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Farm Kitchen:  Yogurt Maker  |
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ashcordes
True Blue Farmgirl
197 Posts
Ashley
Roann
IN
USA
197 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 21 2007 : 06:34:53 AM
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Does anyone have one of these? There was one featured in the new copy of Hobby Farm Home and I was thinking of getting one to make my daughter's yogurt in. Just wondered if anyone had any advice on these.
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Persephone
True Blue Farmgirl
172 Posts
Katrina
Indiana
USA
172 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2007 : 07:23:56 AM
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| You don't need a yogurt maker to make yogurt, just a warmer spot and a towel for insulation. I've made yogurt for two years without a yogurt maker. |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
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emma.birdwhistle
True Blue Farmgirl
187 Posts
Elizabeth Ann
Ontario
Canada
187 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 06:18:15 AM
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This is how I do my yogurt (excerpted from a book I am working on):
I learned to make my own yogurt because it galled me beyond description to buy it in plastic tubs. Here is the way of it:
Take four or five cups of organic milk [I use the 2% variety myself, but whole milk works charmingly] and warm it over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring quite often, until a temperature of 185 degrees F. is reached. A kitchen thermometer is absolutely necessary in this endeavor. I was without one in my first attempt at yogurt-making, and it caused much undue frustration. When the correct temperature has been reached, remove the pan from the heat and let the milk cool to a temperature of 110 degrees F. Then, in a large bowl, take a quarter of a cup of plain organic yogurt with active cultures, and add to this the cooled milk in small amounts, whisking until smooth between additions. When all the milk has been thus incorporated, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set it in a warm place, somewhere about 90 degrees F. I find that a table next to a well-tended woodstove works best – at least in winter. Leave the mixture to set for upwards of six hours, or until it has firmed up sufficiently to resemble yogurt [do not jostle it before it is done, or the entire process will be slowed down]. Then transfer it to air-tight glass containers [don’t dare desecrate it with plastic] and keep it in the refrigerator, or in some other cool place. It ought to keep well for at least two weeks, if you have not dispensed with it by then. Always remember to reserve a quarter of a cup of it with which to start the next batch.
The longer this yogurt takes to set, the more tart-tasting it will become. Something to do with acidity. If the flavor is not to your liking, simply add a smidge of vanilla extract [real vanilla extract, if you please] to your serving. Honey works just as well if you can get it to dissolve.
Next, I must learn to make yogurt with goat’s milk and like it. Then I must get a goat. Until then, I’ll have the empty milk cartons to dispose of.
- Elizabeth Ann
P.S. Two more helpful hints...I find that it helps to warm the bowl in which you are going to mix the milk and yogurt. You can just set it in a warm place while you are heating the milk. Secondly, if you do not have a woodstove by which to keep your setting yogurt, it seems to work just as well if you preheat your oven to the lowest temperature (about 150 degrees F on mine) while the milk is heating, and then shut it off and let the yogurt set in there. It seems to stay warm and draft-free for a sufficient length of time.
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. - Thoreau
http://resolutelyoutmoded.etsy.com |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 06:22:44 AM
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I had a yogurt maker years ago and thought it did not make a satisfactory product compared to homemade. But yogurt maker yogurt is FAR superior to what you can buy at the store so have fun this weekend Brenda! There's my two cents worth for the day!
with a happy heart |
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 07:02:14 AM
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I am unable to find my heating pad (what I used for making yogurt) and do not have a wood stove. What other ways to you gals make your yogurt?
Blessings....
Sarah
"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." -From The Great Law Of The Iroquois Confederacy.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!!!!
http://mustangsuzie.wordpress.com
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simpler1773
True Blue Farmgirl
234 Posts
Ricki
Ashland
Wisconsin
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 08:36:49 AM
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You can use hot water in a cooler and place your jar of yogurt in there to "cure" :) I know I have directions around here somewhere and I will post them as soon as I find them because I need to start doing this as well. Just paid over $4 for a container of organic yogurt at the co-op.
~Ricki~
You can't pour anything out of an empty vessel, take care of yourself! |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
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tziporra
True Blue Farmgirl
234 Posts
Robin
Seattle
WA
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 09:48:07 AM
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I use a yogurt maker since we don't /have/ a warm place and I'm very happy with the results. It's perfect for baby food, and I make gallons of it for my littlest. If I have no yogurt left over I just buy a small container of plain from the store to start the new batch with. I have the one that fits 7 little jars instead of one big one. It's really just a low heat source to set jars on, as has been mentioned before.
I have easily saved the cost of the yogurt maker many times over by making my own.
Best,
Robin |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 2:05:19 PM
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Ashley
I had one when I had my first baby some 23 years ago. Over the years my boys and I enjoyed the process of making it and enjoyed eating it. When it finally died I was heart broken and am looking for a replacement. What did the Hobby Farm recommend? I never have a house hot enough to do it and I love that I can make it and forget it while doing other things. It is hard to also not have it bumped with all the motion in this house. I agree it kills me to purchase a health product in plastic. Take care and good eating.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 5:33:10 PM
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I have one and use it often. I don't know what you mean by it not being as good as homemade. Mine is a long skinny heating thing with holes that 4 glass cups (that hold about a cup) fit into with a lid that goes over the whole thing..I actually have two of these..Salton is the brand. Mine were both from yard sales. The yogurt is made the same as if I did it on a hot pad in a jar..just that the thing keeps it hot. I use the same recipe and all. Maybe they arn't made the same now...the yogurt cups are glass with little plastic lids for when you store them in the fridge..
