Yogurt-making @ home

[memesuze]

At one of my local thrift stores, I ran into an Electromatic Thermo-Cult Yogurt Incubator and its documentation, apparently made by Wear-Ever, which appears to date from the fifties or early 60's - "how to make your own Bulgarian yogurt". I couldn't find a picture on Google or eBay, but it's a big round pot that plugs in, into which you place containers of uncooked yogurt. All for $15. My assumption is that it still works, so I ask, is anyone interested in my purchasing it for shipment to you?

[balmagowry]

Latest update from the yogurt front. Yesterday I finally got around to making a batch with Brown Cow starter. Not possessing Jensen's selfless strength of character, I ate the cream top - but used the right amount of the rest of the yogurt to culture my 1/2 gallon of whole milk.

7 hours and it set like a dream. Put it away to chill. Had a couple of spoonfuls late last night and it sure tasted good.

This morning I served myself a nice bowlful, and as I was doing so I noticed how thickly it flowed. Taking each spoonful, I found, was a little like doing the same from a bowl of very hot gratinee with very thoroughly-melted cheese - I won't say the yogurt actually made strings, but that's how thickly viscous it was, that the yogurt in the spoon was reluctant to leave the parent mass in the bowl, which in turn was equally reluctant to release its offspring.

Thick! Rich! Almost TOO thick. I'm not entirely sure I like this new texture. It seems to have a mind of its own.

Except for the use of a different starter (which as I think I noted upthread surprised me by containing some pectin), I haven't changed my techniq

[balmagowry]

Latest update from the yogurt front. Yesterday I finally got around to making a batch with Brown Cow starter. Not possessing Jensen's selfless strength of character, I ate the cream top - but used the right amount of the rest of the yogurt to culture my 1/2 gallon of whole milk.

7 hours and it set like a dream. Put it away to chill. Had a couple of spoonfuls late last night and it sure tasted good.

This morning I served myself a nice bowlful, and as I was doing so I noticed how thickly it flowed. Taking each spoonful, I found, was a little like doing the same from a bowl of very hot gratinee with very thoroughly-melted cheese - I won't say the yogurt actually made strings, but that's how thickly viscous it was, that the yogurt in the spoon was reluctant to leave the parent mass in the bowl, which in turn was equally reluctant to release its offspring.

Thick! Rich! Almost TOO thick. I'm not entirely sure I like this new texture. It seems to have a mind of its own. It's a little like the texture you get from straining out all the whey, though not QUITE as thick - more like Greek yogurt, I guess. If that's so, then maybe Greek isn't quite what I wanted... and I don't understand how I got it.

EDIT to add: the texture is almost... gummy. Can't think how else to describe it. Weird.

Except for the use of a different starter - which as I think I noted upthread surprised me by containing some pectin - I haven't changed my technique at all; though I did strain the milk to prevent the accumulation of those bits of skin.

It can't be that little bit of pectin making all this difference... can it? The texture is quite unlike that of Brown Cow, which actually rather reminds me of the Colombo of 20 years ago. (Yes, I know they're still around, but it's that long since I've eaten one so I don't know how much it may have changed.) I am very, very puzzled.

Next strategy currently under consideration (and this may change by the time I'm ready to implement it): For next batch, use this yogurt as starter for one quart, and Dannnon to start another; that should make for an interesting comparison. It still isn't a very scientific one, because obviously there are a lot of variables I don't know about and am not taking into account. But it'll still be interesting. I guess.

Of all the batches I've made, the first Erivan one was the transcendent, ambrosial one - but I haven't been able to duplicate that, and I think that on principle I'm more comfortable having all four of the standard types of bacteria working. So many options, so little certainty....

Edited May 13, 2004 by balmagowry (log)

[helenjp]

Probably it is the pectin...pectin and calcium do strange things together, a characteristic which is used in a particular kind of green "ume" or plum preserve in Japan.

