292076 Mon Mar 03 13:39:50 -0800 2003 47 31 Home Cooking 0 1592926 I would like to make some homemade yogurt (to save plastic over-packaging, compare it to store bought and just have fun making it) but have questions: is a yogurt maker necessary? does anyone have tips on making yogurt without a yogurt maker? does anyone think homemade yogurt is extraordinarily better or worse than store-bought? thanks! Mon Mar 03 13:39:50 -0800 2003 0 katydid 1 1592931 When my children were young we always made our own yogurt. A maker isn't necessary but I found that it was easier - not in terms of work required but in terms of mental effort. I didn't need to go find pans, bowls etc. I had two young kids and was working 60-80 hours per week so mental effort was a big thing. Mon Mar 03 13:54:06 -0800 2003 1592926 0 kass 1 1592941 I used to make yogurt when my children were young, though the yogurt makers at the time were too small to be of practical use for me, since I started with a half-gallon of milk. The yogurt makers then were just one quart size, at least the ones I saw. I used a big pyrex bowl and put it in my bread-rising drawer (just a deep drawer with a light bulb in the back). When the light was on, it was the perfect temperature for making yougurt. I found that I needed to drain my finished yogurt for a few hours to get it to the consistency my children liked. Mon Mar 03 14:26:06 -0800 2003 1592926 0 Jeremy Newel 1 1592951 I've read that using a yogurt maker can make the yogurt too sour since the heat only comes up through the bottom. I think I got that information from The Mexican Breakfast Cookbook. The author has a recipe for vanilla bean yogurt that sounds quite good. Mon Mar 03 14:56:43 -0800 2003 1592926 0 Emma 1 1592954 Elton Brown from Good Eats on the Food Network had an episod on homemade yogurt. He didn't use a yogurt, he made one with household material, an electric blanket I think... You might find more information on the FoodTv website. Mon Mar 03 15:04:51 -0800 2003 1592926 0 Wendy Lai 2 1593118 Here's the link to Alton Brown's recipe for fresh yogurt. The show is going to air on 4/19. Link: http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/recipe/0,6255,22599,00.html Tue Mar 04 15:22:44 -0800 2003 1592954 0 Linda W. 1 1593126 A yogurt maker is not necessary. It serves only to maintain the temperature at the correct level. I have used our oven, which can be set as low as 100 degrees, and have had excellent results. You can also use insulated containers with light bulbs or heating pads to maintain the temperature. The homemade yogurt was the best yogurt that my wife and I had ever had! I make it a gallon at a time and put it in pint Ball canning jars so that we can use it in small batches. Since it's so good we go through it very quickly, so it would probably be fine in larger containers. My advice is to use Stonyfield plain yogurt (if you can get it where you are) as your starter culture. I also used whole milk with additional non-fat dry milk to boost the amount of milk solids in the mixture. Link: http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/dairy/g449.htm Tue Mar 04 16:10:50 -0800 2003 1592926 0 Matt 1 2566223 You can make yogurt without a yogurt maker. I started with one and gave that away soon. I make all the yogurt my husband and I eat. The advantage to making yogurt without a yogurt maker is the flexibility in the amount you make in one batch. The equipment that I find indispensable is a thermometer if you don't already have one. All the other equipment I use in making my yogurt are stuff that I can find in my house so I don't have to buy more stuff. (I have the impression you think along the same line.) I tried a powder yogurt starter that I got from a health food store once. It does not taste any different from yogurt I make using a plain flavor commercial yogurt. I bought a Greek yogurt, a Icelandic skyr and a Stoneyfield yogurt to start 3 separate batches of yogurt to compare. The tastes were slightly different but not different enough for me. Each time I make a batch of yogurt, I take off about 4 tablespoons and put them in a glass jar which I leave in the freezer. This is the starter I use when I make the next batch of yogurt. This frozen starter stays good in the freezer for months. The starter I have now have yogurt from Greece, Iceland and New Hampshire all mixed together. I figure whatever benefits each strain of the bacteria are supposed to bestow, I have them in my homemade yogurt. Just about all commercial yogurts need some thickeners to help the product withstand the transportation. I