Comments on: Making Homemade Yogurt

By: Marta

Marta — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:50:55 +0000

Its few days later. I put my “failed” yogurt in the fridge and thought it would work on cereal instead of milk. Got it out this morning and it had set up!!! I’m straining it now. Tastes like vanilla pudding. I did some research on trouble shooting and I think my towel didn’t keep it warm enough overnight, so I’ll adjust that next time. Thanks for passing this along!

By: Marta

Marta — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:36:55 +0000

Ok, I made this last night. I used Vanilla soy milk and vanilla silk live yogurt. This morning it was like yogurt at the bottom but milk at the top, maybe 1/3 yogurt and 2/3 milk. What did I do wrong? Does it need to sit out longer? Was using vanilla soy milk a bad idea, should I have used the unsweetened kind?

By: magatha

magatha — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:02:04 +0000

I bought a $60 yogurt maker from King Arthur Foods because I either made runny yogurt or stiff yogurt. It works well, but of course it wasn’t cheap. I had never tried making it in a crockpot, though. I use skim milk, and the directions with this yogurt maker say to add a little powdered milk to thicken it. Works well.

By: mary w

mary w — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 21:09:22 +0000

@Teenie – Put cheese cloth or basket paper coffee filter in a colander or strainer. Place a bowl or something underneath to catch the whey which drains out.

I’ve also up yogurt in the center of cheesecloth, tied all 4 corners together over a chop stick and then laid the chopstick over a bowl so the yogurt didn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.

By: threenorns

threenorns — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 13:31:04 +0000

hi – all this talk of crockpots and other heating devices makes things unnecessarily complicated. cover with a damp tea towel and put it in the oven overnight with the light on – works every time (also great for rising dough but watch it, cause the dough can get pretty lively in there).

if you have forced-air heat, you can put it on one of those shoe racks over a register (the hotter the air, the higher it needs to go – you don’t want custard).

make it in the morning and leave it, covered, in a sunny spot, it’ll be done by dinnertime.

By: Teenie

Teenie — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:08:05 +0000

How do you strain it with the cheese cloth.

By: Bill

Bill — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:46:44 +0000

As a contributing editor, I found the following also useful.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt-By-Machine

http://mryogurt.info/

The one single mistake many folks make is to try to whisk in the culture – USE A BLENDER! Remember, you are trying to evenly distribute billions of bacteria throughout the milk and a whisk just doesn’t hack it.

Bill

By: Stacy

Stacy — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:42:01 +0000

#21. Thank you. I came to post the exact temperatures- this is very easy when you use a thermometer.

We made yogurt this way a gallon and a half at a time for many weeks on end when I was using yogurt in smoothies everyday. Full-fat milk will make the best texture of yogurt but you can use anything. We strained it through cheesecloth to make thicker yogurt instead of mixing in gelaten or milk powder.

By: Interested Reader

Interested Reader — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:10:33 +0000

Kristine – that’s pretty much the difference. Greek yogurt is just strained so that it has more cheese like texture. You can strain regular yogurt to get the same result. You’d just need to strain it through cheesecloth or muslin.

Also because it’s more concentrated it has a little bit more protein.

By: kristine

kristine — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:35:30 +0000

What is the difference between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt? I know the taste difference (I eat no-fat Greek), but what else?

Ever day I have a cup of plain greek yogurt with a bit of baking splenda and cut up fruit. It’s terrific! But Greek yogurt is expensive. Is it really just a difference in how to drain it that make it Greek yogurt?

By: Yankeegal

Yankeegal — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:07:18 +0000

Thanks Trent! I have not conquered making yogurt yet, but this gives me great hope I can do it.

By: Evita

Evita — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:14:50 +0000

Great idea Trent! I’ll be sure to try this…..
Thanks!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:48:32 +0000

I don’t think the Stoneyfield O’Soy yogurts are vegan. I think the active cultures in them are milk-based. But there is a very good vegan yogurt out there by Moosewood Farms (or something like that name). It says “vegan” on the container…

By: jcandles

jcandles — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:58:46 +0000

I’m excited to give this a try as we eat a lot of yogurt (expensive!) and would love to be able to control the amount of sugar that is added. I find most yogurt a little too sweet, but won’t buy the ones with artificial sweeteners because of the extreme health risks of aspartame, etc.

In our area in southwestern Canada, a gallon of milk is between $4.40 and $5.00, so with the 1/2 cup of yogurt for this recipe the cost would be at least $3, I think I need to come buy groceries in Trent’s town!

By: jackson

jackson — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:58:07 +0000

My dad used to make yogurt all the time and it was very good. The one suggestion I have is to mark the date on the containers so you know how old the yogurt is. Looks very tasty.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:46:36 +0000

Trent, there are recipes that use yogurt as a dressing, like falafel or curry with chickpeas, that you might try out. Just another way to use all that yogurt!

By: saniel

saniel — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:06:22 +0000

does this work for a slow cooker? I dont have a crock pot.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:42:36 +0000

I tried the crockpot technique and wasn’t terribly happy with it … but it could be that I’ve got a smallish crockpot (since it’s just me) and I kept the heat down during the winter. I may try it again now that it’s warming up. My normal technique requires a thermometer (as others have mentioned) using the same proportions of milk at yogurt.
Heat the milk to 185 degrees F., Cool to 110. While it’s cooling, preheat a big thermos with hot water (just run hot water from the tap into it and cap it, and let it set). Once the milk is 110, then mix in the starter yogurt. Pour out the hot water in the thermos, then pour the milk-yogurt mix into the thermos, cap it, and put it somewhere warm (I’ve had good luck with the laundry room). Leave 4-6 hours. You can tell if it’s done my giving the thermos a little shake. If it’s still sloshy, you’ll hear it.
I prefer to keep “fake foods” like nonfat dry milk powder, or additives like gelatin out of my yogurt (whether I’m making it or buying it), so I thicken it by draining it in a coffee filter. Also, I’ve experienced less-than-good results with ultrapasteurized milk. YMMV. And sorry to nit-pick, Trent, but Stoneyfield Farms O’Soy isn’t technically vegan. The cultures they use are dairy-based. Perfectly fine if you eschew dairy for health/nutritional reasons, but if you’re a vegan for ethical reasons, it’s a no-go.

By: Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter

Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:25:12 +0000

Trent, great tip. I was just wondering you actually eat the yogurt? I know you stated that you went vegan and was just wondering. Have you tried making any vegan yogurts?

By: Elaine

Elaine — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:58:11 +0000

Gross