Anyone make your own yogurt?

[Goblinmonger]

I was planning on saving up for a 2 qt yogurt maker in the next couple months. Last night I was at Goodwill to get some pants and saw a yogurt maker in the appliance section for $3.99 (the kind with 7 glass jars). So I thought, that saves me over $50 and I can see if I suck at it.

So, looking to make some yogurt overnight. Anyone do this that can give me some hints. I would like to make it as low-fat as possible.

[Le Taz Hot]

1. I have but it's been awhile.

I have a yogurt maker as well and have used it pretty extensively.

If you don't have the instructions for your unit you might look online to see if they're posted somewhere. Other than that, just researching yogurt-making in general will give you some pretty good information.

Because yogurt is a live culture, you need to start with a live culture. I was able to locate a starter called "Yogourmet" (in the refrigerated section) from a health food store though I'm sure there are other brands available.

You can also use fresh, plain yogurt as a start.

I also used organic milk but you can use any milk. I've used down to 2% milk but I'm not sure if fat-free will work.

Anyway, just follow the instructions for the machine. The longer you allow it to slow-cook, the tangier it gets. I would often let it go fairly long and use it as a substitute for sour cream.

If you want Greek yogurt, which is just a thicker version of regular yogurt, squeeze your yogurt though cheesecloth to remove the moisture. You're left with a much thicker version than what your started out with.

The only other thing is adding flavor. I always just add whatever flavoring or fruits I had available as I dished out a portion to eat. Vanilla extract, almond extract, strawberries, whatever I had available.

Anyway, hope this helps.

[Goblinmonger]

2. I was able to find the instruction manual online.

It was not overly helpful but gave me the mechanics of the maker.

I will start with 2% and work my way down to see if fat-free will work. My guess is it will be less thick.

When adding extract (I'm partial to just vanilla yogurt) how much would you add per cup? Hopefully I will have to figure that out by morning

[Le Taz Hot]

3. It's going to be pretty much

to taste. Since it is extract, a little will go a long way. I like to sweeten mine up with honey as well.

[Cairycat]

4. The times I've made yogurt

the best results have been when everything that touched the milk or starter was super-duper clean.

You can add powdered milk to skim milk to make the yogurt thicker. But I think yogurt tastes best made with whole milk.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. I had one of those gadgets years ago and it made great yogurt...

I only stopped using it because with my schedule back then I never knew if I'd be back home when the stuff was done. And, the prep time with scalding and reducing the milk and then the the cooldown added to the time problem. Then I lost it somewhere and just kept on buying yogurt when I felt like it. Besides, the increasing cost of milk then made it more expensive to make than buy.

One tip they may not mention in the instructions is that since there are a number of different cultures used in yogurt making, use a top quality yogurt you really like as a starter.

I remember the instructions saying boiling the milk down by up to 25% (be careful you don't burn it-- low heat!) makes thicker yogurt. Believe it-- and I think it's tastier, too.

Good luck with it-- assuming the thing still works and the heating element isn't screwed up (test the temp before making the first batch) it's almost foolproof.

on edit--

Another small problem I had was scarfing down all six of those cups in no time and then having to wait for another batch.

[Major Nikon]

6. You can make yogurt with skim milk if you like

Some people add powdered milk to increase the overall thickness of the final product. This also ups the protein level. I suggest doing this if you use skim milk. You'll add about 1/2 cup of powdered milk per quart of milk before the scalding stage.

Here's Dr Fankhauser's page on yogurt making. It's a great place to start. The most important part is to make sure the milk cools after the scalding step but before inoculation. Dr Fankhauser suggests a temperature of 122-130 F. This might be OK if you have very precise thermometer, but since you are using a yogurt maker, it's not really important that the milk be as warm as possible for inoculation. I suggest you go with about 110 instead. The danger of inoculating at too high of a temperature is you kill your culture and you won't wind up with yogurt.
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/yogurt_making/yogurt2000.htm

You should experiment with incubation times. Longer incubation times produce thicker yogurt and more tangy taste (more acidity).

Also check out Dr Fankhauser's labneh page. If you find your yogurt is thinner than you like, you can use his method for making labneh. 24 hours will give you a cheese like consistency. Shorter times (like say 4-8 hours) will give you a Greek yogurt type consistency.

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Making_Laban/Labneh.htm

[noamnety]

7. I have a thrift shop yogurt maker too.

The brand is salton. I didn't like the cups that came with it because the lids didn't seal on securely. Not a problem for home, but a major problem to take in a lunch to work. I ended up tossing them, and instead I use the 8 oz ball jelly mason jars. They fit in the yogurt maker fine without a lid, and when I'm ready to refrigerate them I use the white plastic reusable screwon lids for them.

Since I'm using those, I'm not limited to just the 5 official glass jars that came with the machine - I can have 2 yogurts left in the fridge and go ahead and start a new batch. Also, I have a stove with a pilot light, so I make more than the 5 at a time anyway. I don't measure, I just do about half my pot filled with milk, and overflow goes into extra mason jars that I pop on the bottom of the oven and they turn into yogurt just as well as the ones in the yogurt maker.

I use whole milk plus milk powder (unmeasured) but you can experiment of course.

Also, I tried doing a spoonful of starter in the bottom of each cup, and mixing it in a bit with a fork. That was a pain in the butt and didn't always set up so well. Now I just dump my last jar of yogurt into the pot once the milk has cooled, and hit it with a stick blender, then pour into cups. It makes a world of difference.