Less likely alternative: there are some cultures which do make "stringy" or "gummy" yogurt.

[balmagowry]

Probably it is the pectin...pectin and calcium do strange things together, a characteristic which is used in a particular kind of green "ume" or plum preserve in Japan.

Less likely alternative: there are some cultures which do make "stringy" or "gummy" yogurt.

I'm sure you're right. Funny, though, because this is the one jensen swears by - same culture, presumably same pectin. And given the small amount of yogurt used as a starter, the result will at any rate have a much lower pectin concentration than the original. Very puzzling! Well, I'm still going to try making a quart of yogurt using a little of the present batch as starter, just to see what happens. At that point there shouldn't be all that much of the original culture left, I'm guessing, though I admit I have no idea how accurately it replicates itself. My guess is instinctive, based on the dissimilarities in flavor and texture between the starter yogurt and the product. Kind of wish I'd gotten a little farther in all this experimentation before milk prices rose so dramatically - still, in the scheme of things this is not a terrible expense, and only once have I had a really inedible result, so not much gets wasted. Shall continue to report my unscientific results in unscientific fashion.

[andiesenji]

I like the yogurt cultures from this vendor:

http://www.healthgoods.com/Shopping/Applia...gurt_Makers.asp

I use my Excalibur dehydrator for making yogurt because it holds a large container.

We have a yogurt maker at the office that holds a carton of milk, as mentioned in an earlier post.

It was ordered from this vendor by one of the employees:

http://www.juiceandgrain.com/item179.html

I have purchased other items from them, a fermenting crock for sauerkraut, a grain mill, one of my dehydrators and a pressure cooker.

The prices are excellent and they are very nice to deal with. Customer service is excellent.

I have a friend who lives in Glendale and it was she that first recommended this vendor when I was trying to find the fermenting crock.

[blueapron]

I like to make my own also.I just buy a fav organic yogurt eat 80% first.

Then slowly heat 1 quart of milk to a tepid 98 to 105 degrees

Pull off the heat and pour into a insainly clean bain and add 2 tblsp of the uneatin yogurt in -cover it and set in same place you would to proof bread.

Let sit overnight resisting the temptation to shake or move the container.

From then on just make sure you dont eat all of your own and use it as your new culture.It becomes something like a sourdough culture and while become more complex and flavorful the longer you keep it going.

Sometimes I use 25% buttermilk to add more tang and sourness.

*Do not stir the yogurt before adding to the milk and be sure to poor off any of the liquid that collects on top of yogurt *

[helenjp]

Hard to tell, of course when one unscientific yogurt maker analyzes another unscientific yogurt makers' output over thousands of miles!

However, if the amount of pectin remaining in your yogurt is negligible, maybe your yogurt has got contaminated by one of the more "stringy" cultures.

(Or maybe there's some weird playoff between the temperature, the seasonal variation in the milk, ad infinitum...).

Every now and then my yogurt does suddenly start to smell different from usual -- not necessarily bad, though - and then I just go back to the supermarkat, buy another batch of my preferred "mother" yogurt, and start again.

My yogurt maker is very like the "Miracle" one used at andiesenji's office. It's so easy to use I could kiss it, if it weren't such an unhygienic procedure!

[balmagowry]

See, here's the philosophical difference between me and the resta youse. You guys are spending MONEY for your equipment, and in two cases MONEY for your starter cultures. I am opposed to this, partly on principle and partly because I can't afford it - don't know where one begins and the other leaves off, because I'm not literally unable to afford it, but I am certainly opposed to spending money on something whose functional equivalent I already own.

