584523 Fri Jan 02 13:39:50 -0800 2009 26 31 Home Cooking 0 4290440 I've read the discussion of this and am not positive what I did wrong. I followed the directions on how to do it in a crock pot. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html I used my All-Clad on low 2.5 hrs, (1/2 gal. regular, fresh milk) then cut off crock pot, left cover on, let sit 3 hrs. Then, mixed 2 cups of that with 1/2 cup powdered whole milk (from health food store) and 1/2 cup plain yogurt. Wrapped in a towel for 8 hrs. Then, put into containers and refrigerated. It's unbelievably slimy/ropey. I ate some anyway and the cats liked it. I'm just really turned off by the sliminess. Should I have heated up the milk to boiling point before placing in crock pot? Sam, I've read your method but don't want to be zapping it in microwave every hour and half all day. Fri Jan 02 13:39:50 -0800 2009 12520 walker 1 4290508 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/567084 That problem is addressed in the post referenced. Fri Jan 02 14:02:21 -0800 2009 4290440 159317 greygarious 2 4290693 Thanks, I already read all these posts. I just would like to do the crock pot method and have it turn out right and wonder if I simply would need to boil the milk on the stove, first. I don't want to buy a heating pad and there's no pilot light in my oven. Fri Jan 02 15:08:40 -0800 2009 4290508 12520 walker 3 4302961 You do need to heat the milk to 180F to denature the proteins. If not, those proteins will form long, slimy strands. You can heat on the cooktop, or in the microwave, but 180 F is much hotter than most people realize. Use a thermometer to make sure. Tue Jan 06 21:58:57 -0800 2009 4290693 18222 maria lorraine 4 4302975 Thanks for the advice; I've been experimenting and watching youtube videos. I think I'm just going to buy the yogurt maker from WmsSonoma. I think I'll still need to heat up the milk on the stove, first. Tue Jan 06 22:05:52 -0800 2009 4302961 12520 walker 1 4290760 Walker, what was the yogurt like when you put it in the ref? In the recipe, I relly don't understand the logic underlying: "Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours." Why cook for 2 1/2 hours? Why let that sit for 3 hours? Fri Jan 02 15:33:04 -0800 2009 4290440 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4290876 Let's see, it was 3 am. Gelatinous, ropey, slimy. (There's a lot of Chinese food in San Francisco I can't eat because it's slimy, like Shark Fin Soup, etc.) On the blog instructions: I did not anticipate these problems. If it'd work right, it'd be an easy way to make yogurt. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to buy a yogurt maker. Maybe I could just try this method once more but first boil the milk before I place it in crock pot. If I were to try your method, could you give me the recipe in cups/quarts, etc? Can you fit all your recipe in your microwave at once or must you do it in batches? Fri Jan 02 16:22:10 -0800 2009 4290760 12520 walker 3 4291078 WALKER! You made me go re-measure. I've been making about 3 1/2 quarts at a time in five 3/4 quart containers all this time (I thought I was using quart containers). All five fit in the MW at once). I start with two quarts of whole milk, add one pound of whole milk powder and a TBSP of brown sugar, whisk very well, add a cup of yogurt from the last batch, distribute in the five containers, zap on high for about three minutes and then for about a minute every hour and a half to two hours. Nothing exact, just keep it all warmer than body temp for 12 hours. Thick and tart! No boiling. Fri Jan 02 17:36:15 -0800 2009 4290876 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4291203 Are your containers glass? I have some Ball pint size glass jars -- can I use these or will that upset the system? Since I don't have a scale, can you estimate in cups how much whole milk powder? So, you mix everything up cold and then do your first 3 minute zap and then a minute every 1.5 hrs for 12 hours. (I wish you'd try with a crock pot and perfect that -- it'd be sooo much easier not to have to zap every 1.5 hrs.) Fri Jan 02 18:40:49 -0800 2009 4291078 12520 walker 5 4291294 My containers are plastic. Glass jars would work just fine. The only objective is to get the containers (glass or plastic) to feel warm to the touch for a long time. I would guess two cups of milk powder. I have an ancient large crockpot. I can give it a try. But I have to rely on getting the ingredients hot but not enough to kill the yogurt bacteria but enough for the culture to grow and make thick yogurt over, let's say,12 hours. My only other concern is that when the pot is done, I'll have to "break" the yogurt to put it into storage containers. I've noticed that the individual containers keep really well for a loing time if not opened and disturbed. Fri Jan 02 19:29:52 -0800 2009 4291203 36661 Sam Fujisaka 5 4302968 I can't be tending yogurt during the day so I use a homemade incubation drawer that's made with a clip-on light. 