Yoghurt

[Puddles]

I have recently started making yoghurt with an easi-yo (It was on offer at Lakeland for £7.50) I started with a packet mix from easi-yo but soon peered and found out I do not need to buy their expensive packets.
I use Sterlised milk (heated to sterilised line on thermometer) then allowed to cool to room temp, run through fine sieve to get rid of any skin or foam and then pop in the easi-yo with some live culture and ignore it for 8-12 hours I am quite amazed at how easy it is and how cheap.

Anyone else make yoghurt or use a different method?

 

[oavani]

I do! I actually make mine overnight in a crock pot. I pour milk (whole or skim) into the crock and turn it onto the low setting for 2 and a half hours. Then I cut off the power and keep the lid on, letting it sit for another 3 hours. At that point, I'll add about a half a cup of plain yogurt (I'm using it as a starter) to the milk, mix it in, put the lid back on, wrap the whole pot up in a towel (for added insulation), and let it sit for at least 12 hours. The longer I let it sit, the more tart the taste becomes. If I want greek yogurt, I'll strain the yellowish liquid (whey) out of it. My roommates love it, and my fiancé uses the whey as a protein additive for his smoothies.

 

[Fiorabelle]

Wow, I've never considered making my own yoghurt but as I eat it most mornings with my cereal or porridge and go through quite a bit of yoghurt each week, it may be more economical to make my own. I might have to get an easi-yo machine during the Boxing Day or New Year's sales. I'm not brave enough to try using a crock pot, just yet.

 

[Ellyn]

I have an Easiyo maker, but I've only heard about alternatives to the packet. One thing I wondered is how the live culture can survive being dried and powdered!

The directions, as I understood them, was that cold water is mixed with the powder in the yoghurt bucket and hot water goes outside the yoghurt bucket but inside the thermos...So, when using milk and a tablespoon of live yoghurt culture instead, must the milk be cold? (I'm guessing that the hot water wouldn't be hot enough to kill the bacteria, but maybe it would get too tart too fast.)