Yogurt-maker recommendatins?

[housewolf]

I know Hippywife, and maybe some others here, make their own yogurt. I'm interested in knowing about what equipment you have or have used previously, what you like/dislike about it, and your recommendations.

Also, how do you add live biotics to the yogurt? I'm assuming that if you add them at the start of the process the warming process kills them, right?

I've been spending about $25 - $30 per month on yogurt for my dog (you gotta understand, he's very old - 14 1/2 - can barely walk or even get up on his own, can't eat kibble (or anything dry or hard) anymore so I'm cooking food for him (gr beef or chicken, augmented with grated veggies and pulverized kibble, sometimes some other protein like eggs or cheese or milk products, and about 1/2 cup of live-culture yogurt with each meal, partially just to get him to eat. Sometimes I think his food bill is larger than mine! I'm using about 1/2 gallon of yogurt each week, which runs $5 - $6 per half gallon - that adds up to $20 - $30 per month. I'm wondering if I could save myself some money by making it on my own. What do you think? It's not only the cost, but I hate tossing those plastic half-gallon tubs into the recycling bin every week!

[hippywife]

1. My method.

No fancy equipment needed. I bet you have everything you need in your house already.

Ingredients:
1 half gallon of whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz. of plain, unsweetened, full fat yogurt with active cultures as a starter

Equipment:
6 mason jars
1 canning funnel
1 cooler
1 heating pad
1 bath towel
2 dish towels

Fold the bath towel in the bottom of the cooler. Place the heating pad inside of the bath towel and turn it on high so it warms up while you prepare the yogurt.

Bring milk to a boil, stirring constantly, and then stir in the whipping cream. Allow to sit in a glass or stoneware bowl until it cools to 100 degrees. Skim the skin off. Place the yogurt in a small-medium bowl or large glass liquid measuring cup and stir until smooth. Ladle some of the hot milk into the starter and stir well to temper. Pour the starter back into the large bowl of hot milk and stir. Ladle into mason jars and seal. (You can sterilize the jars if you want, but I don't because it's eventually gonna go in the fridge and we eat this in a week's time anyway. Just make sure the jars are nice and clean. I leave about an inch or so headroom in the jar.)

Set the full jars on top of the bath towel in the cooler and cover with a couple more dish towels. Allow to culture for 5-6 hours--undisturbed--do not move it. I then set the jars on the counter for a few minutes so they will cool down a little before refrigerating.

You can halve this recipe if you want, you can even use non-fat yogurt but it won't be as creamy and it seems that some studies show that eating a full fat variety is good for you. You can cut fat elsewhere if that's your thing.

This makes the best yogurt. Bill won't start his day without it so I have to keep it made each weekend.

:hi:

[housewolf]

5. Wow, that certainly seems easy!

I'll have to see if I can dig out the heating pad... I don't know where it is at this point. I don't have a canning funnel but should be able to pick one up somewhere. Do you think it could be made in one large container rather than multiple glass jars? Do you think it would last a week?

I'm a whole milk person - the richer and creamier the better!

Thanks, Hippywife! I'll have to give this a try.

[hippywife]

10. I don't know

about larger containers. Since I need all my canning jars, about a year ago I switched to using glass jars that had peanut butter in them when I bought them.

I don't know how a larger jar would affect the time needed to culture. You can always try it. All you're gonna lose is a few raw materials and you can always start over if it doesn't work out right, just like you did with that muffin recipe.

I'm sure you'll figure out what works most efficiently for yourself, B. You always do. That's what I like about you. You ain't no quitter and aren't afraid to keep trying til it works.

:loveya:

[Warpy]

11. People I know have also used gas ovens with pilot lights

and electric ovens set on low and then turned off overnight. The residual heat seems to be enough to get the stuff to "yog."

I had a Salton job with six individual 8 ounce cups and never used it. My cultured milk product of choice was kefir, something that could be cultured at room temperature without preheating. It was lovely stuff buzzed up with strawberries, peaches, cherries, or other fruit. The texture was slightly thicker than commercial buttermilk and with slightly less tang.

Yogurt cheese, what you get when you drain a pint of yogurt in cheesecloth for about 8 hours, is wonderful stuff on bread. It's especially good flavored with black pepper, garlic and herbs. Kefir cheese was also possible, but I found coffee filters to be better for salvaging most of the solids.

[Cass]

13. Do you think lactose-free whole milk could be subbed for the whole milk? nt

[hippywife]

14. I wish I could tell you

but I have no way of knowing. Like I told housewolf, the only thing to do is to try it. But you would also then have a problem using the cream and the original starter.

Hope you can find a method that works for you. :hi:

[Cass]

15. Thanks, hippywife. I'll give it a try this week.

I was hoping the small ratio of cream and starter to the milk would make it a bit easier on my system.

I'll let you know it works out.

[Warpy]

20. Absolutely not!

Lactose is what the bugs eat to produce your yogurt. They don't eat anything else in the milk. You'd end up with spoiled milk full of yogurt bugs that starved to death.

