do you still have to boil the milk before putting it into the yogurt maker?
1820459
No, I usualy warm the milk in the microwave but cooking to a specific temp (not realy boiling) before putting it in the yogurt maker is not required.
1820460
You heat the milk to > 180 (which is less than boiling) to kill bacteria and prepare it to culture better. Then you cool it to 110 before you add the starter (>115 will kill the starter). I do a cheater recipe with powdered milk (which you can get cheap in bulk from an LDS cannery). Whisk 3 cups non-instant powdered milk in a gallon pitcher with 4 cups of boiling water until all lumps are gone. Then add 4 cups luke warm water to the pitcher. Double check the liquid is < 115. Mix a little of the liquid into 1/2 cup plain yogurt and then mix into pitcher. Pour into yogurt maker from pitcher. (Makes two quarts) Boom done in < 10 minutes with no sitting over a pot of milk to make sure it doesn't burn. You heat the milk to > 180 (which is less than boiling) to kill bacteria and prepare it to culture better. Then you cool it to 110 before you add the starter (>115 will kill the starter). I do a cheater recipe with powdered milk (which you can get cheap in bulk from an LDS cannery). Whisk 3 cups non-instant powdered milk in a gallon pitcher with 4 cups of boiling water until all lumps are gone. Then add 4 cups luke warm water to the pitcher. Double check the liquid is < 115. Mix a little of the liquid into 1/2 cup plain yogurt and then mix into pitcher. Pour into yogurt maker from... » Read More You heat the milk to > 180 (which is less than boiling) to kill bacteria and prepare it to culture better. Then you cool it to 110 before you add the starter (>115 will kill the starter). I do a cheater recipe with powdered milk (which you can get cheap in bulk from an LDS cannery). Whisk 3 cups non-instant powdered milk in a gallon pitcher with 4 cups of boiling water until all lumps are gone. Then add 4 cups luke warm water to the pitcher. Double check the liquid is < 115. Mix a little of the liquid into 1/2 cup plain yogurt and then mix into pitcher. Pour into yogurt maker from pitcher. (Makes two quarts) Boom done in < 10 minutes with no sitting over a pot of milk to make sure it doesn't burn. « Show Less
1820461
Yes, you have to inactivate the other micro-organisms than could spoil your yogurt. Then make sure it is only warm when adding the starter. If you use ultra-pasteurized milk the MO have been already inactivated but you have to make sure you do not re-contaminate the milk during the handling of it.
1820462
No, you don't. It has to be at room temperature. My advise to you is to make sure the yogurt you will use as the starter be at roomtempature as well.
441507
No it doesn't but for my first batch I used PLAIN yogurt in milk I heated to almost a boil on stove. Recipes are all over the internet. You may have to adjust the recipes for the number and size of containers. (next time I'll do 1 1/2 recipe. turned out perfect at 8 hrs. (I don't like really tart yogurt unless I'm using it for sour cram substitute.
1964505
No this is not for yogurt starter. It is more like powdered milk or powdered buttermilk, to use in recipes to add the tart flavor of yogurt. It will not culture your milk and make yogurt.
2003431
You have to bring the milk to a boil separately from the yogurt maker. You then let it cool to a certain temperature the add the active culture and then add it to the yogurt maker. The yogurt maker just acts as the incubator for the yogurt.
304640
Interesting myth. never heard that before. However, you use the thermometer "before" you mix in the starter yogurt. You use the thermometer to be sure you heat the milk to the proper temperature stated in the booklet. then you use it again to be sure the temperature is low enough to add the yogurt starter. No need to check the temp again after the yogurt starter is added. This may sound confusing, but it is not. Good luck.
2271804
It's supposed to boil into the milk with this style. You have too keep an eye on it though... as soon as it drops, remove from the heat immediately, or it will have a burnt flavor. Also, make sure not to fill the water above the pressure release. I've made between 40 and 50 cups with this machine, and it comes out perfect every time. If for some reason you don't want them to mix, I would recommend pouring out the milk before brewing. I usually heat mine up in the microwave before frothing anyways because it doesn't get hot enough for my taste.
1719873
It is possible to skip the scalding step. I let my milk (and yogurt starter) get room temperature before I mix things up and start my yogurt. I have not had problems with bacteria, etc. I have a Euro Cuisine Yogurt maker and the instructions give this option. Good luck.
767768
It does not preheat the milk, but it will make perfect yogurt without going to that trouble! Just add the starter to the liquid, stir, and hit start. I like the 12 hour time for heating and cooling because it is so easy to keep track of!
784353
Yes it includes the jars. I just made some last night; tastes great and I found a way to make the starter easier. You don't have to heat and cool the milk before adding the yogurt starter. Don't use the plastic cover for this yogurt maker - get a glass Corning-wear top. The plastic cover stinks and the smell will get into the yogurt.
2003430
When I boil the milk, cool it down to the needed temp, then add the culture (from a previous batch I made, or store bought Greek yogurt), then the yogurt comes out thicker and more tart. When I just heat the milk a little to the needed temp then add the cultures and into the machine, it's very creamy and not at all tart, even after 12 hour cycle. its also runny, like thick drinking yogurt. I like it this way. a lot. Seriously, no store has yogurt this perfect.
610101
I don't think the machine cares what kind of milk you use as long as you have the packets of bacteria to mix with it and the 'milk' can handle being heated. I admit I have never tried them. I use it to make lactose free yogurt.
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
740451
I start my yogurt about 9:00 at night. I add the dry milk to the cold milk, and heat the milk to 180F. I let it cool to 110F, and stir about 1/2 cup of warm milk into the yogurt starter, then whisk the starter back into the milk. Put the milk into the machine about 9:30, plug it in and go to bed. I unplug it about 7:30 in the morning (10 hours later) and refrigerate. Always creamy, never a problem. I've also had good luck incubating for as little as 6 hours. I've never gone over 11.
1101113
You only need to boil the milk if you are using raw milk. If you use pasteurized milk you only need to pre-heat it (+/- 82c). (If you use UHT you don't even need to pre-heat, as that has already been done for you.) Pre-heating it to just below the boiling point will make the yogurt thicker, more like a commercial yogurt. Then you cool it to body temp. before adding your active yogurt culture. I have made it w/o pre-heating and it tends to come out about half way between commercial yogurt and the drinking yogurt. Another way to thicken the yogurt is to add powdered milk (+/- 10T powdered milk to 1.5L of milk) The important thing is that the milk be at about, or just above body temp when you add the yogurt you are using as a culture.
1612052
I know your question was from several months ago, but here is a great recipe for raw milk yogurt, which you can use with this yogurt maker. You do have to heat the milk slightly, but not enough to kill all the "good stuff." http://nourishedkitchen.com/raw-milk-yogurt/
1176359
No. You do have to cook it somewhat. I put some of it and oatmeal into a 2 cup Pyrex and add some water and microwave until it boils and then I let it sit for about 15 min and then I add to yogurt with fruit etc for breakfast.
895280
No. But I do take some of the cooled down milk out of the pot.. say about 1/2 cup.. and mix that into the starter. Then I put that mixed amount back into the pot of milk and stir it to mix it all together.