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2007 : 6:59:54 PM
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They might be somewhat different now than back in the late 70's /early 80's. I just remember that no matter what we made in it there was always an odd taste to the yogurt , sort of metallic/sharp/bitter. When I make it myself with the warming method it seems smoother and less bitter, but still tart. Jenny-I was making mostly plain yogurt at the time, maybe if I had flavored it I wouldn't have noticed? Or maybe I just need to try a newer model of
maker? Maybe it was the milk....
Brenda- keep us posted how it turns out, now I am really curious!
with a happy heart |
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OregonGal
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Chris
No. IL
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Feb 23 2007 : 7:45:00 PM
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I looked on the internet and found a site that has a few different ways to do it at home. Looked on google and searched make yogurt and there's a few sites for home made yogurt. Here's one - http://www.chetday.com/howtomakeyogurt.htm
Found directions for a method in the the Sep/Oct 1997 Countryside Magazine. Let us know how it turns out.  |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2007 : 2:52:22 PM
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www.cheesemaking.com sells a thermos style yogurt maker which makes 2 quarts. A tub (yes, it is plastic ;( )with a handle holds the yogurt within a styrofoam container. The milk has to be a certain temperature before inserting it, and it takes 5-7 hours, I believe. This maker is also good for making the New England Cheese Co.(the site given above) buttermilk as well as kefir. I like the fact that it isn't electric... although I have another one that IS, and it works faster. The taste is a whole lot better than I remembered "home-made yogurt" being back in the 70's, and I'm guessing that's from using organic milk these days... what a difference.
There is a Redeemer. |
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2007 : 8:15:39 PM
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| If you really want a yogurt maker, you can have mine, I do not think I have ever used it. I believe it is still in the box, too. If you want it, it is yours. Let me go see what the brand make model,etc are.... |
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2007 : 8:23:13 PM
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| okay, Salton brand additive-free yogurt maker ym9...makes up to 1 qt of yogurt. I think it was one of those things I got for my wedding that I did not pay much attention to and then when we moved we thought we might use it so we never got rid of it. Anyway, it is probably about 9 years old, but still in the box and its plastic bag. Email me, if you want it, it is yours. |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2007 : 4:03:27 PM
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Thanks again ladies - You have sparked my heart again in making yogurt and also in learning a new way of doing something. Thanks for the sites - WAY TOO COOL! Thanks Ashley for starting the convo - I owe you.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com |
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ashcordes
True Blue Farmgirl
197 Posts
Ashley
Roann
IN
USA
197 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 06:17:20 AM
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Jessica,
I'm definitely interested....how much do you want for it?
Ashley |
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 06:53:50 AM
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| just postage, email me |
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ashcordes
True Blue Farmgirl
197 Posts
Ashley
Roann
IN
USA
197 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 10:20:15 AM
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| Will do, I'm excited! |
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ashcordes
True Blue Farmgirl
197 Posts
Ashley
Roann
IN
USA
197 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 10:36:56 AM
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| FYI, someone asked which yogurt maker Hobby Farm Home suggested, it was from Williams Sonoma (www.williams-sonoma.com) and it lists there for $39.95 which includes 7 glass jars with lids. Looks like a really nice one! |
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 4:30:47 PM
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| Did you ever get the box of stuff I sent you? I think my husband mailed it about a week late, but I know he mailed it. Hope you got it and found some of the stuff useful. |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2007 : 8:46:21 PM
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I make mine using a six-pack size icechest and two microwaveable "beanbag" type heating pads (one on the bottom, one on top). You can make a heating pad out of rice and a gym sock.
Sharon
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2007 : 10:04:45 PM
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| oooh, i use the gym sock and rice heating pad on all parts when i am pregnant. I put a few drops of oil in it to make it smell good. It is good for a lot of places. |
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stonethistle
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
Denise
East Meredith
NY
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2007 : 11:45:06 AM
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I use the picnic cooler method. I use two large mason jars of hot water and put them in the cooler. I pour the warm cultured milk into a third glass mason jar and wrap a towel around it and pop it in the cooler. THe cooler must be in non-drafty place that does not get jostled by children, pets, etc.
I am using raw organic goat milk so unless I use non organic powdered goat milk - it will be a little runny ala European style. Here is the recipe I use. I want raw organic yogurt so I don't heat the milk to pasteurization level (145 degrees)or higher.
2 quarts goat milk, 2 tsps plain cultured yogurt (with live cultures!) from previous batch or commercial yogurt. Warm milk to 115 degrees. Add two teaspoons cultured yogurt. Mix well and pour into clean jars. Wrap jar in towel. Place between two jars of hot water in picnic cooler. Close lid. Leave undisturbed for 6-8 hours. No peeking. The consistent temperature is important for incubation. You MUST use clean jars. I use hot water and a dab of clorox to clean them. I did not clean the jar well one time and the yogurt exploded with bacteria and blew the lid open on the cooler (no joke!!!).
Leaving the yogurt longer to incubate does not thicken the goat milk yogurt - only makes it more sour. Refrigerating it does thicken it somewhat.
There are great recipes for yogurt and cheese from goat milk in Goats Produce Too by Mary Jane Toth. It was written in 1989.
www.stoneandthistlefarm.com
If you can't buy organic AND local, choose local. Support the local farmers who feed you! |
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Farm Kitchen: Yogurt Maker |
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Yogurt Maker