Anyway, here as promised is my report on the latest batch. I did almost what I said I would. Last night I made a quart batch using a little of the previous (gummy) batch as a starter. Helen, I think you were right: the amount of pectin in the original starter was just enough to make the product gummy; but the amount of gummy yogurt used to start this batch did not retain enough pectin to affect the final texture. IAC, the new yogurt is excellent, as good as the second-best I've ever made (and I'm now pretty much convinced that the best one was a fluke, though I wouldn't be above trying to replicate it on occasion), so I'm happy, and I now have a nice self-perpetuating setup where the only thing I have to buy is the milk. And the occasional mother yogurt if mine should turn funky. I think at that point I'll revert to Dannon; the Brown Cow was lovely to eat, but I wasn't crazy about the gumminess - Dannon at least is nice and neutral. Oh - and I do still have that freeze-dried culture to play with as well. Hmmmmm... decisions, decisions. Anyway, as long as I have a pilot light, I'm in business.

Oh - Jensen, if you should happen to look in here - I was right about the gritty problem being particles scraped off the bottom - straining the milk resolved it. I've also changed to a heavy cast-aluminum pan for heating the milk - so no more scorching.

All in all, I'm a pretty happy and self-sufficient camper.

[Behemoth]

I feel so old school. I use a giant clay pot I got from relatives in lebanon. It holds its warmth for a long time, so I can just leave it in a corner for 24 hours, swaddled in dishtowels. I guess there's some risk when I don't use a machine for these things, but the "seat-of-the-pants" element of possible failure makes cooking so much more fun for me.

I bring the milk just to a boil, the let it cool for about 30 minutes (approx 115 degrees), then mix the starter with a little of the milk in a seperate bowl, then incorporate into the pot. I usually use stonyfield full cream as a starter...It is what I buy at the supermarket anyway, so I can just use the leftover for a new batch so long as I remember to save some. Oh, I also use buttermilk when I remember to get it! (Some for the yoghurt, the rest for irish soda bread )

Plain Brown Cow is harder to find around here so I've never used it as a starter -- I like that it is more sour than stonyfield, but that's interesting about the pectin. Huh. Why would they use Pectin in the first place? How annoying...does stonyfield do pectin? If I want my yoghurt thicker I just drain it.

Edited May 19, 2004 by Behemoth (log)

[balmagowry]

Yup - Stonyfield uses pectin, even in the Organic. Not sure they do in the full-fat, but I think so. Very annoying. Dannon is the cleanest starter I've found - and Axelrod is pretty good too.

[ellencho]

IIRC, Total Fage Yogurt has no preservatives or additives in it, and if I use it as a starter I end up with a delicious yogurt, as long as I let it sit for at least 24 hrs.

Here's a link to the Fage webpage, with a listing of their products.

I've eaten brown cow yogurt but never used it for a starter. If one were to use it as a starter would you include that top layer of creamy goodness?

Edited May 20, 2004 by ellencho (log)

[Marmish]

IIRC, Total Fage Yogurt has no preservatives or additives in it, and if I use it as a starter I end up with a delicious yogurt, as long as I let it sit for at least 24 hrs.

Here's a link to the Fage webpage, with a listing of their products.

I've eaten brown cow yogurt but never used it for a starter. If one were to use it as a starter would you include that top layer of creamy goodness?

When I used Total as a starter, it didn't set. I let it set about 9 hours wrapped in towels and then refrigerated it. The next evening I checked it and it hadn't set. I left it on the counter another day because I was too irritated to throw it out. It still hadn't set by the time I poured it out. Maybe I'll try again. I currently have some Krino homestyle yogurt. I might try that, too.

I usually use the Dannon plain.

[ellencho]

IIRC, Total Fage Yogurt has no preservatives or additives in it, and if I use it as a starter I end up with a delicious yogurt, as long as I let it sit for at least 24 hrs.

Here's a link to the Fage webpage, with a listing of their products.

I've eaten brown cow yogurt but never used it for a starter. If one were to use it as a starter would you include that top layer of creamy goodness?

When I used Total as a starter, it didn't set. I let it set about 9 hours wrapped in towels and then refrigerated it. The next evening I checked it and it hadn't set. I left it on the counter another day because I was too irritated to throw it out. It still hadn't set by the time I poured it out. Maybe I'll try again. I currently have some Krino homestyle yogurt. I might try that, too.

