Yogurt Maker - Recommendations

jsd_135

My husband and I are going through 32 ounce tubs of Chobani at an alarming rate. To save our finances, I think we need to start making our own yogurt. Does anyone have a yogurt maker they could recommend? I'm hoping to get something that would yield a quart of yogurt. Doing a quick search on Amazon, I see that nearly everything seems to get high marks.

Also, have you purchased the starter or just used existing (commercial) yogurt as the starter? Any advantages to one over the other?

Thanks for any help!

3saLarson

I don't use a yogurt maker. In fact I have a half gallon of yogurt doing it's thing while sitting on the hot water heater. I used a store bought yogurt as my starter for the first batch and some yogurt from the last batch to make the first batch. I heat my milk to 150 degrees and let it cool to around 110 degrees. Then I add a couple tablespoons of yogurt mix well and pour into canning jars. I wrap them in a towel and let them sit in a warm place for anywhere from 12 -24 hours. It works for me. There are a lot of different way to make the same finished product. Home made yogurt is thinner than store bought, but you can strain some of the whey off if you want it thicker. Good luck!

heidi5k

Similar to the last poster, I *love* to make yogurt, but w/o a machine.

My super low tech recipe:

2 quarts organic milk
3 TBSP stonyfield plain yogurt.
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (optional)
vanilla (optional)

Pour the milk into a large glass 2 qt measuring bowl
Microwave on high for 17 minutes

Let rest for 30 minutes, or until you can pop your (clean) finger in w/o it being uncomfortably hot.

Stir in 3 TBSP of yogurt,
(I like to add about 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, and a bit of vanilla)
Stir

Pour into mason jars and put the lids on.

Fill a small cooler with the yogurt filled jars. Fill to just below the lids with very warm water.

Let the jars sit all night. In the morning - yogurt!! (Refrigerate in the morning)

To make greek yogurt, just strain. A mesh coffee filter is nice for straining small amounts.

jsd_135

Thanks to the two of you for the help. I actually would prefer not to buy a device, so your suggestions are great. The cooler idea will definitely work (no water heater). And, I have a lot of 24 oz. screw top jars I've been saving for some unknown purpose. These will be perfect for yogurt.

Think I'll try this tomorrow.

heidi5k

One other little note that I just learned....
The longer you keep the yogurt warming in the cooler, the tarter it will be.

I made a batch and kept it doing it's yogurt thing for only 6 hours, and it had no tang whatsoever. I like it like that, but not quite to that extent. Overnight (8 hours ish) seemed to be just right.

jsd_135

Thanks so much. This is really helpful.

Shadowcub

I see a couple of recipes for yogurt here (and in other threads) but no recomendations for a maker.

If I wanted to invest the money and eliminate some of the variables, any suggestions as to a yogurt maker? (I'd have to buy a cooler anyway to use the warm water method....)

nmtGurl

You can also make yogurt in the oven. And if you don't want to tie up your oven for 11+ hours, you can use the crockpot method if you have one. There are plenty of ways to incubate yogurt. No need to shell out $$ for a device.