Yoghurt making help again please

mrsm

Right, I want to make yoghurt. I want it as cheap as possible. I want it as natural as possible. We get through loads of the stuff.

So, after reading all the threads on here I can find I think what I'm after is something like the bulk thingy from Lakeland.

But how easy is it?

I have 2 small children and in August will have 3 under 3. The breadmaker goes on every other day, the slow cooker sever times a week. Will yoghurt making fit in with the routine. Is it like the breadmaker, do I bung it all in and leave it, or will I be stuck in the kitchen for ages.




Would appreciate an idiots guide of what I need to do to turn milk to yummy creamy yoghurt with as little effort as possible

apprentice_tycoon

I cannot think of anything easier to use.

You need a litre carton of UHT milk and a pot of plain yogurt, you mix 2 tabs of yog with the milk in the container, switch on, go to bed, wake up to finished yogurt.

either cool it and serve or strain it if you like the Greek type yog

forgot to say, once you have your yogurt the next batch is started with 2 spoons of your own yogurt, you can freeze the starter yogurt too so you can go away on holiday and start the next batch off without ever having to go and buy more.

mrsm

thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. Just like the breadmaker then, bung it in and forget about it.

Can I use normal milk? Do I have to heat it first?

This is the best one to get yes?

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/!3440_3441

thriftlady_2

Can I just add to what Apprentice Tycoon said.I make yogurt the same way but I always add 1/2 a cup(about3 tbsp)of dried skimmed milk powder.I mix it with the starter yogurt and then add the UHT milk.It makes the yogurt much thicker and richer.

You can use fresh milk but you have to heat it first and then wait for it to fall to the correct temperature.I found that when I made it with fresh milk overnight,it had spoilt by morning and gone all curdled looking.I think it needs less time than UHT straight from the carton.I recommend UHT every time.

apprentice_tycoon

You can use normal milk but you have to heat it to boiling point first to kill the little bugs that will kill the yogurt making bugs. UHT tastes fine, I would never dream of drinking the stuff but made into yogurt it's perfect.

I have the lakeland bulk maker and it's used every other night. I've tried it with the milk powder as thriftlady said but I found it to be a bit 'wooly' (can't describe it better) so to make it richer I strain ours till you can stand a spoon in it - almost. It's all personal taste and preference so you'll have fun trying the various ideas out

thriftlady_2

I strain mine too if I want something really thick and lush.

I use Yeo valley wholemilk natural bio yog to start it off.You have to do this every so often as the hm stuff loses its 'power'.You can use cheaper starter yogurts but Yeo valley is the only one I've found that doesn't have a nut warning on it :mad:

larmy16

I like the wholemilk UHT with 2tbs of greek live yoghurt (Morrisons is fab) and also 2 tbs of dried milk. Comes out lovely and creamy.

Incidentally, I had a result the other day, in a charity shop, for £2.50 an unused 1 litre yoghurt maker which seems similar in design to the Lakeland one. It is called Select Yoghurt Maid - the original yoghurt maker and comes complete with a thermometer to make sure the milk is at correct temperature.

I found though if not using UHT if you can dip your little finger in comfortably then temperature is right to add to starter. I read this in an Indian cookery book.

larmy16

thriftlady wrote:

I strain mine too if I want something really thick and lush.

I use Yeo valley wholemilk natural bio yog to start it off.You have to do this every so often as the hm stuff loses its 'power'.You can use cheaper starter yogurts but Yeo valley is the only one I've found that doesn't have a nut warning on it :mad:

Do you strain it through a fine sieve??

ChocClare

mrsm wrote:

This is the best one to get yes?

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/!3440_3441

Just to add my two penn'orth: I bought the easiyo yoghurt maker from lakeland after reading a previous thread on this site (see it here) and it's cheaper than the budget one and works like a thermos. You don't have to use the easiyo sachets - I find, too, that the taste of powdered milk is fairly yuk and woolly. I put two tablespoons of Total Greek yoghurt in the bottom of the clear container pictured, fill it up with Tesco's UHT milk, fill the white container up to the mark with boiling water from the kettle, stick the clear container in it, put the lid on and go to bed. In the morning, there is my litre of yoghurt ready to eat (or at least put in the fridge) and it's six pounds cheaper than the bulk yoghurt maker. Just a thought.

ariba10

I use the easy-yo that Lakeland and others sell,but I do not use their packs of dried yoghurt (Too dear.)
I buy a large carton of live yougurt from a supermarket ( but read the label it must be a live culture). I pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it, store the frozen cubes in a plastic tub in the freezer.
When I want to make some, I part fill the container with milk ( I use skimmed milk but you can use what you want) then I add 1 cup of skimmed milk powder ( Tesco's I find the cheapest) when it is mixed, I add one ice cube of yogurt. then follow the instuctions with the easy-yo flask. Works every time.
I don't think you can make it any cheaper than that

ariba10

I missed a bit out in my last post. When you have mixed in the milk powder put in the cube of frozen yogurt and fill up the container with milk, wait for the iced cube to melt replace the cap and then carry on as usual. With the cup of dried milk it makes a thick finished product ---- no need to strain.