Quote Originally Posted by badger View Post
let me get this straight, you use dairy yogurt as a starter for your soy yogurt? I used the packaged starter for my attempt and I figured it curdled because maybe I used one intended for dairy. I could buy a small thing of soy yogurt as my starter, but I don't think I've seen an unflavoured soy yogurt in the stores.
Yes, I've been very successful starting with dairy yogurt. Also with probiotic pills (different culture blend, different flavor and consistency), some of which are non-dairy, if that's an issue for you. I have a whole Excel spreadsheet going - what I started with, what I cultured it with, how long it grew, tartness, firmness and creaminess. Did I mention I'm a total data geek?

Whatever I read recently said that the additives in any storebought yogurt are not enough to make the culture unusable. However, storebought soy yogurt tends to have a pretty short shelf life, and I'd worry about the cultures already being contaminated. I don't think I'd buy soy yogurt to use as a starter.

Also, remember that a lot of the temperature control in the Yogourmet maker comes from the water bath you start with. It IS possible to get it too hot if you start with a water bath that's too hot.