Making yogurt

[David B]

Years ago I had a yogurt maker that I used quite a lot fror years, before getting out of the habit, breaking a couple of the glasses, and stuff. I think I threw the remains out in a clear up 3 or 4 years ago.

It had a little heater, 6 little glass cups, and I used to mix a little natural yogurt with a mix of long life and ordinary milk, and let it work overnight, then refrigerate, and keep a bit of the result to start the next lot. It was very good, as long as there was a reasonably fast turnover. If not eating the stuff fast enough the starter would not taste as good after maybe 10 maings, and I'd have to buy a little tub of natural yogurt to start again.

Today I was buying some dried fruit and saw a yogurt maker - it cost about 15 quid, and I was astonished to find that they expected you to spend nearly 3 quid on a sachet of something every time you wanted to make a kilo batch of yogurt.

There must be a better way.

I rather like the look of this one

http://ourredhouse.blogspot.com/2008/01/easy-homemade-yogurt-in-vacuum-flask.html

Making yogurt in a thermos, and re-using some of the batch as the next starter seems a much better idea.

I think I will buy a large thermos or two - I only have a half litre one at the mo - and try to make my own like that, but if anyone has any hints and tips for something sounding better than the one in the link, I'd be most grateful

David

Today I was buying

[Ray Moscow]

I always just used a bit of active yogurt to start the next batch.

I just heated the milk in a pot to pateurise it (using a thermometer, usually), let it cool, add the starter yogurt, let set overnight someplace warm, then refrigerate it when it's made (usually the next morning).

[DMB]

This one (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/electric-yoghurt-maker/F/keyword/Yoghourt+maker/product/3440_3441) is brilliant and better than fiddling with little pots. I like low-fat yoghourt and found that the best outcome was to start with a little plain yoghourt, and add warm milk mixed with powdered milk. That way you get a lovely thick yog without fat. The machine keeps the yog at the correct temperature to work and then switches off. It keeps for several days in the fridge in the container. If you have a spare container you can start on the next batch while the first one is not used up.

[Rie]

Prababushka used to make Buttermilk first thing in the day but I don't remember how she did it.