Greek Yogurt... the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

Whaa eee aaaaa..... whaaa whaaa whaaaa......  (phoenetic gunfight music?)

Unless you've been living under a rock or your media has been a whirlwind of Sponge Bob and Hannah Montana, you've heard about Greek yogurt. Right?

So I heard about it and finally tried it several months ago. First, let me say that I live in a fairly small town outside of a larger urban area in south Texas. There is a small HEB within walking distance of my house, but with two kids and this Texas heat, I drive. HEB is by far, my preferred grocery store. I really love the Central Market HEB that I can go to if I'm willing to drive about 15 minutes further. In my search for Greek yogurt, I first started with my local stores. I found two common brands.

So I got some of each. I tried the blueberry and strawberry of each brand.

The BAD...

When I tried the Dannon, I did notice the creaminess and absence of the traditional sour bite of regular yogurt, but it left a "sandy" feeling on my tongue. Hard to describe it sufficiently. I was not impressed, but I did finish the serving thinking it must be an acquired taste. The next day I tried the Yoplait. Let's just say things went from bad to worse. The Yoplait Greek yogurt was down right gritty. My thought was, "Am I at the beach?" Gross! I couldn't finish it. It was truly awful.

Then I went to my Central Market HEB, and I found some other brands.

The GOOD...

Fage Total

Fage Total Greek yogurts come plain and with mix-ins. You can get fat-free, 2%, or full fat versions. I've tried them all and they are beyond wonderful!! No matter what the fat content, you feel like you're eating something decadent and naughty. My favorite flavor combinations are the honey and the blueberry mix-ins. My 10 month old baby LOVES the full fat Fage Total with some fresh pureed fruit. Right now his faves are mango and banana.

I use the Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt in recipes and cooking, too. I use it to make things creamy without adding fat. It's amazing stuff, and it's full of protein and calcium. Fage is by far my favorite brand that I've tried so far.

Other great contenders...

Brown Cow is a great one. Really, I like it as much as the Fage 0%, but it comes in smaller packages. Also my store carries less variety of this brand, so I may be holding back on that account. Still it tastes nice and creamy. No grit at all! Yum!

Oikos by Stonyfield Farms is another really good Greek yogurt. Nice and creamy with fruit on the bottom.

Greek Gods Greek Yogurt is another great one.

There are many choices on the market and many more beyond those I've tasted. I happen to think that Greek yogurt is an awesome item to add to your culinary repertoire. It has an amazing punch of protein and calcium, and it's SOOO good!

Go ahead and try some. I know you'll like it!

Keep lovin' and keep cookin'!

Update on Thursday, April 28, 2011 by physicschick

Followup: Yoplait introduces their new and improved Greek yogurt

Yoplait's introduction of their new and improved Greek yogurt passed under my radar because frankly I was unimpressed with their initial offering. Then a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Kevin Flight, Yoplait Greek Team, that said that they got many reviews of their yogurt and mine in particular caught their attention. So they send me an "exclusive" $.35 off coupon and asked me to give them another try. So after my sprained ankle healed well enough to venture out, I picked up a cup of Yoplait Greek Yogurt, strawberry fruit on the bottom flavored, to try.

Opening up and giving a stir revealed a thick, creamy yogurt and a nice amount of strawberries. The texture was smooth and creamy unlike the gritty nature of their initial version. I chose to try strawberry because it's generally one of my favorite flavors. After the first bite had time to settle in to all of my taste buds, I tasted something really strange. It was not a yogurt sour taste yet it was something unpleasing and hard to describe. I looked at the container to double check the date code. It was well within date. I gave it a few more bites, and the strange taste persisted. A close inspection of ingredients revealed no artificial colors or flavors. That's good. They do list vegetable juice as a color enhancer. I bet that is where the strange taste is coming from. When will food makers realize that artificial or natural color enhancements are not necessary? At least it wasn't red dye!

I ended up not finishing it, although I gave it a fair try. My verdict is that as far as Greek Yogurt goes, Yoplait is still "no play!" they made a major improvement in the texture, so they're on the right track, but the flavor still leaves something to be desired. As for me, I'll be sticking with our faces: Stonyfield's OIKOS, Fage, and Chobani.
if you try other flavors that don't have the funny taste, let me know. I'm not brave enough to go another round with other flavors now. Being pregnant really heightens one's sense of taste. Makes for one tough food critic, too!