Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have one
they like, what brand is it? I've been looking at articles on the web on how
to make yogurt with out a special machine. There seem to be two steps the
first is to heat the milk to kill bacteria and the second is to incubate the
yogurt after adding the active culture. Do the yogurt machines do the first
step - heat the milk to kill bacteria?

Thanks

"engv9q2ghqa" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have
one they like, what brand is it? I've been looking at articles on the web
on how to make yogurt with out a special machine. There seem to be two
steps the first is to heat the milk to kill bacteria and the second is to
incubate the yogurt after adding the active culture. Do the yogurt
machines do the first step - heat the milk to kill bacteria?

Thanks
Here is what I've been using for the past year; it is on this page.
http://fantes.com/yogurt_makers.htm#salton

Also on this page is
http://fantes.com/images/1626yogurt.jpg
is a yogurt strainer. I recommend this one.
I don't care for the individual cups to make yogurt. I've used them.

Here is what I do, which is probably a little bit of what everyone else
does. It seems there is no set way to do it.

I don't know why you want to kill morebacteria by heating already
pasteurized milk, but
I heat milk to 110 degrees in the microwave. Then I stir a few spoons of
purchased plain good organic yogurt.
Put it in the container, turn it on - turn it off in 8 hours.
There you go.

If you want to buy starter, or after you have made the first batch, use a
spoon-full or two of your own yogurt to start another batch.
Dee Dee

On Tue, 7 Aug 2007 15:52:28 -0400, "engv9q2ghqa"
wrote:
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have one
they like, what brand is it? I've been looking at articles on the web on how
to make yogurt with out a special machine. There seem to be two steps the
first is to heat the milk to kill bacteria and the second is to incubate the
yogurt after adding the active culture. Do the yogurt machines do the first
step - heat the milk to kill bacteria?

Thanks

I have a Salton yogurt maker. I like it. Yogurt machines don't do
the first step. I heat 2% milk to just below the boil (ca. 210F) in a
saucepan then cool it covered to around 110F. That takes a while so I
usually start around 5-6 pm. Add the culture and pour into the yogurt
maker. I let the yogurt maker do it's thing for about 4 hr, then
transfer the inner bowl to the refrigerator overnight. Next morning I
strain it through a small colander lined with a commercial-sized
coffee filter (from BJs). I cover the yogurt with a second filter,
and set it back in the refrigerator, and it's drained enough when I
come home from work. If you want it softer, drain it for a shorter
period of time.

Curly Sue wrote:
On Tue, 7 Aug 2007 15:52:28 -0400, "engv9q2ghqa"
wrote:
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have one
they like, what brand is it? I've been looking at articles on the web on how
to make yogurt with out a special machine. There seem to be two steps the
first is to heat the milk to kill bacteria and the second is to incubate the
yogurt after adding the active culture. Do the yogurt machines do the first
step - heat the milk to kill bacteria?

Thanks

I have a Salton yogurt maker. I like it. Yogurt machines don't do
the first step. I heat 2% milk to just below the boil (ca. 210F) in a
saucepan then cool it covered to around 110F. That takes a while so I
usually start around 5-6 pm. Add the culture and pour into the yogurt
maker. I let the yogurt maker do it's thing for about 4 hr, then
transfer the inner bowl to the refrigerator overnight. Next morning I
strain it through a small colander lined with a commercial-sized
coffee filter (from BJs). I cover the yogurt with a second filter,
and set it back in the refrigerator, and it's drained enough when I
come home from work. If you want it softer, drain it for a shorter
period of time.




I'm using a 1 quart (or maybe it's a litre) insulated mug. I paid about
$2 for it.

I scald the milk, cool to 110-ish°, and stir in a spoonful of yogurt
from the previous batch or from a carton of unstirred "fruit on bottom"
commercial yogurt. Then snap on the lid, and let it sit on the kitchen
counter all day or overnight.

I don't know why scalding the milk (which is already pasteurized) makes
a difference, but the yogurt turns out thicker if you scald the milk.

Bob

"Dee Dee" wrote in message
...

"engv9q2ghqa" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have
one they like, what brand is it? I've been looking at articles on the web
on how to make yogurt with out a special machine. There seem to be two
steps the first is to heat the milk to kill bacteria and the second is to
incubate the yogurt after adding the active culture. Do the yogurt
machines do the first step - heat the milk to kill bacteria?

......

I don't know why you want to kill morebacteria by heating already
pasteurized milk, but

Pasturized milk contains bacteria, that's why it's in the refrigerated
section in the store. The heating step is at a higher temperature than
pasturization. Also the heating step "changes the milk protein in a way that
allows it to culture and firm up."
http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_make_...ustrated_guide

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...


