Monday topic Curds and Whey continued....
36 WAYS TO USE WHEY
Culture foods. Using the methods in Nourishing Traditions, you can use whey to ferment all sorts of foods… beets, cabbage, carrots – you name it!
Soak grains. We soak our oatmeal and weekly batches of bread, and now we’ll be doing it with whey. It costs me money to make those (or buy lemon juice), and whey is free!
Soak beans. Just like grains, your digestive system benefits from beans being soaked before cooking. Swap your acid medium and use whey, or feel free to add more!
Soak nuts. For the same reasons above. (More on soaking.)
Make pizza dough. Add a sourdough-ish tang to your dough for a delicious pie. Here’s our favorite dough recipe.
Make bread. My latest batch of soaked bread (above) was made with 100% whey as the liquid and it was SO good! I’ve heard it helps with whole grains and creating a better texture and my taste buds confirmed this one!
Stick it in smoothies. Whey is naturally high in protein (almost 2g in one cup!) and it’s my first choice for extra liquid when making protein smoothies.
Condition your face. The cultures in whey are acidic, so toss some on a cotton ball and use it as a toner.
Condition your body. Up the ante and add one cup of whey to your bath for an all-over-the-body skin toner.
Make a face mask. Use whey combined with soothing raw honey for an easy face mask. Your skin will be loving you! More details here.
Condition hair. If you’re washing with baking soda, a diluted whey rinse will work just as well as the diluted vinegar rinse!
Pet food. Instead of throwing the extra nutrients down the drain, add them to pet food for some extra vitamins!
Dog treats. Get the recipe!
Water the plants. Speaking of saving on water, add a bit of this to your watering can. Be sure to use sweet whey though and not acid whey since it might damage the nutrients in the soil so you should definitely dilute it first. Check out this article for more information. cream cocktail dress
Balance the garden’s pH. If watering the plants is out of the question, consider balancing the pH levels of peas, cucumbers and squash by spraying some on just the leaves – the whey will kill the mold that grows! (Again, sweet whey only.)
Lower the garden’s pH. Blueberries, roses and tomatoes like acidic soil and whey will help you achieve just that.
Add it to compost. A great outdoors spot if you don’t feel comfortable adding it to your garden, or don’t have one to add it to!
Substitute for buttermilk. Biscuits, dressings or pancakes? Yep, use whey!
Substitute for milk. Instead of milk, use whey to make creamy cheese sauce that will get baked and cheese-ified.
Make rice. Although the heat will kill some of the live enzymes, you’ll still retain the nutrients since rice absorbs all the liquid.
Make risotto. A combination between the previous two, you’re cooking rice and making it creamy at the same time. Might as well add some nutrition too!
Make chicken stock. Substitute not just for the apple cider vinegar, but for some of the water too! Trade up to half of the water (or more, depending on your taste preference) for whey and come out the other side with a richer, more flavorful stock.
Thicken gravy. Chances are if you’re making gravy, it’s topping something unhealthy. Boost the nutrition by using whey.
Substitute for orange juice. Whey is about as acidic as orange juice, so if you’re using the juice in smoothies or in baking (like yummy scones or in a quick bread), try swapping for whey instead.
Substitute for lemon juice. Whey tastes much like lemon juice, so it makes a great substitution in recipes or cocktails…
Make a cocktail. Half whey and half juice, plus sweeten to taste with honey or stevia and you’ve got yourself a deliciously healthy drink!
Use in salad dressing. Instead of a vinaigrette with lemon juice, how about a vinaigrette with whey?
Tenderize meat. Swap whey for any vinegar in a traditional meat marinade. Mind that whey will add tang, so adjust seasonings accordingly.
Make lemonade. Seriously. Here’s the recipe.
Make ginger ale. Yum!
Make cream cheese. Similar to the method of culturing milk with buttermilk, but you’re culturing milk with whey and straining for cheese. More details here.
Make soda. Again, seriously! There’s a Swiss drink called Rivella that’s 10% whey. Way cool!
Make caramel. Add a bit of salt with a touch of sugar and voila – instant caramel!
Use it as a brine. Feta cheese will keep longer in whey, and you can use it when brining your Turkey in November too!
Make ricotta cheese. The word “ricotta” means cooked twice, which is what ends up happening to the whey when you make this cheese. Here’s a super easy tutorial that even I, the bad-cheese maker, could likely do right!
When all else fails – freeze it. If you’ve got too much and you’re unsure what to do with it, freeze it in ice cubes for later!
Bonus idea – make mayo. Whey will kick your homemade mayo up a notch by lacto-fermenting it. It also allows the mayo to last longer!