I usually use the Dannon plain.

Was it completely runny? Or was it semi-set? I add 3/4 cup of dried skim milk powder and that's the best way to get a super thick yogurt. That, and allowing the yogurt to sit for at least 24 yrs to get that characteristic Greek Yogurt tang.

The only other thing I can think of was that perhaps your milk was either too cool or too hot when you added your starter. I used to work in a micro lab and some bacteria need specific temperatures for optimal growth.

[Marmish]

IIRC, Total Fage Yogurt has no preservatives or additives in it, and if I use it as a starter I end up with a delicious yogurt, as long as I let it sit for at least 24 hrs.

Here's a link to the Fage webpage, with a listing of their products.

I've eaten brown cow yogurt but never used it for a starter. If one were to use it as a starter would you include that top layer of creamy goodness?

When I used Total as a starter, it didn't set. I let it set about 9 hours wrapped in towels and then refrigerated it. The next evening I checked it and it hadn't set. I left it on the counter another day because I was too irritated to throw it out. It still hadn't set by the time I poured it out. Maybe I'll try again. I currently have some Krino homestyle yogurt. I might try that, too.

I usually use the Dannon plain.

Was it completely runny? Or was it semi-set? I add 3/4 cup of dried skim milk powder and that's the best way to get a super thick yogurt. That, and allowing the yogurt to sit for at least 24 yrs to get that characteristic Greek Yogurt tang.

The only other thing I can think of was that perhaps your milk was either too cool or too hot when you added your starter. I used to work in a micro lab and some bacteria need specific temperatures for optimal growth.

I used an instant read thermometer like I usually do. It was completely runny. Not even slightly set. I have been satisfied with the tanginess in the past after about 9 hours. I follow the directions from my Greek friend's mother (see upthread for the post), using either the paper towel method, or straining. In two weeks, when school is out, I will try again. It just seems to be a frustrating thing to do consistently. Nobody seems to get the same batch twice. I also have been trying to make larger batches others seem to be, so this summer, I will cut back to 1-2 quarts at a time.

[Behemoth]

That, and allowing the yogurt to sit for at least 24 yrs to get that characteristic Greek Yogurt tang.

Ancient Greek-style, I take it?

[ellencho]

That, and allowing the yogurt to sit for at least 24 yrs to get that characteristic Greek Yogurt tang.

Ancient Greek-style, I take it?

Yes, I have it with a side of Socrates. Deelicious.

[Fat Guy]

So, this is what I have been doing of late. It's not a particularly artisanal or gourmet way to make yogurt, but it yields a surprisingly likeable product that is convenient, cheap and versatile.

I figured this out quite by accident. When I first started making yogurt I purchased a bunch of nonfat dry milk. I had read in several places that if you add dry milk to actual milk you can create a thicker yogurt. I never tested the theory because I was happy with the consistency of my yogurt anyway.

Then I went into yogurt hibernation: a few months passed, during which I made no yogurt. Stonyfield Farm and Stew Leonard's served us well enough, and yogurt-making was just one more thing I didn't have time for. My coffee-roasting efforts went on hiatus during this time as well, because my coffee roaster's glass roasting chamber had broken (on account of being dropped).

One day a few weeks ago, however, we ran out of yogurt and coffee on the same day. There wasn't even enough roasted coffee to make a cup, but we had about 25 pounds of green beans. And there wasn't enough yogurt for a portion, but there were maybe four tablespoons of it in the bottom of the last surviving container. Moreover, it was pouring out -- one of the heaviest New York rains I can remember. So I decided I would try some new strategies.

First, I roasted some coffee in the oven on a half-sheet pan. It came out surprisingly well -- better, I think, than most of my efforts in the FreshRoast machine I had been using.