personally would rather do without them. Overall, I would say my homemade yogurt does not taste that much better than the commercial products. The Greek yogurt I bought has been strained and has a very nice texture. It's also 3 times the price of "normal" yogurt. You can do that yourself but you only get about 1/3 of the volume after the liquid is strained out and it's quite a bit of work. Similar situation with the Icelandic skyr. If you have the time, I recommend making yogurt at home. Once you have the process worked out for your own situation, it really takes little work. I hope this is helpful. Rosalia Sun May 13 12:27:03 -0700 2007 1592926 53061 frankrosalia 2 3560508 Thanks for all that info. I loved the tip on putting the starter in the freezer. The question I have is what type of container do you use to make the yogurt in? Do you then"make" it in your oven, microwave etc and for how long? I have seen the Alton Brown show and even printed the recipe, but he uses a heating pad. Most heating pads these days have an automatic shut-off, which makes it impossible to keep the milk warm long enough to make yogurt. Thanks for all your tips . Hope you can answer these questions. Fri Apr 04 06:37:13 -0700 2008 2566223 15697 jackie de 2 3563932 Doesn't freezing it destroy the live cultures? Sat Apr 05 06:08:32 -0700 2008 2566223 120833 Enso 3 3574547 ive never had a problem culturing yogurt with frozen starter. Tue Apr 08 14:38:48 -0700 2008 3563932 171576 dani_k 1 2566247 You don't need a yogurt maker. I use my microwave: Mix two liters of whole milk, 400 grams of powdered milk, two liters of water (meaning a very milk rich solution), a touch of sugar, and starter. Distribute in five one-liter tubs; put all in MW; zap on high for four minutes; then for 45 seconds every one-and-a-half hours or so. Up to 12 hours for really thick, rich, perfectly tasting yogurt. I have to make it on a day I'm at home, but we consume tons of the stuff. Sun May 13 12:42:35 -0700 2007 1592926 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 3555498 I'm going to try it Sat....is the powdered milk the grainy stuff from the store or is the powdery milk for health food stores? Thanks for responding. Wed Apr 02 19:58:57 -0700 2008 2566247 171058 kanosis 3 3558243 I use store bought. There really aren't any health food stores here. You do have to do some initial whisking of powder, water, and milk to make sure all the powdered milk is dissolved. Thu Apr 03 13:13:56 -0700 2008 3555498 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 3611016 My batch of yogurt didn't work out. I don't know what I did wrong. It had the consistency of baby burp, watery and curdled. I want to try again, but maybe stick to something conventional. I started the process late so by the time I needed to reheat it in the micro for the 10th time,, well I just fell asleep! But still I thought I'd see it "jell" by hour 8. No such luck. I threw the whole batch away. :-( Sat Apr 19 18:34:24 -0700 2008 3558243 171058 kanosis 5 3611097 You could have strained out the curds ended up with some good yogurt. Don't give up because it's too easy. You really shouldn't have to reheat anything. Just heat the milk once. Add the starter and keep it warm. I live in Fla so maybe that helps but if I but it in my electric oven with the light on it gets pretty warm like near 100* without being turned on. You don't have to look at it. If you do it in the evening just go to bed and it should be ready in the morning. My last batch I did before work and just left and when I returned home I had some amazing thick yogurt that didn't need straining by using the powdered milk in addition to regular 2%. Sat Apr 19 19:18:21 -0700 2008 3611016 89493 scubadoo97 6 3624503 I shouldn't have thrown it away, you are right, But it looked gross to me. The kids wouldn't eat it.( It takes only one to start the eeeeoow thing.) Now that I think of it, I could've used it for cooking. Well let me tell you and Sam, I started another batch. I just couldn't believe I couldn't make yogurt! My god, you guys rave on how easy it is! So my second batch...on Monday was delicious!!!! My yogurt lasted one day. Friends, family and my sons' friends came over and ate the whole batch! So then I tried another batch yesterday! Again, I screwed up the batch but at least I know why! I set the oven to 350F. ( I was making cookies earlier but forgot to reduce the temp. when I started the yogurt! ) Well although it looked gross, I emptied all the jars and strained the whole mess . I combined blueberries and honey and whirled it in a blender. It's been 24 hours