getting whey from Greek yogurt?

Hi all,

Brand new to fermentation (at least the deliberate kind)!

I'm reading Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" and she indicates that you can strain whey from yogurt... but I know the book was written before Greek yogurt became popular AND that Greek yogurt has most of the whey strained out of it.

Is anyone here using Greek yogurt regularly as a whey source?

I should add that it's hard to get plain yogurt of any sort where I am right now (Chile).

Before greek yogurt came out or before I heard of it, I read that you could get whey from plain yogurt.

I tried straining it though I thought the results were not worth it.  Maybe it would work better with homemade yogurt or a larger quantity than I used.

It's the whey you are after, right?

In that case you can use one of the many recipes of making cheese without rennet (like Indian Paneer cheese). You will get a little bit of cheese and a lot of whey from one litre of milk, using e.g. lemon juice.

I make my own yoghurt and the other day I did strain a bit (with the help of a coffee filter) to make a dip with a little bit more texture (less runny) than plain homemade yoghurt.
I can't even remember what I made with the little whey that I got, I usually use it for bread baking.

But even with Greek yoghurt you should be able to obtain some whey. You will need larger quantities and some patience.
Or you might consider making your own yoghurt for a steady supply of inexpensive, healthy yoghurt plus whey.

I think the cheesemaking idea is best. Greek yogurt not only has most of the whey gone but also (generally) things added to firm it up.
I make my yogurt and occasionally strain it to get greek yogurt, I can start with 2 liters of milk and get 1 liter of whey out. (not sure how much whey you need!!) making paneer or even cottage cheese (if you can get rennet) should get you some whey.
I am amazed that there is some place even farther behind me in terms of availability of plain yogurt or yogurt starter! (waves hi from the northeast of you in southern Brazil-- we had no plain unsweetened yogurt or dry yogurt starter til just a few years ago, but at least now I can get it if I run out of my fancy smuggled starter).

Thank you all for the detailed responses!

I should have mentioned that all of the milk here is ultra-pasteurized, which probably puts the kabosh on whey-making ... or does it?

I'm so glad you asked!! That is what I can get, and I thought the same thing for a long time. Then I decided to get some freeze dried starter and fool around, and it works. The key seems to be heating it up past 170 or 175F before starting (and if you're using a yogurt that needs to be kept warm, keeping it warm). People say it is impossible, but my yogurt works just fine, and I've tried a bunch of different starters.
Things like cottage cheese and other cheeses I have not had luck with, but I'm also not a cheese fan, so I haven't tried too hard.

Go on line and search for the Cheese Queen. She sells a Yogotherm. It's worth every penny. ($50.00 I think) You can buy the culture from her too. Well pretty much all cheese making supplies.  After my yogurt is ready I hang it in Butter Muslin over a bowl. The yogurt gets thicker and you have the whey. The whey is different depending on the culture you're using. The whey from Mozz is sweet. The tangier I use in stews. Just be sure to use milk that has not been ultra pasteurized. Raw is best if you can get it. You can heat it to 90' and hold it there for 30 minutes to kill any unwanted bacteria.