
Transfer the nut butter to a glass jar with a lid. If you add fresh fruits as we did in the Pear Cinnamon Cashew Butter here, the final product should be stored in the refrigerator. Otherwise, store the nut butter at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Some of our favorite combinations include Walnut Pecan Butter or Honey Peanut Butter. We’ve also put together a couple of specialty nut butter recipes for you to try.