and half of that batch is gone! So, long story short, the whole family is happy with the yogurt and now I have a group of teenagers who want to learn how to make it,too. (fFrst lesson tomorrow!) So thanks for your suggestions and support. :-) Wed Apr 23 20:13:07 -0700 2008 3611097 171058 kanosis 5 3611124 I owe you a batch. One thing: our great water here has for unknown reasons become more mineral over the last year. I've switched to using good bottled water instead of tap after also getting a less than perfect batch. Sat Apr 19 19:36:55 -0700 2008 3611016 36661 Sam Fujisaka 6 3624530 I think I didn't control the heat. Once I have mastered the whole thing, I want to start adding fruit to the bottom of the jar before adding the yogurt. I learned that the key is everything is at 105-110 F --fruit, yogurt starter and milk. The second batch I added more powdered milk. It tasted creamier and the kids liked it better, but I liked it with less powdered milk. I live in the highdesert and the tap water's fine.. I want this whole process to be cost effective. (got 3 hungry teenagers! ) Thanks for getting me started on this. Why did I wait so long to learn...! Wed Apr 23 20:26:06 -0700 2008 3611124 171058 kanosis 5 3611263 Did you stir at all or disturb it? The first time I made yogurt it curdled, because I disturbed it. Sat Apr 19 21:29:38 -0700 2008 3611016 15001 jsaimd 6 3624510 Yea, you could have a point there. I did stir the heck out of it. After reading the Nebraska link, I learned I should have gently stirred it. But I think I just had the heat too high the first time and I really didn't know I could use it even if it looked like baby burp. Live and learn! Thanks. Wed Apr 23 20:16:24 -0700 2008 3611263 171058 kanosis 1 3555837 I like my yogurt maker, but I saw that Food & Wine magazine (I think a recent one; I saw it in the library) has a recipe for yogurt that instructs to heat an oven to 175 and then turn it off before putting the bowl of soon-to-be-yogurt in overnight (if I remember right, it should have a layer of plastic wrap right on the yogurt). I'm interested to try it -- we have a small kitchen and I'm always looking for ways to get rid of unnecessary stuff -- but I'm afraid it might get too tart/sour. I usually stop mine at about 4 hours, which keeps it pretty mild. Wed Apr 02 22:20:58 -0700 2008 1592926 172292 redsofa07 1 3556715 I don't remember if I invented this method or read about it somewhere years ago, but it works perfectly: after scalding and cooling your milk to lukewarm, add the yogurt starter (whatever brand or variety you want), put into jars, and put the jars in a cooler. Fill the cooler to the level of the milk in the jars with hot water from the tap - so that the milk in the jars and the water in the cooler are at the same level - and set it aside overnight. The heat retained by the hot water and the cooler provides the perfect environment for the yogurt bugs to multiply; in the morning you'll have lovely homemade yogurt. Thu Apr 03 07:46:12 -0700 2008 1592926 98500 Bat Guano 1 3558919 I'm no expert on yogurt making but I can say one thing. In the countryside of Mongolia yogurt was a staple and was made daily. A bit of yogurt was left in a big bowl, new milk was stirred in with it, and it was left next to the woodstove where it would stay warm. Then within a day, as I recall, it was yogurt. The cream of the milk would settlte to the top and make a buttery surface on the top of the yogurt. Most of it would get eaten but a bit was left behind and more milk was mixed in and it was left next to the stove again and in this way there was yogurt every day. Thu Apr 03 15:36:43 -0700 2008 1592926 180505 AnnaStone 1 3560109 We've been making homemade yogurt for a couple of months now with great success. We use skim UHT milk with some skim milk powder in our yogurt maker. We usually start with a few tablespoons of something with live cultures (whatever plain live yogurt has the furthest away expiry date) and then use the 1st batch to start the 2nd and so forth. Then we strain it to make it like greek yogurt. Delicious and lots of fun. Here is my Q for experienced yogurt makers: we've found that we can use the previous batch to start the next one at least 5 times. After about 6 batches the yogurt just isnt very yogurty, so we buy a new container to start it again. Is there anyway to prevent having to buy new starters? Do you have this problem, too? Fri Apr 04 01:33:23 -0700 2008 1592926 22624 relizabeth 2 3560533 One thing you need to do is take starter from a full container--a bit from the top, bit from the middle, and a bit