Does anyone make yogurt?

[Catshrink]

I eat about a quart a week (Mountain High) and am wondering if it's worth it to make my own. I don't like the add-ins in commercial yogurts and generally find them too sweet. I add my own fruit to plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt and maybe some cereal (oaty, high fiber, low sugar stuff).

Any opinions?

I saw this unit on Amazon and it seems to have some good features -- it makes the yogurt in a quart container, not the little cups, etc. It's $22.

http://www.amazon.com/Salton-YM9-1-Quart-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B00004SUHY/ref=acc_glance_ktch_ai_-2_1_tit

[Lars39]

1. I use a crockpot.

It takes tending to every so often, but I'm home all day to do it. Making some on the weekend might work for you.

[hippywife]

2. I make it every week without a machine.

A couple of years ago, I started making yogurt. I could no longer bear dealing with all of those little plastic bowls and lids! I didn't want to buy a machine so initially I did it without an additional heat source. I just left it in the bowl, covered with a towel, and sat it in a warm place for at least 12 hours. Not always easy to do because we keep our house pretty cool in the winter. I then moved to placing it in the oven with the light on since we have an electronic start to ours so no pilot light. Results were pretty mixed. Sometimes it worked okay, and others not. Even when it was okay, it was never thick like I wanted it, but it was good and usable for breakfast, in baking, and as a sour cream substitute.

Then about a year or so ago a friend told me how she cultured hers in glass jars in a cooler with a heating pad. I tried it and never turned back. It works really great! Results are fantastic and in half the time, although I do tend to make it and leave it to culture overnight most of the time just for convenience.

There have been a few failures but I can only think that they may have been caused by some oil residue inadvertently left on the surface of my sauce pan or a measuring cup. Even though all of your utensils are clean, it never hurts to give them a good wipe before starting. Don't use metal utensils to stir or measure the starter or to stir or ladle the milk once the starter is in it. I do use a stainless pan to boil the milk, but after that it comes in no contact with metal.

1/2 gallon of whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz. plain yogurt with active cultures for a starter (some people use as little as 2 T. for a starter but I find this amount works better for me and this method.)

In a large sauce pan, bring milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Pour into a stoneware or glass bowl and allow to cool to 100 degrees. Set up your incubator by wrapping a heating pad in a towel, place it in the bottom of a picnic/camping cooler so it lays flat and turn it on high.

With a wooden spoon, stir your yogurt starter a little so it's smooth and then stir in a ladle of the warm milk to temper it. Stir the yogurt starter into the warm milk.

Ladle into one-pint glass jars with lids. Mason jars work really well, as do glass peanut butter jars. Sterilization is not necessary, just clean jars and lids. Seal the jars. (The jars do have metal lids but most of the insides are coated so no problems there. Either way, the yogurt doesn't touch the lid while culturing so even non-coated lids don't cause a problem.)

Place the sealed jars in the cooler, upright, on top of the towel-wrapped heating pad and cover with a couple of dish towels. Allow to culture for 5-6 hours without being disturbed.

Allow to sit on the counter to cool off for a little while, and then refrigerate. This makes about 5 1/2 pints, which we use inside of a week, and could really use more, actually.

Save some of your homemade yogurt to start the next batch.

You can also do this with goats milk. Once it's done, I like to make soft spreadable cream cheese with it. It's really, really easy and wonderful, too!

[eridani]

5. How does this turn out expense-wise?

Cheaper, more expensive, about the same?

[hippywife]

6. I really don't know

since it accomplishes the two things I was after and that was no more plastic bowls and no processed food with additives like gelatin. It does work best with organic milk and cream.

Lately we've been not looking so much at cost but at clean, safe, healthy food. Plus it tastes better.

I get this so thick using this method that I can tip the jars with no movement of the yogurt.

SO eats it every morning for breakfast and I use it in baking wherever a recipe calls for milk, and it's wonderful as a part of my ice cream recipe. He uses it in pumpkin pie in place of the evaporated milk and it really kicks up the flavor of the filling. It's wonderful.

Edited to add pic:

[wildflower]

7. I don't think I've ever heard of not letting it touch metal

Does that make it thicker?

It sounds delicious.

[hippywife]

12. I think it might have something

to do with reactivity with the cultures. It was in the original recipe I found and I'm really not sure so I just err on the side of caution.

This method, though, is the easiest and best I've used so far. It does come out nice and thick. It will never be as thick as the grocery store stuff they put gelatin or tapioca into, but it works well for us.

It really is very good. My other half used to put fruit or preserves in it but now he just eats it plain every morning for breakfast. I accuse him of eating the cream top instead of stirring it down into the whole jar. LOL

[wildflower]

3. I find it comes out really thin

Even when straining it (a la yogurt cheese). I've let it sit for a much longer time and it gets a little thicker, but not a lot. It's very good, though, especially with granola.

I'd be interested in hearing how others get theirs to be thick. So far I've just used regular milk plus a starter, nothing else added. (I sterilize the milk first, of course.)

[Gwendolyn]

4. I usually add an extra 1/2 cup of powdered milk to the mix.

It works okay and keeps the fat low.

[wildflower]

8. I've seen that in recipes but shied away from it

Just because I don't care for powdered milk that much, and I wasn't sure why it was there. But if it makes yours thicker, I will definitely try it. Thanks!

[The empressof all]

9. I have this yogurt maker

It works well if you use a good starter. I make about 4 or 6 batches a month and use a "fresh" starter about once a month. (I use a thicker greek yogurt as a starter) The end product is thinner than a commercial yogurt unless you add the powdered milk. I've also experimented adding some fat free evaporated milk which made the yogurt creamier.

It's a good machine and is a good price. I liked the fact that it made it by the quart and I didn't need to bother with the little cups.

If you really think you will think ahead enough to use it--It's a good purchase.

[Mojorabbit]

10. I use my warming drawer.

When I redid my kitchen it is the one thing I really wanted as it has a proofing setting which is great for bread. I tried the yogurt in it and it works great. I have a friend who makes hers in a styrofoam cooler. She has a thermometer and used socks filled with rice microwaved till hot to keep it warm. She just warmed up the sock hot pads as needed.

[Lars39]

11. Here's how I do it in a crock pot(one of thos 4 cup ones):

How to Make Yogurt in a Crockpot

I wouldn't start this any later than 4 or 5 in the afternoon,
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 (of your choice)
into a blender, and blend. Then mix the blended fruit into the yogurt and return to the fridge to cool it some more.

9. When you're ready to eat the yogurt, take it out of the fridge and enjoy.