100-watt bulb. Read the details in the thread linked to in the first post. Tue Jan 06 22:00:52 -0800 2009 4291203 18222 maria lorraine 6 4302981 I read that. Brilliant. Tue Jan 06 22:11:05 -0800 2009 4302968 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4298624 Sam, I'm going to stay home today and try your method. I have 2 one-half gallon cartons of 2% milk, plain Straus yogurt and not quite 2 cups of dry milk powder. From reading your recipe above, do you start with 2 quarts and then mix with the rest of the milk after mixing in yogurt starter, etc.? Mon Jan 05 15:13:47 -0800 2009 4291078 12520 walker 5 4298785 I mix the milk, powdered milk and bit of sugar first with a lot of heavy whisking to get the powdered milk dissolved. Put in the starter next to last and gently whisk it up. Finally add the water to total the 3 1/2 quarts and whisk gently. Mon Jan 05 16:08:14 -0800 2009 4298624 36661 Sam Fujisaka 6 4298802 I did not expect to hear from you so soon so I decided to "wing" it. Now, I think it might not be right. I mixed 4 quarts of 2% milk with about 2 cups of powdered milk, 1 T brown sugar, 1 cup plain yogurt. I put it in pint size containers into microwave but had to do in 2 batches. Zapped for 4 min and it seemed cold so zapped another 2 minutes. I put 1/2 of them in a cooler and left other half in microwave. Guess every 1.5 hrs I'll put them back and forth a zap for a minute. (I'm leaving them uncovered, right?) If this does not work, maybe I'll try to learn how to do it with heating on stove using a thermometer -- I've been looking at some YouTube videos. Mon Jan 05 16:14:53 -0800 2009 4298785 12520 walker 7 4298895 walker, sounds perfect!!!! Good luck! Mon Jan 05 16:47:43 -0800 2009 4298802 36661 Sam Fujisaka 8 4298926 OK -- I'll ck back in 12 hrs. Mon Jan 05 16:58:31 -0800 2009 4298895 12520 walker 8 4300852 Sam, I think it's yogurt, not very thick, tho. BUT, at least it's not at all slimy. Since I'm rarely just hanging out in the house for 12 hrs, and it's a drag to attend to it every 1.5 hrs., I think I'm going to buy a yogurt maker. Tue Jan 06 10:34:40 -0800 2009 4298895 12520 walker 9 4301149 Should be thick!! Let it cool down in the ref; and it should solidify more. I'm going to fish out thet small crockpot I have somewhere and give that a try! Tue Jan 06 11:55:05 -0800 2009 4300852 36661 Sam Fujisaka 10 4302163 It's not thick, not thin. Pretty tangy but maybe that's because the Straus organic yogurt I bought is tangy. If I wanted to try making yogurt cheese, do I put some cheesecloth over a mesh strainer and let it drain out? Can I do this in the sink or do I have to keep it refrigerated? As an aside -- I was getting used to the slimy stuff -- at least it was thick and very tasty. I found if I just drank it from the jar, the slime was not obvious. That batch I did with whole milk, this batch I used organic 2%. Have you ever tried adding those bits of yogurt culture instead of actual yogurt? Also, maybe mine didn't get so thick because I had to keep moving it when I would zap in microwave since all the jars could not fit in there at once. Tue Jan 06 16:38:06 -0800 2009 4301149 12520 walker 11 4302208 I have a couple of strainers just for yogurt (used em once). I strained the yogurt in the ref; but room temp if it is not to hot would be OK. Cheesecloth is fine. My first wife and I would strain milk that had gone bad when we lived in southern Bolivia and drank raw milk. The stuff would go from foul smelling to the sweetest of spreading cheeses. Anyway, one thing to consider is to use whole milk and whole milk powder as I do. Thick (as in it holds its shape completely on a spoon, no slumping, thick as any fage) and very tangy. Tue Jan 06 16:56:57 -0800 2009 4302163 36661 Sam Fujisaka 11 4302973 Walker, Straus yogurt does not have as active a culture as Stonyfield. Try that brand next time for your first batch. I researched this. Maria Tue Jan 06 22:04:10 -0800 2009 4302163 18222 maria lorraine 6 4302977 << Put in the starter next to last and gently whisk it up. Finally add the water to total the 3 1/2 quarts and whisk gently.>> Sam, Do you mean you heat your milk PLUS your starter culture in the microwave? I think you're killing part of your culture!! I always wait to add the culture till the milk mixture has cooled down to 105 F. My yogurt is extra thick, but I let it go 15 hours. Beautiful. Maria Tue Jan 06 22:06:56 -0800 2009 4298785 18222 maria lorraine 7 4302991 Yes, I made a batch the other day. I've been using less time for initial heating and know I'm not getting the mix anywhere near 180 F. I was initially off on my volume; thought I was making 5 liters; but was making 3.5 liters. Anyway, my yogurt contines to come out as thick and tangy as can be: e.g., if I remove a scoop from a container, the depression stays as is, no falling or flowing inwards. I'm making a lot these days: my breakfast is yogurt, sliced banana, blackberries, and honey. My five year old has a lot; and I use the stuff for sauces and dressings. Tue Jan 06 22:17:19 -0800 2009 4302977 36661 Sam Fujisaka 8 4303029 You have been my inspiration throughout...you gave me such a good running start...now I'm marathoning! Tue Jan 06 22:53:56 -0800 2009 4302991 18222 maria lorraine 9 4303197 Thank you. I feel like I've now paid my CH dues. Wed Jan 07 03:59:43 -0800 2009 4303029 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 4303896 That's very interesting, and I know it's an undesirable consistancy in yogurt, and myself I dislike it but I've had sheep's milk yogurt and it's automatically like that all the time - doubt it was an error as it's an art to make yogurt in most areas in the middle east and I could not track down a descent yogurt that I liked (creamy, rich, that you could scoop out with a spoon) Good luck with the yogurt! Wed Jan 07 09:06:46 -0800 2009 4290440 224081 BamiaWruz