[MrMickeysMom]

8. I used to make it all the time, still have my yogurt maker...

... but, you don't need one, really.

I used to have access through the local whole foods store to get some good bacteria (dried yeast that frankly, I have forgotten the name of, but was made outside the US). To make it, I also obtained non-fat dry milk, same store.

Heat up the milk upon mixing with water, get the temperature right to add the bacteria, stirring well, then filling up either the yogurt jars that sit in their incubator when plugged in, or...

use clean ball jars with lids, fill them up and cover, then cover this rather loosely with a very low setting heating pad and towel over that in a stable area of kitchen counter.

That was some of the best yogurt and I've thought of reviving this recipe, coincidentally. I'll check back here when I've done it.

[Major Nikon]

11. I've never owned a commercial yogurt maker

People have been making yogurt for thousands of years without commercial yogurt makers and there's lots of ways to do it. One of the easiest ways is to use a thermos.

[MrMickeysMom]

15. A thermos?

You'll have to explain that one to me sometime.

It's true... one of the oldest foodstuffs. When I visited Istanbul some years back and had a yogurt drink with my food, it was refreshing and I thought, "Funny, I would never have put these two things together". The fact is, the bacteria with my gyro sandwich helped me digest that meat better.

[Major Nikon]

16. It's simple

After you pitch your culture you put the mixture in a thermos. If you start at the 120 degree F point, a good thermos will keep it above 100 degrees for hours which is long enough to incubate the yogurt cultures.

[MrMickeysMom]

17. EXCELLENT!

Why didn't I think of that?

[Major Nikon]

18. Wrapping the thermos with a towel or two and putting it on top of the fridge helps also

[Major Nikon]

20. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention

Upthread I posted a link from Dr. Fankhauser who uses a cooler, mason jars, and hot water for incubation. From this I got the inspiration to make yogurt in my homemade sous vide setup. It works incredibly well.

[Blues Heron]

9. I used to a while back, using the oven as an incubator

Leave the oven off, boil a big pot of water, put that on the lower shelf of the oven, should bring the temp up to the right level - which i forget now - 119? 112? anywho, if it gets too cold in there, reheat the pot of water. Too hot, open the oven door a crack. Use a thermometer to check the temps.

I had a nice wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer, so I'd put the outdoor sensor next to the yogurt in the oven, and I could see the oven temp from the next room! I thought that was pretty slick!

but in the end, I don't eat all that much yogurt, so after three or four batches, let it slide by the wayside.

[Major Nikon]

12. 122 degrees F is the optimum temperature for yogurt bacteria growth

By optimum, I mean the temperature at which the type of bacteria which is used for yogurt cultures propagates most rapidly. At 130 degrees F, you will start to pasteurize your culture. So unless you have very precise control over temperature, you're better off aiming for a lower incubation temperature.

Personally I use 122 degrees, but I have a sous vide setup which has a fuzzy logic temperature controller with less than 1 degree of variance.

[kestrel91316]

10. Yogurt is easy to make. Grab the thrift store cheapie and get to work!

[Goblinmonger]

13. Round 1 was a failure.

I followed the directions that came with the machine. It didn't have me heat the milk or anything. This was contrary to what I had read but thought I'd go with what that machine said. It thickened some but was still really runny. I will try again this weekend heating the milk, letting it cool to 110 and then adding the culture and putting in the machine.

Question: I have read recipes/suggestions on line that you either should or should not add dry milk (and both sides seem pretty emphatic about it). Any suggestions from people here?

[Major Nikon]

14. Adding powdered milk will make your yogurt thicker

There are a number of reasons why your yogurt can turn out too thin. Your starter may not have had enough active cultures. Your incubator may not be getting warm enough or it may be too warm, or you didn't incubate long enough.

There is nothing wrong with adding powdered milk. The reason I recommend adding powdered milk if you're using skim milk is because skim milk is made by skimming off the cream. Most milk manufacturers will add water to skim milk to make up for lost volume in cream. This has the same effect as adding water to prepared yogurt. It's going to thin it down. Adding powdered milk means you have more lactose and proteins per volume. More lactose and protein in the raw ingredients translate to thicker yogurt. If you are using whole milk or you just like thin yogurt, there's really no need to add powdered milk.

You should always scald the milk prior to making yogurt. This does several things. It re-pasteurizes the milk which helps insure that you don't culture bacteria that you don't want to culture. It also denatures the proteins which will help the yogurt thicken. The longer you hold the milk at around 190 degrees, the greater this effect will be. If you want thicker yogurt, I recommend heating the milk to 190 degrees (very low simmer) and holding it there for about 20 minutes. This gets a bit tricky to keep the milk from over boiling. A double boiler will help. I just use a big stainless bowl on top of a pan of water.

You should check the temperature of your incubator. Ideally, you want the temperature of the yogurt itself to be at least 110 degrees, but not more than 122 degrees. Remember that your incubator is not going to be effective until the temperature gets above 100 degrees. So if you put a cold mixture inside your incubator, it may take several hours before the yogurt temp gets above 100 and this is just going to increase the overall amount of time needed.

Here's an excellent guide for yogurt and yogurt making. It has some directions and timing charts listing thickness levels which you may find helpful. All the scales are in metric so you may have to convert if metric isn't your thing.

http://www.yogurtforever.org/download/yogforevuk.pdf

[Lucinda]

19. I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes!