Made Crock pot Yogurt today. It was watery, but quite flavorful.

[alfredo]

I put one pack of gelatin in it, but it turned out rather loose.

How do you make yogurt? Should I invest in a machine?

[housewolf]

1. I tried the crock put method and found that I couldn't keep it warm enough

so I switched to the heating pad in a cooler method, and that worked great. I kept a thermometer in it to moniter the temp and needed an additional container of warm/hot water to maintain a temp of around 100 degrees, but I ended up with yogurt with a great taste and consistency.

There are other threads in this forum that detail different methods of making yogurt at home - you could do a search on yogurt in the C&B forum and they should show up.

[alfredo]

4. I wrapped the crackpot with towels. After 8 hours it was still warm.

Not sure how it will work in the winter. I have a microwave over the stove, and the light underneath keeps it warm. I guess I could take the ceramic sleeve, wrap it in towels and put it in the mw. What type of heating pad do you use?

[hippywife]

2. This method is very easy and makes a thick, creamy yogurt.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=236&topic_id=50416&mesg_id=50421

[alfredo]

3. When fully chilled it turned out fine.

I will have to take a look at your recipe.

Looks good.

My wife would not want any heavy cream used. She was not that thrilled with whole milk.

I will switch to 2% the next time I make it.

[hippywife]

6. Let her know that

dairy products aren't necessarily the place to cut fat. Your body really needs that type of fat, but not in excess. The place to cut the fat and cholesterol is the meat.

:hi:

[alfredo]

8. We've cut back on meat. Dairy is one of our primary sources of fat.

[The empressof all]

5. I use a yogurt maker

I've used the crock pot method and it's worked but the 20 bucks I paid for my yogurt maker was worth it to me.

One other trick I have found in my personal yogurt making experience is to use milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. This may be harder to find but a few of my local chains now carry it in Organic milk as well. I use to make cheese on a regular basis and found the end product was far more successful using the right milk. The same is true of yogurt. Your yogurt will be thicker using the milk that is not ultra pasteurized.

[alfredo]

9. What about using 2%?

[The empressof all]

11. I use non fat most of the time

2% works great for me. I use a Greek yogurt as a starter. Just use the milk that is not Ultra Pasteurized. The Container should just say Pasteurized.

I've recently switched over to Soy milk yogurt which seems to need some starch and agar.

I've used this method successfully with the Tapioca and agar added. I used a commercial soy yogurt as a starter but next go around I'll use the packaged starter just to see if I can boost the consistency up a bit.

http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/4318169.htm#commercialsoymilk

[MajorChode]

7. There are a few methods you can use to make it thicker

Personally I don't like using gelatin, but that is an option. If you do use gelatin, remember that it won't work unless you bring the mixture to near boiling temperatures (which you should be doing anyway prior to pitching). If you add the gelatin after the milk has already cooled down to fermentation temperature, it's not going to work as a thickening agent.

There are a number of variables which affect how thick your yogurt will be, but here are the main ones:

1) Percentage of milk fat (higher fat produces thicker yogurt)
2) Incubation temperature
3) Incubation time

As far as milk fat goes, you can experiment with higher milk fat levels and see how you like it. Commercial lowfat yogurt generally always have thickening agents added. Many higher fat yogurts do not, especially gourmet style yogurts. You can go higher milk fat levels than just whole milk by adding cream. For instance, you might try using whole milk and adding a cup of cream to a quart of milk and see how you like it. Naturally you're greatly increasing the calorie level with higher milk fat percentages.

2 and 3 are really interrelated. The ideal incubation temperature is between 110-112, but it's hard to achieve that level of temperature control with a standard crock pot. I like to incubate for at least 6 hours, but you have to be careful here with both time and temperature. If the temperature rises above 115, you will pasteurize your mixture, and you won't wind up with yogurt. If you incubate too long at higher temperatures, the mixture will separate and you won't wind up with yogurt.

As far as getting a commercial yogurt machine goes, it will definitely make your life easier if you intend on making yogurt regularly. Personally I have never owned one, but I can see why some people would.

Instead of a crock pot, you can also use a cooler. Basically you just allow your mixture to cool down to fermentation temperatures < 115 degrees and as soon as you pitch it, put the mixture into mason jars and place the jars into a cooler. Fill the cooler up with ~113 degree water to about 1" below the rim of the jars and cover the cooler. Every two hours, drain the cooler and fill with more ~113 degree water. This provides a fairly reliable method of temperature control.

