Any experience with yoghurt makers?

[kalimna]

Greetings folks,
Given the prodigious quantities of yoghurt our young son (he's only 7 months!) consumes, and the fact that I've developed quite a taste for it too, I fancied getting a yoghurt maker.
This isnt something I have ever tried making at home before, so if anyone has experience of making yoghurt at home, could you please give some advice??

Ta muchly,
Adam

[Bren In Pots]

Adam have a look at these two threads on yoghurt :-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ker_53322.html



http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ion_43177.html

I'm sure you'll find the info you need there

[Dottie]

I can't help I'm afraid, but I'd be interested to know too, but yoghurt made with soya milk. Do I need to buy a soya yoghurt to start if off?

Someone ages ago gave me an old yoghurt maker (I think it has abour 7 little glass jars (maybe with lids?) that sit on a tray that you plug in, and the tray and jars are then covered by a plastic lid, to contain the heat. I assume it will be a bit like a heated propagator, as it slowly heats up the milk? It's up in my loft, but it's not new, so unfortunately I don't have instructions.

[Suky]

I make mine with 4pts of milk in a big saucepan! Sorry, I don't have accurate temperatures for you. I am a 'bung it' cook
Heat your milk (whatever quantity) to almost boiling point then allow to cool until you can just hold your finger in it for a count to ten without it hurting. Stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons natural yogurt (bought or saved). I then wrap the whole pan in a big fluffy bath towel and leave it somewhere warm for about 12 hours. The airing cupboard is good if you have one but I have left it on a shelf in the kitchen over the radiator.
You should then have yogurt. I strain mine through muslin 'cos I prefer a greek style, thick yogurt.
I saw an episode of HFW where he made yogurt this way in smaller quantities in a thermos flask. You could probably find the episode online to watch.

[kalimna]

Bren, Dottie, Suky

Thanks for the info - those links have a fair amount in them. Im not sure that making your own yoghurt is necessarily cheaper, but it probably allows a little more experimentation, and helps use up the fruit glut

Cheers,
Adam

[chris]

I bought the easiyo one, as my 17 month old eats so much yog. I worked it out, and it's cheaper than buying it shop bought, for the variety I was buying (yeo valley organic). Tastes great, but you do need to make sure it's mixed up. A mouth ful of unmixed powder in the yoghurt does make you feel a bit ill.

[scarey55]

We have one and it produces very much creamier yoghurt than I have ever had from the shops. Having said that, I don't really like yoghurt so we don't use it that often.
We don't use powder so we don't have the problems with it not mixed in, we just use an organic plain yoghurt as a starter and mix it with uht full cream milk. Takes overnight to cook but it is very simple and you can vary the thickness depending on how long you leave it cooking.

[Bren In Pots]

Someone ages ago gave me an old yoghurt maker (I think it has abour 7 little glass jars (maybe with lids?) that sit on a tray that you plug in, and the tray and jars are then covered by a plastic lid, to contain the heat. I assume it will be a bit like a heated propagator, as it slowly heats up the milk? It's up in my loft, but it's not new, so unfortunately I don't have instructions.

Dottie have a look here -salton-gm-5-yogurt-maker in the third paragraph there's a pdf with instruction how to use the old style yoghurt makers.
It's the same one I bought in the '70 and it still gets used along with my new Lakeland one if I need to a lot of yoghurt.

[lainey lou]

I wouldn't be without my electric yogurt maker, got it about 5 years ago from lakeland and I always have a tub on the go, it's fab!

[Rhona]

I use the Lakeland one too - it's very simple. Don't use powder either, just a spoonful of starter from the last yoghurt and strain it if we want the real thick Greek-style stuff.

We also worked out that we were probably keeping Rachel's Organics afloat with the amount of yoghurt our little ones get through, so it's nice to make your own, especially when the raspberries and strawberries are around.

[Alison]

Easiyo here, it's really great, take a pot into work most days with various fruits / jam added as necessary.

[Dottie]

Dottie have a look here -salton-gm-5-yogurt-maker in the third paragraph there's a pdf with instruction how to use the old style yoghurt makers.
It's the same one I bought in the '70 and it still gets used along with my new Lakeland one if I need to a lot of yoghurt.

Thanks Bren for the link, although after a search last night it turns out I have the Severin Yogurt Maker. So I searched for a manual/instructions to download, but the download only gave the same info you get on amazon to tempt you to buy it.

After reading different comments on the web, I liked the idea of not having to heat the soya uht milk, but having looked at your link it states that they do not recommend adding starter to cold milk, so I'm not sure yet, as I like the idea of just adding uht milk and a bit of fresh starter. Next step is get my machine down from the loft and give it a go, I do love greek yoghurt with honey, so I can have a go at that to get me started. Then by the time the first of my rhubarb is ready, I'll hopefully be a homemade yoghurt convert/expert.

[chris]

Surely room temp. UHT isn't class as cold though? Being warmer will just increase the speed it colonises the milk as far as I understand it?

[Dottie]

Surely room temp. UHT isn't class as cold though? Being warmer will just increase the speed it colonises the milk as far as I understand it?

Yep I thought I'd give it a go, with a uht soya milk striaght from shopping bag to yoghurt machine. It's not like I'll have stood over it for hours cooking it, just let the machine do it's job and see what it tastes like.

[northepaul]

I make my own yoghurt as we cant have cows milk and goats milk yoghurt is SOOOO expensive to buy.
Mine involves a saucepan,a thermosflask and an airing or boiler cupboard.