You wouldn't need lactose free milk if you're culturing it, anyway, since the bugs convert that lactose and you don't get it in the final product after a long culturing process.

The whole point of yogurt and other cultured milk products for the lactose intolerant is that the lactose is reduced to nearly nothing and we can tolerate it and get our calcium.

[Cass]

21. Thanks, Warpy. I thought it was too good to be true and your explanation why makes perfect sense.

There is some info I came across on the internet that says if the yogurt is cultured for 24-30 hours it will supposedly eliminate the lactose entirely.

For some reason my system can't handle the store-bought yogurts even though it is supposed to be alright for most lactose intolerant folks. I have never tried home-made yogurt before and am hoping that making it at home with a long culture time will do the trick.

[Warpy]

22. You really have to read the labels carefully

and find the ones that have active cultures. Some are ultra pasteurized and then thickened, meaning the cultures don't continue to work slowly in the refrigerator case.

But yes, you do need that lactose in the milk if you want yogurt.

[Cass]

23. Hmm, now you have me wondering if that's my problem instead of the lactose.

A trip to the yogurt aisle is deinitely in my future this week.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

24. That doesn't sound right. . .

I've made yogurt with powdered low-fat milk and even soymilk, so I'm not sure you need lactose--you can substitute other sugars (agave being my preference). The only real failures I've had were with soymilk, because the resulting yogurt is so tender it breaks down into liquid once you stir too vigorously or it warms up again after chilling.

I find the most important thing is to run the containers through the DW first, or be really meticulous about disinfecting in bleach and then rinsing completely because stray bacteria are what will really cause a batch to fail. I've used everything from those little Pyrex bowls to old peanut butter jars, and have cultured them everywhere from the oven (with a big bowl of hot water and the door ajar) to food dehydrator (with a thermostat) to simply sitting it on top of the TV under a fluffy tea cozy. Doesn't seem to matter where you do it because they all come out fine if it doesn't overheat.

Cleanliness, gentle heat, and a good culture seem to be the requisites. Fruit is best added at serving instead of trying to make a neat little package like you buy in the store.

And yes, I don't do dairy well at all either, but since it's predigested in yogurt, I can handle it better. If you make more than you can eat, you know you can use it as an egg substitute (about 2 T = 1 egg) in baking, right? Since it has a bit of a tang, it's best in cakes, breads, and flapjacks. :9

[Cass]

25. I didn't know it could be used as an egg substitute! Thanks for that tip!

Your post is very interesting.

I found out they have dairy-free yogurt starters and I also found out that coconut milk can be used to make yogurt which is pretty intriguing.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5235425_make-home-using-coconut-milk.html

[hippywife]

26. I never sterilize my jars.

I make sure everything is absolutely clean but I've found that extra step of sterilization just isn't necessary at all.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

28. Well, I normally don't get obsessive

I find the DW does okay on its own and if I hand wash, I make sure I'm using a clean dish towel to set them on and not that one I keep forgetting to toss in the laundry. I also make tempeh, so maybe I'm a little more leery of what a stray organism can do to a culture. (You haven't lived until you've worked all day preparing your soybeans, only to end up with slabs of slimy mold that smell like feet. . .)

[ginnyinWI]

27. "yogurt bugs"--LOL! n/t

[Warpy]

29. To nurses, all bacteria, molds and yeasts are bugs

It somehow makes it easier to murder all that friendly yeast when we bake the bread.

[The empressof all]

2. I have a Salton 1 quart

I got it a few years ago for under $25.00. I really love it! When you look around for a maker try to get one that doesn't use the little glass jars. I really like having it in one big vessel and it's less to clean. You really can make yogurt without the maker you just need a steady temp. Some ovens have "proof" settings. That would work. I really like having the Salton though as it's easy, consistent and I have no excuse not to make it.

I make fat free and low fat yogurt only and use Fayge as my culture. You can use your own home made to culture your next batch I have better results with the Fayge.

[housewolf]

6. I saw a listing for the Salton machine on the web

but the price was more in the range of $120!!!!! I only saw 3 machines that used large-capacity containers instead of the small jars.

A couple questions for you...
Any idea what temp range that "steady temp" should be?

When you say you get "better results" when made it with the Fayge culture, what do you mean by "better results"? Better in what ways?

How long does 1 qt last?

Thanks so much for your help! I'm looking forward to trying my hand at yogurt making. I had used to make yogurt way back in the early 70's in a little machine I had. It was great but I've forgotten now more than I ever knew back then!

[The empressof all]

12. Wow...It looks like they stopped making the Salton

I'll have to start babying my maker then.

I'm not sure exactly what the temp should be off the top of my head. That's why I use the machine. I don't want to think about it.

I like using the Greek yogurt because I find it gives me a thicker end product and I prefer thicker yogurt.

For me a quart of yogurt lasts about 4 days. I generally eat about a cup a day. I like making a quart at a time and like the fact that I don't have to clean all those little containers.

[ginnyinWI]

19. it needs to stay under about 105 degrees.