from the bottom. The cultures seem to differ a bit within each container by level. Anyway, the method has meant that I no longer have to buy new starter every 4-5 times as you've also experienced. Fri Apr 04 06:46:17 -0700 2008 3560109 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 3561975 Very interesting! So, once you've made a batch of yogurt, do you take out a generous tablespoon from the top and reserve, and when half way through and when scraping the bottom, you add to it? We usually strain half of our yogurt a little too much and then mix it in well with the unstrained to make something that ends up the consistency of Greek yogurt. And then we used that strained, blended yogurt to start a new one. This next batch- which I think is the 6th- I will start before straining the most recent one with your method. Fri Apr 04 12:24:20 -0700 2008 3560533 22624 relizabeth 4 3570678 I have been using the Salton one qt. yogurt maker for about a month now and love it. I have been using 2% Straus cream top organic, a scant 1/2 cup of organic powdered non-fat milk and a packet of Yogourmet Starter. Five hours seems to be perfect for us as he doesn't like it really tart. Using the starter is cheap enough and to me, is much easier than saving some from the last batch. I don't like yogurt, Gawd knows I have tried, because deep down I think that there is a direct link between yogurt and world peace -- but my husband loves it and eats about a quart a week. I take out some from my batch, a cup or so and strain in to make yo-cheese, which I absolutely love. Question: I have used whole milk, and 2% (mostly), and would like to try it with 1%. How would the end result compare with using 2% - taste, texture, thickness????? Mon Apr 07 13:42:07 -0700 2008 3561975 175667 Canthespam 5 3571657 I make it with 1% or skim all the time. I prefer 1%, but hubby was raised on skim and it is hard to move him the other way. I find that I have to add more powdered milk, but probably not much more than you add. It is a bit tarter without the fat. If you don't add the powdered milk can be thin. With those I get a nice thick yogurt. Give it a try and see if you like it. Some people just don't like low-fat yoghurt. You can also try a non-fat yoghurt that isn't thickened with gelatin or pectin, like the strauss and get an idea of the texture. Mon Apr 07 18:30:27 -0700 2008 3570678 15001 jsaimd 6 3573920 Thanks, I'll try the 1%. I only eat the yo-cheese that I make with my yogurt - mostly 2% - my husband is the yogurt eater. I drink and make my smoothies with non-fat milk. Tue Apr 08 12:06:26 -0700 2008 3571657 175667 Canthespam 4 3575164 reliz, just dig down through the one liter container with a spoon. My yogurt comes out as thick or thicker than Greek because of the hihgh amount of powdered milk relative to water that I use. Tue Apr 08 17:43:16 -0700 2008 3561975 36661 Sam Fujisaka 5 3576183 will do! Our yogurt maker came with a bizarre spoon (and very scanty directions) which will be perfect for the job! Also, we will try upping the dry milk %. Wed Apr 09 05:54:20 -0700 2008 3575164 22624 relizabeth 1 3574596 i've made it three ways: yogurt maker, thermos, and gas stove. it is amazingly better than typical name brand store bought stuff. amazingly. way sweeter, less bitter. i just get some milk (lately, skim), bring to a boil for a couple minutes, take off heat and allow to cool until i can put my finger into the milk without it hurting. then whisk in a few TBSP of plain yogurt and pour into dish or jars (depending on method). then it sits overnight (or all day) while it firms up and cultures, and then promptly goes into the fridge to cool. when using skim milk, i add some powdered milk to thicken, usually just a couple TBSP. otherwise, i don't bother. as for starter, i usually get a tub of plain yogurt with active cultures, scoop it into an ice cube tray and freeze it into starter cubes. then, if i forget to keep some yogurt from a batch, or it seems to be losing strength, i have some readily avail in my freezer. -yogurt maker- convenient, clean. picked mine up at the thrift store along with extra little jars. great for single serving jars, or to add small amounts to recipes. kinda annoying if you are using for large quantity sauces or to strain. -gas oven- if you have a gas oven, i found this was the easiest method by far. the pilot light creates just enough heat in a closed oven to perfectly culture the yogurt. just pour your milk and starter mixture into a dish of choice and close the door. leave overnight. (or do it in the morning before work and take it out when