[alfredo]

10. I might go with a machine. The Salton looks goo. I like that it is

One big vat, not a bunch of little cups.

http://www.amazon.com/Salton-YM9-1-Quart-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B00004SUHY/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I9PPZNQDL83ID&colid=1OUQ3Y23EAION

[The empressof all]

12. The price of that yogurt maker has gone ridiculously high

Have they stopped making it or something? I know I bought mine for around 20 bucks new. It's a great little yogurt maker but seriously I'd really consider that one a few times before I shelled out that amount of money for a hunk o plastic with a little warmer in it.

[noamnety]

13. Take a look at your local thrift store

A lot of specialized kitchen products end up at thrift shops. I have a used Salton one that was about 5 dollars from there.

I make my own yogurt weekly, using greek yogurt as a starter, and adding some powdered milk to the milk to help it thicken. I do have the batch in the yogurt maker, which is the kind in individual cups. I have mason jars that fit in there in place of the Salton brand cups which I ended up throwing away because the lids started cracking after multiple runs in the dishwasher.

You can buy white plastic screw on lids that fit mason jars. I use those. The individual ones go in our lunches to work. The rest of the batch I either do in the small jars or in a big pyrex bowl, and leave it on my gas stove, positioned over the pilot lights. Not very scientific on the temperature control, but it works the same as the yogurt maker. I just don't have enough room over the pilot lights to put all my jars there at once.

[alfredo]

14. I live near a Goodwill, and I keep looking.

[hippywife]

15. Besides the fact

that it's really delicious and creamy, this is what I like most about the method I use. No special equipment needed and no single use appliance taking up space. :D

[alfredo]

16. Most of the yogurt goes into smoothies, and as an ingredient.

Consistency is secondary to flavor. This batch came out nice and mild. I don't like it too tart.

[alfredo]

21. My spouse has warmed to the yogurt. It tasted great in

her smoothies and was wonderful in my potato curry.

Next time I will add powdered milk to thicken.

I froze most of it.

[GoCubsGo]

18. Here's an "after-the-fact" method

This is what I do if I make yogurt that turns out runny: Line a colander/sieve with a few layers of cheese cloth. Set it over a bowl. Pour in the yogurt, and set the whole thing in the refrigerator. The whey will drain off into the bowl. Check every so often to see if it's at desired thickness. If most of the whey drains off, you'll wind up with yogurt cheese, which has the consistency of cream cheese.

I got a plain, white cotton dish towel from my local dollar store. It resembles the old flour sacks, and has a somewhat loose weave. I use that in place of cheese cloth, as unlike cheese cloth, it can be washed and reused.

[MajorChode]

19. Yes, you are essentially making labneh if you drain off all or most of the whey

Although traditionally labneh is made from sheep's milk, you can certainly make it from cow's milk, as you have no doubt discovered. The only think I would offer in addition to your procedure is to add a bit of salt before the whey is drained off if the desired result is labneh. About 1 tsp per quart of fresh yogurt does the trick. One of the really nice uses for labneh is tzatziki, which is the accompaniment you'll find at genuine style gyro places. It's also great used as a dip for toasted pita.

[eleny]

17. We always made a yougurt in my family that has the consistency of Junket

It's not thick like the commercial stuff. Probably like what you made in the crock pot.

I put milk into a crock, add a couple of spoons of sour cream and mix it in with a whisk, cover the crock and place the crock in a warm place in the kitchen. The next day it's yogurt.

I chill it in the fridge and serve it with hot boiled potatoes on the side. The hot potato and cold plain flavored yogurt are a real old world combo and complement each other.

I bet I could get a thicker, more "Greek yogurt" consistency by pouring it into a fine sieve to let the whey run out. Sort of how you can make farmer's cheese.

[MajorChode]

20. What you are describing is similar to yogurt

It's similar because both are tart tasting due to the conversion of lactose to lactic acid, both are noticeably thicker than milk, and both contain probiotics.

It's not technically yogurt because the culture and method are different. It's actually closer to cultured buttermilk, and you could actually pitch with cultured buttermilk instead and get similar or identical results. Making real yogurt requires the use of thermophillic bacteria, which simply means those strains require higher temperatures to ferment effectively.

[alfredo]

22. Second batch much better. Added powdered milk and gelatin.

Had some lumps, but better stirring of the pitch might fix that.