24 surprising uses of whey water that we usually discard

In our earlier post we had a look a what can be the health benefits of using whey water, something that is often discarded while making paneer!

Here are some ways you can reuse whey water.

1. Soak grains.  whey can be used to soak grains such as rice or rice flakes
2. Soak beans.  Just like grains, your digestive system benefits from beans being soaked before cooking.  this water can be used for soaking moong, red chana, etc before sprouting
3. Soak nuts.  Nuts such as almonds can be soaked in whey water
4. Make pizza dough.  using whey water to make pizza dough can impart a nice sour taste
5. Make bread.  whey water can be used for making the chapatti / roti dough
6. Stick it in smoothies.  Whey is naturally high in protein (almost 2g in one cup!) and can be used easily for making protein smoothies
7. Condition your face.  The cultures in whey are acidic, so toss some on a cotton ball and use it as a toner.
8. Condition your body.  Up the anty and add one cup of whey to your bath for an all-over-the-body skin toner.
9. Make a face mask.  Combined with soothing raw honey, your skin will be loving you!
10. Condition hair.  If you’re washing with baking soda, a diluted whey rinse will work just as well as the diluted vinegar rinse!
11. Pet food.  Instead of throwing the extra nutrients down the drain, add them to pet food for some extra vitamins!
12. Water the plants.  Speaking of saving the 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.  
13. Substitute for buttermilk.  Biscuits, dressings or pancakes?  Yep, use whey!
14. Substitute for milk.  Instead of milk, use whey to make creamy cheese sauce that will get baked and cheese-ified.
15. Make rice.  Although the heat will kill some of the live enzymes, you’ll still retain the nutrients since rice absorbs all the liquid.
16. 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.
17. Thicken gravy.  Chances are if you’re making gravy, it’s topping something unhealthy.  Boost the nutrition with some whey.
18. 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.
19. Substitute for lemon juice.  Whey tastes much like lemon juice, so it makes a great substitution in recipes or cocktails…
20. 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!
21. Use in salad dressing.  Instead of a vinaigrette with lemon juice, how about a vinaigrette with whey?
22. Tenderize meat.  Swap why for any vinegar in a traditional meat marinade.  Mind that whey will add tang, so adjust seasonings accordingly.
23. Make lemonade.  Seriously!
24. Make caramel.  Add a bit of salt with a touch of sugar and voila instant caramel !

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References:

http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2014/05/36-ways-to-use-whey-and-5-ways-to-make-it/

http://www.cheesemaking.com/Whey1.html

Author: drpoojachhawcharia

Dr Pooja Chhawcharia is the Senior Nutritionist at eKincare with over 7 years of experience in Nutrition education, diet counseling and research. She is a Registered Dietician with the Indian Dietetic Association and Certified Diabetes Educator recognized by the International Diabetes federation . She is also interested in ancillary sciences such as Yoga and Naturopathy. View all posts by drpoojachhawcharia