you come home to make dinner) -thermos- now that i don't have a gas oven anymore, i use this method when i need lots of yogurt, not in tiny jars. warm the inside of a quality thermos while you prepare milk mixture. when milk mixture is ready, pour into the pre-warmed thermos and seal. wrap a towel around the top and sides of the thermos and place on top of your fridge all the way to the back, so that part of the bottom of the thermos is suspended over the gap in between your fridge and wall. the heat from the fridge motor is enough to keep the thermos from cooling off as it sits over night. mine is metal, in and out, which probably helps with the heat. Tue Apr 08 14:52:22 -0700 2008 1592926 171576 dani_k 1 3579500 I pour the yogurt into jars and place them in a cooler filled with 110 degree water. Works great. Debs http://food.gofrolic.org Wed Apr 09 20:32:57 -0700 2008 1592926 11377 seattledebs 1 3581546 I had a half gallon of 2% milk that I wanted to get rid of so decided to make yogurt. I just made it in a 6 qt saute pan. Warmed the milk to 190* F held there for a few minutes then turned fire off. When it hit 130* F I scooped some out some of the milk and added it to a pint of plain store bought yogurt blended and returned to the saute pan. Let sit on the stove then transferred it to the oven that had been warmed. Let it sit in there for 8 hours. The appearance before refrigerating was that it was setting but still very loose. This morning it had thickened to a nice consistency. I placed it in a strainer lined with cheese cloth and placed it back over the pot and it's in the fridge now straining. Should be nice and thick after losing some water. Initial taste was good. More tang than grocery store yogurt. You really don't need a yogurt maker. The recipe that I had given to me years ago did not specify temperature. You brought the milk to a lite boil then cooled till you could hold your finger in with out pulling out for 10 secs. I tested and that's just about 125-130* F. Thu Apr 10 11:46:04 -0700 2008 1592926 89493 scubadoo97 1 3618611 I made yogurt yesterday for the first time since I was a kid. I can't say I saved any money, because of the cost of milk and nonfat dried milk powder, but it was still a satisfying experience. The yogurt is delicious plain, with a balanced flavor. I was inspired by my stepmom, in a roundabout sort of way. When I visited them earlier this month, she was making yogurt by heating the milk with the powdered milk in the microwave, then culturing it with leftover from her earlier batch. Her yogurt had an incredibly gelatinous texture. It fell in swoopy sheets from a spoon, stretching out like mozarella first before separating into the swoopy bit, incredibly weird. I was concerned that using the powdered milk would give my yogurt this quality, but didn't have this happen. She said this result was intentional, in order to get the yogurt to "hold" jam without the whey separating. Do you all have any idea why her yogurt was so gelatinous? Tue Apr 22 09:17:19 -0700 2008 1592926 24126 amyzan 2 3618678 I have had that weird texture when I don't keep it hot enough. It is gross and my family chokes it down so as not to waste it. Re the cost... Here a gallon of milk is about $5 and the powdered milk I say about $1 (probably less) per batch. I get 5 quarts of yogurt for $6 and a quart of yogurt is around $3.50 so it certainly is a savings even though I didn't think it would be! Tue Apr 22 09:32:05 -0700 2008 3618611 15001 jsaimd 3 3619747 We drink only pastured milk, so that's why there's little to no savings above the organic yogurt we've bought. But, that's allright with me. I'm pleased with the results and as long as I'm working from home, I enjoy making time for good food. I just wanted to avoid mistakes as much as I can, because I'm starting with premium product, you know? My stepmom's yogurt is from the same base ingredients, but I was happy to see I could get better results. I just wanted to avoid having to choke down bizarrely textured yogurt! I appreciate you sharing the bit about the temperature, so I'll know this is what to avoid. I have a setup that will hold the yogurt at a steady temp while it cultures, and it seems to have made all the difference. Tue Apr 22 13:46:48 -0700 2008 3618678 24126 amyzan 2 3620625 I made yogurt many times before and easily ended up the right consistency. However there was a time I was living in a remote part of the world, where they do not have unsweetened, unflavoured yogurt in the stores. So I took some flavoured yogurt and tried to make my own using UHT milk. As for equipment, I