Do you still need to heat the milk in another apparatus in order to produce the yogurt? Do I heat to 180 F in micro or stovetop or in Look good?
1932536
Yes, it is very important to heat the milk first, as the yogurt maker simply holds it to the temperature that it has been cooled down to, what I do is, I heat the milk in a double boiler, have more control that way, and won't burn the milk, you will also need to stir it to keep it mixed up, aslo, I do add about 1 cup of powdered milk to it so it is thicker when done. I use the included thermometer to moniter the temp, then when it gets to around 180 degrees, I move it over to the sink that I have filled with ice water, I use the reusable icecubes and rainwater that I collect for the cool down water, it needs to be cooled to 120 degrees, then, I pour about 1 cup of the cooled down liquid into the culture that I saved from the last batch, then when dissolved I add it to the rest of the milk mixture, then after it is in the yogurt maker I leave it for about 8 hours, this has worked very well for me for quite a long time, I have been doing it for so long now that I just automatically do it the same way every time, there a so few steps, it is so fast. I hope
597164
I assume you are talking about the heating of the milk before you pour it into the Yogurt Maker. (the yogurt maker is necessary to keep the milk at a warm temp for 8 hours while the yogurt starter multiplies.) I started out by using a candy thermometer to bring the milk to the required temperature, and it wasn't reliable. Now I do it "by sight" and it works perfectly every time: I stir over medium heat until JUST BEFORE boiling. The milk starts to get little bubbles on the surface. If it breaks into a boil, no harm is done, just remove from heat immediately. The milk is not that fussy. I set a timer to the approximate time it will take - makes me watch carefully at the end. Do not underheat - that will be a disaster and the milk will run through the sieve.
272659
Buy an Instant Pot, the new model, it has a function for making yogurt. Because this one does not have anything to control the temperature, there is no guarantee the temperature will be maintained.
2207336
yes, you really do. It has to do with developing protein strands . . I heat it for 15 min in the microwave and it tests out at 180 degrees, then pour it into a sauce pan and set it in the freezer for 1 hour and it's cooled to about 100 degrees. I love the yogurt maker - have made dozens of batches with it and never once did it fail.
918246
What I do is measure out 7 jars of 2% milk in a pot and whisk in 5 Tbsp. of powdered milk. Quickly heat to 180 degrees (I use a thermometer), then quickly cool to 110 degrees by putting the pot in a sink partially filled with ice water. Take a small amount of the cooled milk and whisk it with a small container of plain yogurt (or a jar from your previous batch). Then whisk in the rest of the milk, pour in the jars, and put in the machine for about 12 hours. Done!
823250
I microwave my milk. Exactly 5 min and 45 seconds to produce the scalding temp. I generally use Yogourmet starter. The Natren starter says not to microwave the milk in larger letters, but I've found it is okay. Now I have way fewer boil overs of milk onto the stove.
750963
Yes. I have tried their recipe for yogurt (120 degrees for 1 hr after that 18 hrs at 86 degrees). I make a gallon of yogurt using 1/2 gallon of organic whole milk and 1/2 gallon of organic half and half. My yogurt is fabulous. It is sweet and custard like, so creamy. I like Greek yogurt so I strain some to the consistency I like. I tried using less time but the yogurt came out lumpy with lots of whey. Also great for proofing bread.
1373206
Hi Michael, Yes, you do have to heat the milk(not boil) before placing it into the unit for cooking. We suggest heating it with a double boiler method until it reached 185 degrees, and then letting it cool to about 100-110 degrees. This will kill all the excess bacteria that might interfere with the cooking process but keeps all the good ones that we need to create more yogurt!
2212893
Michael, I'm not sure how you're making the yogurt. I put the warmed milk withe culture mixed in into a large glass bowl. The temp I set the proofer on is 109. I let it sit for 3 1/2 to 4 hours then remove & chill in fridge. Perfect yogurt every time.
1241695
I make my own yogurt, (using 2% organic cow's milk). I scald the milk, let it cool to bath water temp.-add the starter. Then I cover, and wrap the bowl in a towel and put it in the oven with the light on, overnight. The oven light will get the temperature up to get the cultures going. Strain it in a stainless steel strainer lined with a coffee filter to make Greek style. I've been doing it this way for years. Don't need a fancy appliance-the oven light method works fine.
907587
You do not need to heat milk to 180, heat it to approx 110 degrees, add starter and put it in the maker.....
907586
Not sure I see a question here... I just follow the directions on my packet of cultures which says to heat the milk to a higher temp and then cool it down to about 120 before adding the cultures or some of the yogurt from a previous batch. Also, if you add some non-fat milk powder it boosts the protein and gives you a thicker product.
2029422
I own a similar yogurt maker by Salton that has been discontinued. It also ran hot. Since there's just a simple heating element in it, like a light bulb, I bought a plug-in dimmer switch like this -> Lutron TT-300H-WH Electronics Plug-In Lamp Dimmer, WhitePlug the yogurt maker into the dimmer and set the dimmer to about 75% of "full." By trial and error, this will cut the current to the yogurt maker and you can get your yogurt to 100-110 degrees F.
1719874
No you do not need to bring your milk to a boil. If you search for yogurt recipes online you'll see one from Alton Brown that tells you to bring the milk to only 120 degrees and then cool to 115. I have made yogurt using this recipe about 10 times and it always turns out great. I'm using the Salton YM9.
194702
Do you really need this maker, I just boil the milk and then add a tablespoon of shop purchased yogurt and add it to the luke warm milk and then leave it overnight and you will get yogurt ready the next day. This process is ideal during summer and during winter I just warm the cooking range for about 5 min and then place the container in there and by the next day your yogurt is ready. I am doing this for the past 20 years. You don't need any maker to make your yogurt, save the money for something better.
2202880
I use a Yogourmet. To become yogurt, the milk+culture requires hours of sitting time at about 105 degrees. We let the culture grow for a full 24 hours. I've read online that you can put the milk+culture in glass jars, wrap them in a towel and leave them in an oven with the light on, but no heat. That's the process for making yogurt without a yogurt maker. I don't think stove top will work. If you try this, do look online for the exact oven procedure. I've never done it myself.
1838298
The container that comes with the machine is plastic -- #5 bottom and top. As the writer above said, a one quart wide-mouth Mason jar will fit inside the container space. It is not a snug fit and the heating elements appear to be on the sides, not the bottom of the machine. To create the desired level of convection, I poured 1.5 cups of 110 degree water into the well (outside the glass jar). My probe thermometer, checked several times over several hours showed a rock-steady 113 degrees in this surrounding water, which presumably conveys a similar temperature to the yogurt mix.