Anyone use Yogurt Makers?

[WindingRoad]

I'm looking to buy a yogurt maker and I have never owned one. I do however remember my mother making it when I was a kid and how much I loved homemade yogurt. I also like baking with it so I use a considerable amount of it besides I just like the taste. I was curious if any of you had one and would recommend a good make and model?

[LilBolt]

We have one called EURO Cuisine. I think my bf ordered it from Target online. It makes six little jars at a time. Seems to work like a charm!

[PamNY]

I've been wondering about a yogurt maker, too. Does anyone know if you can make a drinkable yogurt? Can you use them for kefir?

Pam

[Blueberry]

I have a yogourmet maker and love it. Can make up to 2 quarts in one big jar. I found it tedious to deal with smaller jars (washing, etc).

Kefir sits at room temperature, as I understand it. I know yogourmet sells a culture (I haven't tried it), but all you really need is the "mother" and you can make kefir for ages.

CA

[OakLeaf]

I have a Yogourmet also. And the large capacity is what I like about it, too.

[jillm]

I make yogurt in a crockpot. Google "crockpot yogurt" and a lot will come up. It's basically this:

Heat 1/2 gal milk on low for 2 hours, unplug and let it sit for 3 hours, take a couple cups of the warm milk and mix with 1/2 c room temp yogurt and mix that in to the crockpot milk. Cover with a heavy towel and let it sit for about 7 hours. (the longer it sits, the tangier it gets) I like to strain mine in a cheesecloth for a couple hrs in the refrigerator for thicker (Greek) yogurt.

yum!

[GLC1968]

I also have the Yogourmet maker. I failed at yogurt making over and over again until I got this machine. I'm living evidence that it's idiot proof!

[WindingRoad]

Thank you all for the info. I didn't know you could use a crockpot. I will have to check that out.

[bambu101]

I also have a Yogourmet yogurt maker, but have not used it since buying this one:

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/...urt-Maker.html

It uses no electricity, and I find that the yogurt is thicker and better than the Yogourmet version. It makes more of a Greek-style thick yogurt. The other trick is to use pasteurized milk, but NOT ultra-pasteurized milk. The ultra-pasteurized milk is heated to such a high temperature that it kills all the good yogurt-making bacteria.

[badger]

I have the EuroCuisine yogurt maker. I haven't used it that much as it can be a bit of a hassle boiling milk first and cooling it back to room temperature. But I do find that the yogurt I make is much "cleaner" than the ones I buy at the store as all I put in is organic milk and the culture. I add jam afterwards to sweeten.

[bmccasland]

I make yogurt in a crockpot. Google "crockpot yogurt" and a lot will come up. It's basically this:

Heat 1/2 gal milk on low for 2 hours, unplug and let it sit for 3 hours, take a couple cups of the warm milk and mix with 1/2 c room temp yogurt and mix that in to the crockpot milk. Cover with a heavy towel and let it sit for about 7 hours. (the longer it sits, the tangier it gets) I like to strain mine in a cheesecloth for a couple hrs in the refrigerator for thicker (Greek) yogurt.

yum!

If I use good quality yogurt as a starter, then in the future, do you use your own yogurt as starter for the next batch?

May sound crazy but does it make a difference with skim or 2% milk?

[jillm]

If I use good quality yogurt as a starter, then in the future, do you use your own yogurt as starter for the next batch?

May sound crazy but does it make a difference with skim or 2% milk?

You can use your homemade yogurt as a starter for the next batch (and it's recommended) but I never plan ahead and end up eating it all! So I just buy a sm plain yogurt (with live active cultures)when I'm buying the milk for the next batch. As for skim vs others, for some reason I use 1%. Don't know why. One of these days I should do a taste test. And as stated in previous posts, "ultra pasteurized" is bad, you want plain ole "Pasteurized" milk.

I made a dip this weekend from yogurt I'd strained all day. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is right--you strain plain yogurt for a couple of hours to get "greek" yogurt, and if you strain it all day it becomes "labneh," yogurt cheese! Anyway, I mixed a small bowlful (1-2 c ) of labneh with about 1/4 c chopped cilantro, a few squirts of Sriracha Chili sauce, a little salt, and a little apple cider vinegar. Dipped carrots, pita chips, and cucumber slices. Tasty!

[ny biker]

By timely coincidence, this blog item is about making yogurt in a crockpot:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/che...pid=sec-health

[Becky]

I'm so excited about the idea of making yogurt in the crockpot! Thanks for the links

[hipmama]

I have the Euro, and love it. It's a little time consuming setting up but that's part of the fun- never made yogurt with cows milk in it but have done great with soy and hemp milks in there. Want to experiment with rice milk and use a little bit of agar agar to thicken it up.