could do nothing better than putting the mixture in a warm water bath in a saucepan (and insulating it), and I had to reheat the water one more time to get the yogurt to thicken enough. The yogurt I made that way was consistently gooey and slimy, even though it still tasted fine. So I suppose it matches jsaimd's experience that the slimy yogurt comes from not keeping the mixture warm enough. Tue Apr 22 18:10:17 -0700 2008 3618611 18015 tarteaucitron 3 3764628 I make my yogurt in glass jars that I put in a plastic cooler for about 8-12 hours. After 4 hours, I add hot water (not boiling hot) from the tap to the cooler so the jars sit in about 2 inches of hot water. Whenever I come across a batch that looks gooey and slimy, I add the hot water and give the bacteria another 4 hours to do the job. That works well for me. I experimented with making yogurt without heating the milk. I think the yogurt did not quite come together. I do not use powdered milk in my yogurt because I have read that it contains exceptionally high level of oxysterols (oxidized cholesterol), which may be atherogenic and carcinogenic. I also do not want to use a highly processed food item if I don't have to. Mon Jun 09 15:15:10 -0700 2008 3620625 53061 frankrosalia 4 3765379 I'd be interested to hear where you read that powdered milk contained oxidized cholesterol. Is it the processing method that's the culprit, or is it a particular brand that was tested with oxysterols? Mon Jun 09 19:29:45 -0700 2008 3764628 24126 amyzan 2 4125781 Gelatinous, mozzarella-stringy yogurt explained here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/567084 Fri Oct 24 02:28:28 -0700 2008 3618611 18222 maria lorraine 1 3764718 I used to have a (?) Sunset book on making yogurt that had a Sweet Vanilla Yogurt recipe that was amazing with fresh strawberries. It used dried and fresh milk and also some sweetened condensed milk. I had Haitian vanilla that I'd put in. Fantastic. No idea where the book is now :( (Look what I just found!) SWEET VANILLA YOGURT 3 c. warm water (120°F, 50°C) 1 c. instant nonfat dry milk 1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk 1/4 c. plain yogurt, room temperature 1/2 t. vanilla extract In small bowl, place warm water, dry milk, sweetened condensed milk and yogurt. Mix with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Pour into a 1-1/2-quart container or individual containers. Cover. Incubate 3-4 hours at a constant temperature of about 110°F (43°C). Do not disturb during incubation. After 3 hours, remove cover and gently shake mixture to see if it is firm. If not, let stand 1 more hour and check again. Refrigerate as soon as yogurt begins to set. Chill at least 6 hours before serving. Makes about 1 quart. (Note: you cannot save the sweetened yogurt to use as a starter for your next batch.) Mon Jun 09 15:42:16 -0700 2008 1592926 132857 dockhl 2 3766687 That sounds good! I don't like the flavor of dry milk, so I'd use skim milk heated to 190, and then cooled to 110, I think. Tue Jun 10 09:37:32 -0700 2008 3764718 14803 bakergal 3 3840301 My babysitter is from Syria and she told me that to have thicker consistency, don't cover your yogurt as it is proofing with a lid, but use a towel. And she was right. I always make my yogurt with whole milk and I don't cover it and the texture is awesome. Each time I have yogurt, I do put about a teaspoon of turbinado sugar in one cup of yogurt, or some fruit. If the yogurt doesn't sit too long (over 6 hours) then it remains sweet. Fri Jul 04 23:18:01 -0700 2008 3766687 206840 cafleen 1 3841235 On the advice of a Sunset magazine article from the eighties, I've used non-instant dry milk (buy in a natural foods grocery) to fortify the low fat fluid milk that has been scalded. Makes a nice, thick, mild yogurt with extra protein and calcium - yes, extra calories from the dry milk, too. I use 2/3 cup of dry milk to each quart of fluid milk. Granulated dry milk from the regular grocery store makes the yogurt grainy. Sat Jul 05 17:15:23 -0700 2008 1592926 111345 rexsreine 2 3841595 By your wording, I'm guessing you add the powdered milk after the liquid milk has scalded then? I'm curious, because I'm currently experimenting with different techniques, etc. So, do you use a blender and wait until the milk is room temperature or blend it while it's hot? Sat Jul 05 20:18:49 -0700 2008 3841235 24126 amyzan 1 3894386 HELP -- I really dislike the taste of dry milk powder. How can I make sure my yogurt is thick enough without using it? I prefer using nonfat or 1% milk. Wed Jul 23 09:58:38 -0700 2008 1592926 212450 fmlyoung