Cooking with yogurt issue

[Anonymous]

I tried to substitute nonfat yogurt in a cream sauce that calls for crème fraiche. With the original recipe, the crème fraiche is added to ingredients in a hot pan and the creme melts into a sauce. I have made this recipe with crème fraiche many time, no prob.

When I added yogurt the same way, it initially looked exactly like the original recipe. But after I stirred for a few minutes, the yogurt started bubbling and turned the texture of ricotta or scrambled eggs. It went from creamy and milky to crumbly and clumpy in seconds.

What did I do wrong? Can this be prevented?

[Anonymous]

Why would you expect a non-fat ingredient to act the same way as an ingredient that’s 30% fat?

[Anonymous]

You cannot substitute non fat yogurt for creme fraiche while cooking. The creme has a high fat content and melts into sauces while cooking. Nonfat yogurt doesn’t and will curdle. You can only use the nonfat yogurt as a sub if it is used as a garnish/condiment once the recipe is cooked.

[Anonymous]

Never let it bet to boiling. Just low heat to blend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You cannot substitute non fat yogurt for creme fraiche while cooking. The creme has a high fat content and melts into sauces while cooking. Nonfat yogurt doesn’t and will curdle. You can only use the nonfat yogurt as a sub if it is used as a garnish/condiment once the recipe is cooked.

Thank you, I did not know fat was a factor. I thought perhaps what I was seeing was curdling, but I don’t know exactly what that is. I will research this.

[Anonymous]

Yogurt will curdle if you heat it, even if it’s full fat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt will curdle if you heat it, even if it’s full fat.

Really? Why? Nonfat sour cream doesn’t.

[Anonymous]

Indian curries with a yogurt base often have some sort of starch included to prevent the curdling. It might be potatoes in the curry, or gram flour whisked in to bind. The curdling will happen with full fat yogurt too, it's just the way yogurt reacts to heat. Especially with high heat. You can sometimes use yogurt without a binder when you temper it, ie add a small amount of the hot liquid to room temperature yogurt.

[Anonymous]

You might try removing the sauce from heat and then stirring in the yogurt so it doesnt boil and just gently warms into the sauce

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt will curdle if you heat it, even if it’s full fat.

Really? Why? Nonfat sour cream doesn’t.

Ever look at the ingredients list on nonfat sour cream (is that even a thing?) Full of thickening agents and emulsifiers. Yuck.

[Anonymous]

Before you start cooking, make sure you have the right type of yogurt on hand. First things first – make sure that the yogurt you are using isn’t non-fat. If you’re trying to cut calories, this isn’t the way to go.

Non-fat yogurt tends to have a higher protein to fat ratio than yogurts with the full amount of fat. As a result, they are easier to break and curdle when cooked.

Curdling happens when the proteins in the yogurt heat up. When you have fat, however, it protects the proteins from the heat and thus keeps it from curdling. Obviously, a non-fat yogurt isn’t going to be able to do this and you will end up with undesirable results.

Aside from making sure you’re using only full-fat yogurt, you also want to make sure that the yogurt you are using hasn’t been recently taken out of your fridge.

As a matter of fact, the best time to use yogurt to cook is when it has been left sitting out for a bit and is room temperature. Room temperature yogurt won’t curdle as easily as yogurt that has been kept in the fridge.

Those who are especially talented in the kitchen may also want to consider tempering their yogurt. This can be done by adding some of the hot liquid that you’re cooking with into your yogurt…

… Temperature is incredibly important when it comes to cooking with yogurt. If you want specifics, yogurt tends to curdle at about 200 degrees F. Be sure to have your stove on the lowest setting possible so that your yogurt can cook slowly without curdling.

The last thing you want to do is accidentally boil your yogurt, so keep an eye on temperature when cooking to ensure your yogurt doesn’t curdle.

https://www.bakingkneads.com/how-to-cook-yogurt-without-curdling/#:~:text=Curdling%20happens%20when%20the%20proteins%20in%20the%20yogurt%20heat%20up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yogurt will curdle if you heat it, even if it’s full fat.

Really? Why? Nonfat sour cream doesn’t.

Nonfat sour cream is all starches and gums. They shouldn’t be allowed to call it sour cream.