Anyone use Yogurt Makers?

[bmccasland]

I missed going to Farmer's Market yesterday (one looonnnnggg meeting) to get milk from my local dairy, so I'll have to put off the yogurt crockpot experiment for a week. He pasteurizes but not homoginzes his milk, so even the skim tastes creamy (just have to remember to shake the jug every time).

[malkin]

I cultured out of the most recent batch for about a couple years. It was still going strong, but there was one of those accidents with a gravitational surge in the kitchen, so I started over.

The maker I use is branded Salton, and a quart canning jar fits inside it.

[smilingcat]

I also have the EuroCuisine. But my partner doesn't like the style of yogurt I make. so the equipment is collecting dust. Maybe I just need to add simple syrup to the milk...

I prefer the European style with the tang.

[malkin]

I've found that starting with a more sour yogurt to begin with produces (surprise!) more sour yogurt!

[badger]

if you don't want the sourness of the yogurt, try putting inulin in next time (you should be able to buy it at places like Whole Foods). It's a pre-biotic, so it's beneficial in yogurt, it's literally like sugar so it'll cut down on the "sourness".

Hipmama, how do you make yogurt with hemp/almond/soy milk? I tried once with soy and it just curdled. I know it needs something in it, I believe a type of sugar. Do you use a particular brand?

[hipmama]

Badger-I use Edensoy for the soy milk and living harvest hemp milk - for sweetener I use agave nectar or maple syrup, depending on what flavor I'm going for. Never had it curdle- are you watching your heating temp?

[badger]

I'll give Eden soy a try. I read it in the instruction booklet for the yogurt maker, and it said it had to have something in it, and I can't remember what it was (nor can I find the manual at the moment!).

I'm assuming you're using the starter out of a packet? I use the yogourmet type, and when I tried it on the soy milk, it just curdled (same temp as the dairy yogurt as it's a maker). Any other tips would be great, I'm not a huge fan of dairy so I wouldn't mind making my own soy/hemp/almond yogurt.

[OakLeaf]

Hipmama, how do you make yogurt with hemp/almond/soy milk? I tried once with soy and it just curdled. I know it needs something in it, I believe a type of sugar. Do you use a particular brand?

It's the opposite - you need to use UNsweetened soy milk or the culture won't take.

+1 on Edensoy because (1) their quality control is SOOOOO much higher than the others (they actually test regularly for GMO contamination!) and (2) it's less diluted so you're getting a thicker yogurt and a better value for your money. Of course homemade soy milk will be even less diluted and way less cheaper and wasteful.... but it's just too much of a PITA for me.

I've got to try hemp milk now! I didn't think it would culture. Grain milks won't.

[badger]

ok, I just found the user guide for my yogurt maker. For soy, it says:

"Be sure to use UHT soy milk which contains one of the following ingredients: fructose, honey or malt. These ingredients are necessary for fermentation and you will not succeed if none are available in the milk."

I've got two kinds of soy milk at home and neither have the above ingredients. The both have evaporated cane juice but I don't think that qualifies as fructose.