Yogurt Strainer

Yogurt Strainer

What’s a Bouillon Strainer?

Bouillon strainers (or Chinois) are simply any cone shaped strainer with very fine metal mesh. They are traditionally used to strain sauces and soups to produce a smooth texture. This fine stainless steel mesh also makes them a great choice for your yogurt strainer. To see more uses for the Chinois check out the Wiki page here.

The Matfer Exoglass Bouillon Strainer

Matfer is a French cookware company that’s been serving the US for over 25 years. Generally speaking, its products are among the higher end cookware. Most offerings are field tested in commercial kitchens before hitting the market. As a result they are very durable, easy to clean, and ergonomic products. The Matfer Exoglass Bouillon Strainer

is no exception receiving high customer ratings on Amazon.

Construction

Their Exoglass composite material (any part of the strainer that’s black) goes around the rim of the cone and extends over the handle. This material is durable, temperature stable up to 430 degrees F, and easy to clean. The cone-shaped wire mesh is constructed of food grade stainless steel. This stainless steel wire mesh is sealed into the Exoglass material around the rim of the strainer.

Note: Other brands use a different method for securing the mesh to the strainer. The mesh is made into a cone shape. A metal loop is placed on the inside of this cone near the rim. A second metal loop is placed on the outside of the cone near the rim. These two loops are then clamped together, securely holding the mesh in place. This allows for bacteria to become trapped between the metal pieces which isn’t ideal for a yogurt strainer.

The Matfer strainer also has two cross wires that follow the contour of the mesh. This helps protect the mesh when setting the strainer on its side or storing it with other cookware.

How to Use as a Yogurt Strainer

Support the strainer so that it’s elevated of above your kitchen counter. This can be done by setting the strainer in a deep cooking pot. The strainer has two hooks that can rest on the rim of the pot. Another option is to buy the Matfer strainer stand which has a wire loop the strainer can sit in. And a third option is to place the strainer in a large water pitcher letting the cross wires rest against the rim of the water pitcher.

After the yogurt has cultured, gently place the yogurt in the strainer using a ladle. Try to put each scoop of yogurt directly on top of the previous scoop rather than letting is slide down the side of the strainer. The less you disturb the yogurt, the faster it will stain. The liquid whey will drain out, leaving the coagulated milk proteins behind. To get your desired thickness, you can either time the straining or measure the volume of whey that’s released.

PS, check out our Greek page if you’re interested in making Greek yogurt!

Original article and pictures take www.yogurtstartercultures.com site