I think it must "cook" somewhere around 100. When I scald the milk, I have to let it cool to 105 or below, or the yogurt cultures will die when you add them.

I get good results using just regular commercially made yogurt as a starter. Sometimes I even use the flavored stuff if that's what I have on hand (the result is still plain tasting--only use a half-cup for a quart of yogurt.).

One of my tricks is that I let it cook in the yogurt maker for six hours only--letting it go longer can make it break down again. Then I let the container sit overnight on the counter. By morning it is nice and thick, and this is using only 1% milk, with no extra cream or anything. Good stuff.

[ginnyinWI]

16. I have a Salton too and love, love love it!

I got it from Amazon a few years ago for $13.99. I make yogurt in it about once a week or so--really easy. All you need is an instant read thermometer and you're ready to go.

I can use my own culture maybe six times and then it weakens to the point that it just won't thicken up. Then I start over with store-bought yogurt.

[The empressof all]

17. Did you see that they stopped making them?

People are trying to sell used ones for over 100 bucks on Amazon! :wow:

[ginnyinWI]

18. I know--amazing what they want for them now!

It's a simple plastic small appliance--what gives? I could find no link for the one I've got now, which must be the same as yours. The expensive one in the picture on Amazon looks pretty much like mine.

[Lars39]

3. I use a small crockpot.

How to Make Yogurt in a Crock Pot

I wouldn't start this any later than noon, or you'll have to get up in the night to do some of it.

If you start it after breakfast, the yogurt will be done by bedtime and it will have time to get cold by the next morning.

The yogurt is good for 5 days. I try to mark it or write down the date somewhere.

This recipe can be cut in half to only make 4 cups of yogurt.

I sweeten it a bowl at a time with a tsp or so of honey, or I sweeten all of it while still warm.

Skim, 2% or powdered milk can be used.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup of store bought, natural, active/live culture, full fat(not low fat or fat free)plain yogurt.
(This will be your starter. After your first batch of yogurt, you can use 1/2 cup of some of your homemade yogurt as a starter instead.)
8 cups of whole milk. Pasteurized and Homogenized is fine,but do not use ultra-pasteurized.

How to Make Yogurt

1. Pour the milk into a crock pot, and turn the crock pot on low.
Leave it alone for 2.5 hours, cooking on low.

2. Turn the crock pot off, leave the cover on, and let the milk sit for 3 hours.

3. Take a cup or two of the warm milk from the crock pot, and put it in a small mixing bowl.
Mix in 1/4 cup of store-bought yogurt, or 1/2 cup of homemade yogurt as your starter.

4. Mix the yogurt/warm milk mixture into the milk that's sitting in your crock pot.

5. Put the lid on the crock pot, then fold and put a heavy bath towel over the crock pot
to insulate the leftover heat (leave the crock pot turned off), and go to bed.

6. The next morning, you'll have yogurt waiting for you in the crock pot. :-)
Home made yogurt is thinner than store-bought.

7. Pour the yogurt into a container, cover it, and put it into the fridge.
Let the yogurt fully cool down to the fridge temp.

8. Then, if you'd like to add fruit to your yogurt, put a few cups of chopped fruit
into a blender, and blend. Mix the blended fruit into the yogurt and return to the
fridge to cool some more.

[housewolf]

7. This is great, Lars!

Thanks so much!

A few questions for you -
Your list doesn't include whole milk... any reason why it couldn't be made with whole milk?

Why the difference using 1/4 c store-bought yogurt or 1/2 c home-made yogurt (is this some saved from your last batch?)

Sounds great! This sounds like a real easy method, I'll have to give it a try.

[Lars39]

9. Whole milk is fine, too.

Although 1/3 cup powdered milk to whatever type of milk you use will help it be thicker. I usually buy a carton of store-bought yogurt and freeze it into ice cubes, then thaw a couple out as needed. The homemade doesn't take to cloning that well...it weakens over time a bit. :D

[wildflower]

4. I just use a thermos.

Bring milk just to the boil in a measuring cup in the microwave, let cool, add a little yogurt, and let sit in a tightly closed thermos all night. Very easy.

I find the insulated steel thermoses work best.

[housewolf]

8. This sounds so easy

Thanks for your info. Very, very easy. I'll have to get a thermos to try it out.

[Mira]

30. Here is how I do it.

I have a Sunbeam yogurt maker (salvation army store: $ 1)
I use a thermometer, and heat the milk to one hair under boiling, memory says 180 degrees (I'm on vacation, and don't have the stuff here to look), then I cool the milk to 110 degrees, I add a quarter cup of dry milk flakes and 2 tablespoons of regular, unflavored yogurt from the store at that point.

I buy the yogurt that says : live culture.

I then distribute it all into the jars and I let it "cook" for 12 hours.
It is always perfect, and so good I no longer eat or want to eat store bought yogurt.

You can save a bit of the yogurt to use as a starter for the next batch.

I buy a small container about once every 4-5 weeks to start with fresher culture.

Hope that helps.