And then I turned my attention to the yogurt. But just as we had no yogurt, we also had no milk . . . except, I realized, enough nonfat dry milk to make 10 quarts of milk.

So I took four packets of dry milk and put them in a small stockpot with enough water to make a gallon. I heated it up to 205 degrees, and I noticed that, while it tasted pretty crappy at room temperature, when it hit the mid-100s it was indistinguishable from regular milk and perhaps even -- surprisingly -- a little fresher (cleaner, brighter, more dairy-ish) tasting than the milk I typically get at the supermarket.

I then let it cool to 120 and poured it into four 32-ounce Glad plastic containers (the disposable ones that are cube-ish), added a tablespoon of yogurt to each and shut them tight.

For a heat source, I took two Pyrex baking dishes and put the four Glad containers in them, and I filled the container with hot water from the faucet. I left the whole assemblage on the stovetop while I was making stock on a nearby burner, a process that kept things at around 110 degrees all day. At some point the temperature dropped a little bit so I refilled the hot water and that carried me through until evening. The yogurt had set, so I refrigerated it overnight. All in all, this process was similar to what I had tried in March and reported here, except it was more impressive in a blood-from-a-stone sort of way, and also one other thing . . .

The next day, I was treated to the best batch of nonfat yogurt I'd ever produced. It had a terrific, tangy flavor and a consistency that was thicker than I'd ever achieved before with nonfat milk. And, without very much labor at all -- just the occasional moment of observation while I was doing other things in the kitchen anyway -- I was able to make four quarts of the stuff, which lasted a good long time.

[Jensen]

Oy! I think I know what I'm doing tomorrow...

[fifi]

Fat Guy,

My mother always said that the addition of the non-fat dry milk to the whole milk was the trick to her thick and velvety yogurt. Side by side trials proved her right. Now I am wondering about using all dry milk like you did. I would have never thought to try it. Having never used the packets I am not aware of what volume a packet is intended to make. I am wondering if you diluted it according to directions or made it more concentrated.

[Fat Guy]

This particular carton of packets -- and I think this is pretty much standard -- indicated that each packet would yield one quart. So four packets to the gallon would, I suppose, represent a normal ratio of solids-to-water.

[Jensen]

Was there a weight on the packets? I've only got bulk dry milk and it is no longer in its original container. I have no idea how much water to add to what amount of powder.

[Fat Guy]

3.7 ounces (weight). I'm not sure if that varies by brand. Mine is the store brand from ShopRite.

[Jensen]

I'll try a weight somewhere in that vicinity and see how it goes...

Thank you!

[redfox]

Ooh! This is very exciting. I finally made a batch of yogurt of my very own, and am thrilled to find that it has set up beautifully. I wanted to have both some drained, greek-style yogurt and unstrained, regular yogurt, so rather than buying enough to do both, I bought just a single container of Stonyfield Farms cream-on-top, despite its pectin, a half-gallon of organic whole milk, and a box of dried milk.

I read this thread and then heated about 3 1/2 cups of milk and 1/4 cup of milk powder to steaming hot (not boiling), whisking vigorously every now and then. I let it cool to about the temperature I like a nice hot bath to be (lots of science here). Then I put 1/4 cup or so of the storebought yogurt in a little bowl, beat it soundly, and sloshed in a little of the milk. Whisked that, dumped it back into the pan, whisked some more, and then poured the lot into a nice clean quart-sized yogurt container. I put the lid on loosely and put it in my gas oven with just the pilot on for about 5 hours. The rest of the storebought went into a colander to drain.

And lo and behold, my milk is now yogurt! It tastes good, too. Creamy and yogurty and wobbly and delicate. Next time I may leave it out longer for more tang, but right now the sweeter version seems more exotic and desirable.

So now my question is: I've seen people suggesting keeping out a little bit to be the starter for the next batch right at the beginning, and freezing it, presumably so you aren't starting with oldish, sourish starter. Anyone who's done that, do you have any tips about container or thawing?