If you like yogurt, you have to try this!!!

Whee! My grains have come!
Will let you know how it goes!

Trial #1 turned out not especially brilliant. It was very tangy (alcoholic) and I reckon it was over-fermented. Mainly because I put too much milk on the quantity of grains that I had so it took 48 hours to be ready by which time the taste was too sour and ferment-ated. The grains had increased in quantity thought so *something* was going right. So I re-checked on the Kefir site and reworked the proportions.
Trial #2 On the Way

margo-the-milk-witch

Yea!
What a cute wee culture!
It is also a real *animal* and not in the least sensitive.
Got it all sussed now and production in full swing.
Easier to use bought (pasteurised) milk than pasteurise my own only to cool it back down to its optimal temp.
If anyone wants culture it can be posted (really, the woman I got it from said she has posted it all over the world!!)

I don't eat much yogurt. However as a tasty healthy dip/sub for cream cheese.

We make yogurt cheese. One just strains plain yogurt for half day through a fine strain and yogurt becomes thick.

Can add freshly chopped herbs, lemon juice or jot of hot sauce. Stir lightly. done

I notice that Amazon sells Kefir starter. Has anyone tried this? I order my yogurt starter through them (Euro Cuisine brand) since I can't find any around here, even in the co-ops.

Cheers,
Kate :)

Here's a question: I make yogurt irregularly, and often I'll go too long between batches to keep my starter in the refrigerator. If I freeze some yogurt, will the cultures survive, or do I have to keep starting over with commercial starter?

I never used a starter, just a spoonful of yogurt from the grocery store.

Does a starter make a difference?

It can last in the frig for a couple of weeks plus. They just go to sleep and don't actually die . What kills them is heat (50 deg C plus)
Like Knotted says you can use actual yoghurt as a starter. You can even do this every time (ie keep back 20% of the batch to add to "tomorrow's")

My wee pet kefir is doing really well and stabilising nicely the past few days.

I've had my saved yogurt spoil more than once. I think soy yogurt tends to spoil quicker than dairy. And by "commercial starter," I meant to include store-bought yogurt. I was just wondering if freezing kills the bacteria.

Well, I decided to try making yogurt today for the first time--we'll see how it goes! I put the glass jar of inoculated milk in a cooler with hot tap water (about 120 degrees) and then wrapped the cooler in a fluffy towel as well; hopefully that will keep the temp fairly constant. I may check it a little later to see if any hot water needs to be added. Then, because I live with two roommates and it's entirely possible for somebody to be tempted to move the whole setup off the counter, I made a little sign saying "Caution: bacteria at work" and put that on top (I am SUCH a nerd...)!

I've read that the bacteria don't survive freezing. Thus frozen yogurt doesn't have the same benefits as regular yogurt. But the lactose is digested already, so it's still better on the gut than ice cream.

I love Alton Brown's Good Eats. He has a show on making yogurt. It might be worth taking a look :D