Yogurt Making

[karole]

by all means--get one==i had one for years, it died i found you don't need one--do mine in little jars in oven with the light on over night. did you read the little article in the last CL.you will like to make it. saves tons of money.

[Anne]

If you like yoghurt making your own is definitely a great idea. I make mine in quart jars inside a cooler filled with warm water. I usually make a jar or two extra thick for cooking (so it doesn't have to drain so long). My kids wouldn't drink much milk for a few years so we were going through a quart or more of yoghurt/day. Making my own was a real money saver and it didn't have all the fillers and sugars that commercial brands do.

[This message has been edited by Anne (edited 05-15-2001).]

[LIsaP]

Thanks Karole and Anne,
From your responses, I gather that one does not need an actual yogurt maker to do this...can you explain the process without one?
Thanks!

[Grace]

Yes, I'd be interested in knowing this too, and how do you make it extra thick? I'd love to make some really thick stuff for making dips and tzatziki with....TIA!

[LIsaP]

I am thinking about getting a yogurt maker and wondering if any of you have one and if so, how do you like it?

Thanks in advance!

Lisa

[Anne]

Hi again yoghurt lovers. When I make yoghurt I usually mix non-instant, non-fat dry milk with warm water in a gallon jar. The water should be mid-range temperature wise on the yoghurt thermometer. I use about a 4:1 ratio of water to dry milk (just a little stronger than is recommended for making milk) and about a half cup of starter (unflavored yoghurt with active cultures). Make sure the starter gets well mixed in with the milk - I usually do this by putting the starter in a bowl and gradually adding the warm milk, stirring all the time. I fill a cooler half full of water that is about 5 degrees warmer than the milk, pour the milk into 4 quart jars and put lids lightly on top of the jars. Put quart jars in cooler making sure they won't tip. The warm water should cover up to the shoulders of the jars.
Close cooler lid, cover with thick blanket and let sit overnight. The next morning you'll have 4 quarts of yoghurt. If you want thicker yoghurt add more dry milk at the start (3:1 ratio or even stronger). If you want more sour yoghurt, replace cooler water with more warm water and let sit culturing for another 8 hours or so. If the yoghurt doesn't set overnight replace cooler water with warm water and let culture longer. Homemade yoghurt tends to weep if stirred (no stabilizers) so treat the jars gently when putting them in the fridge. My kids love mixing the yoghurt with juice as a sort of kefir type drink.

[Grace]

Thanks, Anne! Now only a couple more questions....where do you get the non-instant powdered milk, and the yogurt starter? Is there a website where these can be ordered? Also, can you use fresh milk instead of powdered? Can I use skim milk? I can only imagine that fresh yogurt must taste so much better than store bought.

Thanks again for your help...

[karole]

i get my non instant powdered milk from a creamery- there may not be one near you --in which case you get it at a co-op. much more expensive than a creamery where i buy a 50 lb bag my recipe came from Preventions Low Fat Low Cost cookbook. (vey good) maybe you can find this on Prevention's web site. there are so many ways of making it and it is experimental--just start with a recipe & try. i mix mine in a blender==use twice as muchpowder --there fore thicker & more calcium

[Anne]

Hi Grace. I get my dry milk from Mountain People's Warehouse (food co-op). Regular instant dry milk would also work, I just prefer the processing used for the non-instant. You can also use fresh milk, anywhere from skim to whole but you would need to bring it to a simmer and then let it cool before adding the yoghurt culture. Yoghurt culture is just store bought yoghurt with active cultures - there are several brands, just look for the words 'with active cultures' They may list the actual bacterias which I can't remember right now and couldn't spell correctly if I did. Sometimes I let my quart jars of milk turn to yoghurt beside the wood stove overnight instead of doing the water in the cooler method. I have heard of people culturing their yoghurt on top of a hotwater heater or any area that is clean and stays the right temperature. If you don't eat the tremendous quantities that my family does the electric yoghurt makers are great. I used to use a little Salton yoghurt maker that had about normal size (8 oz?) glass cups with lids and that worked great when I was only feeding myself.