Home made yoghurt!

AirCircleI

Yesterday I read some articles about how to make home made yoghurt and decided to give it a go last night. I made it in my rice cooker, using the "cook" setting to get it up to 180 (85C), then a cold bath to bring it down to 120(45C) - unfortunately my thermometer only went as low as 60C, so I just used the "finger test" (hold finger in for 10 secs and if it is warm but not too hot, it is the right temp).

I then put my rice cooker on warm for an hour or so, then before bed turned it off and wrapped it up in a towel. A few hours later I woke up to go to the bathroom and checked on it - it had cooled down so I flicked it back on to warm from 1am to 5am. I don't really know the temp, as my thermometer didn't go low enough.

At 6am I checked it again and I had yoghurt! A bit runny, but definitely yoghurt. I strained, added a bit of vanilla extract and put it in the fridge. I used semi skimmed milk (1.7% fat) and fat free live yoghurt. I've read that if you add some non-fat milk powder that will make it thicker, so will definitely try that next time.

Any other yoghurt makers out there that have any tips to share?

naomi8888

Yes I make yoghurt. Lately I've been lazy and just use a packet mix and add water. Then I pop it all in a thermos type thing with boiling water overnight and in the morning I have yoghurt.

AshinAms

I make it all the time. I use skimmed milk (UHT) and a bit of skimmed milk powder plus a tablespoon of my last youghurt. Every once in a while I buy a new yoghurt to use as a starter if it seems to be too runny (sometimes it gets other bacteria in it if you aren't careful about things like not licking the spoon)!

I find that once you have it in the fridge it thickens up quite nicely anyway and sometimes it's nicer to have it a bit runnier for muesli etc. If I give mine to the kids I flavour it with pureed fruit, or cordial.

AirCircleI

That's great - I was thinking of using UHT as apparently you don't need to heat it up so high (85C) first if it is UHT.

I am glad it thickens up in the fridge as it was a bit runny this morning - really looking forward to trying it properly this evening!

Ange_

I just made myself some organic skim yoghurt tonight actually!

I usually make Easyo which just uses a packet mix. But didn't want to shell out $5 for their organic version (i've now switched to organic as much as possible).
So just bought some organic milk, a tub or organic yoghurt to use as a starter and am trying the yoghurt maker thermos thing that comes with the easyo to try and set it.
Will see how it worked in the morning
If it does work then it will be a fraction of the cost of the biodynamic yoghurt that i love, and made from the same milk (i use the same brand) and starter

mdfishinggirl

I have been making it lately using a crock pot (so, like your rice cooker...never thought of that!) and my oven light. Heat it up to 180 F, turn it off and let it cool to 110. I add 2 Tablespoons organic yogurt to 1 cup of the cooked milk, stir, wrap the ceramic removable bowl in a towel and stick it in my oven with only the oven light on overnight. 8-10 hours later I have the best yogurt ever SO much better than we get over here. I like the thiner texture. The recipe I use is from a blog done by someone from Europe who didn't like the texture of the USA's yogurt. Happy Yogurt Making!!

sazzet

I live in Egypt but used to live in Lebanon. The Lebanese put the yogurt in a cloth and let the water drip out overnight. The end result is cheese. The Lebanese use as a mezza or dip. I do that at home. I hang the yogurt, in a thin porous cloth, over my sink for one night and the next day I have cheese which is eaten with a little olive oil and dry mint. Delicious. I found someone using a coffee filter to drain yogurt, but i never tried.

orchidsand

I live in Egypt but used to live in Lebanon. The Lebanese put the yogurt in a cloth and let the water drip out overnight. The end result is cheese. The Lebanese use as a mezza or dip. I do that at home. I hang the yogurt, in a thin porous cloth, over my sink for one night and the next day I have cheese which is eaten with a little olive oil and dry mint. Delicious. I found someone using a coffee filter to drain yogurt, but i never tried.

I like that idea of cheese. I never thought of using cheese cloth for yogurt. I use it for ricotta cheese, but it makes lots of sense. Thank you so much for the great idea!!!

AirCircleI

Sazzet, that sounds fantastic - thanks for the idea, will definitely try it!

sazzet

You're going to love it. I gave it to my daughter for school the other day with some baked corn chips. She loved it. She said it tasted like Mexican sour cream.

AirCircleI

Bump - anyone else have have any tips or ideas about making home made yoghurt or what you like to do with it?

I am struggling to find powdered milk in the UK to thicken it up, but have ordered some cheese cloths.

Anyway, tried my yoghurt made last night chilled when I got home from work today and it was fantastic!! Very light and creamy.