I don't know why scalding the milk (which is already pasteurized) makes a
difference, but the yogurt turns out thicker if you scald the milk.

I think it denatures the protein. That means heating can cause the
individual protein molecules to change shape which can affect their
properties. When you cook eggs, the egg whites become solid because the
protein denatures. Denatured lens proteins is also a cause of cataracts in
the eyes.


Bob

In article ,
engv9q2ghqa wrote:
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me
if they have one they like, what brand is it? I've been
looking at articles on the web on how to make yogurt with
out a special machine.

This is on my list of things to try some day. Alton Brown
suggested wrapping a heating pad around whatever container
you ferment the milk in. You'd have to watch it to make sure
the temperature stays where it should be.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...ml?rsrc=search

Part of Brown's "Death to Uni-taskers" campaign:

"This is a commercial yogurt maker, and it makes pretty good
yogurt. But what else does it do? Take up space." *toss*

--
Mike Van Pelt | Wikipedia. The roulette wheel of knowledge.
mvp at calweb.com | --Blair P. Houghton
KE6BVH

On Aug 7, 2:52 pm, "engv9q2ghqa" wrote:
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have one
they like, what brand is it?

I've had a Yogourmet 2 quart unit for many years. It does a great job,
is easy to use, easy to clean. I don't scald the milk and I don't buy
the powdered starter. I retain a cup from each batch and use it to
start the next one. One thing you might want to try is making
buttermilk. It cultures faster than yogurt and is as good... if not
better. It's made like yogurt, you can use a bit of store bought
buttermilk as a starter.

Will wrote:
On Aug 7, 2:52 pm, "engv9q2ghqa" wrote:
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have one
they like, what brand is it?

I've had a Yogourmet 2 quart unit for many years. It does a great job,
is easy to use, easy to clean. I don't scald the milk and I don't buy
the powdered starter. I retain a cup from each batch and use it to
start the next one. One thing you might want to try is making
buttermilk. It cultures faster than yogurt and is as good... if not
better. It's made like yogurt, you can use a bit of store bought
buttermilk as a starter.




I've never tried that, but I do know that buttermilk cultures at room
temperature instead of 100+ degrees.

Bob

On 08 Aug 2007 14:02:39 GMT, (Mike Van Pelt)
wrote:


This is on my list of things to try some day. Alton Brown
suggested wrapping a heating pad around whatever container
you ferment the milk in. You'd have to watch it to make sure
the temperature stays where it should be.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...ml?rsrc=search

Part of Brown's "Death to Uni-taskers" campaign:

"This is a commercial yogurt maker, and it makes pretty good
yogurt. But what else does it do? Take up space." *toss*

But then you have to buy a heating pad and fuss with the darn thing.
It might be a good idea if someone is just trying to make yogurt once
or twice, but If you're really going to be making yogurt regularly, a
no-fuss yogurt maker is well worth the space. It's very small.

I like his show but AB tends to make a federal project out of a lot of
things that should be simple. (I have to admit I was horrified at the
casserole episode. The beginning skit was about how the church ladies
made some awful hot dishes and he was going to make them better, but I
thought the ones he made were gross.)

On Aug 8, 10:41 am, zxcvbob wrote:
Will wrote:
On Aug 7, 2:52 pm, "engv9q2ghqa" wrote:
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have one
they like, what brand is it?

I've had a Yogourmet 2 quart unit for many years. It does a great job,
is easy to use, easy to clean. I don't scald the milk and I don't buy
the powdered starter. I retain a cup from each batch and use it to
start the next one. One thing you might want to try is making
buttermilk. It cultures faster than yogurt and is as good... if not
better. It's made like yogurt, you can use a bit of store bought
buttermilk as a starter.

I've never tried that, but I do know that buttermilk cultures at room
temperature instead of 100+ degrees.

Bob

Which means you don't need any equipment. :-)

"engv9q2ghqa" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I am considering buying a yogurt maker. Can anyone tell me if they have
one they like, what brand is it? I've been looking at articles on the web
on how to make yogurt with out a special machine. There seem to be two
steps the first is to heat the milk to kill bacteria and the second is to
incubate the yogurt after adding the active culture. Do the yogurt
machines do the first step - heat the milk to kill bacteria?

Thanks

I tried making yogurt today.

I mixed 1 2/3 cups powdered milk with enough water to make 1 quart. Scalded
it. Cooled it to incubation temperature and added 2 tablespoons of Dannon
plain yogurt as a starter. Put it in a 2 quart beverage cooler and put that
in a covered styrofoam ice chest with a 2 quart bottle of hot tap water (~
115 degrees F). 8 hours later it was done.

It tastes great with 2oz apple juice concentrate and 6 oz yogurt!