Electric yoghurt maker questions

apprentice_tycoon

Happy to help - I tried the lakeland strainer but it's just a bit small for the amount that I make - 800 ml a day - that's a large widemouth flask, I kept having to top it up as it dripped so it was in and out of the fridge. I now use a flour sieve with a sheet of muslin (lakeland again!), this is a bit quicker as there is more surface area to drip through and I can put the whole amount in in one go then put it in the fridge with a plate over so it doesn't pick up smells. You can wash, then scald the muslins so they will last. I like our yog with soft HM jam, it's nicer than Fruit Corners

You strain it for as long as you want to depending on how thick you want it - the yog cheese came about when I forgot it overnight but I normally strain for around an hour for how we like it.

ChocClare

Thanks so much Apprentice Tycoon - if I can get over this heat inertia I've been suffering from I might just stagger to Tesco's and get going!!

Thanks to all who've saved me chucking away my Bel yoghurt maker! (Will probably find it doesn't work now!!!)

apple_mint

Apprentice Tycoon .... it worked!!! :j Thank you!

Full fat UHT milk and organic yoghurt as a starter (added some dried skimmed milk a la Ted_Hutchinson ). Put it on from cold and was meaning to look at it after four hours but it was six hours when I checked it. I have perfect, lovely thick yoghurt . We had some with the runny (it wouldn't set properly) Rhubarb and Ginger jam ... delicious!

The previous batch I strained through muslin which lined a sieve. Did it overnight in the fridge (into a jug) and I now have a philidelphia consistency yoghurt. Think I will mix this with some herbs or chives and use it for my packed lunch).

Chococlare, I poured 1 1/2 pints of full fat UHT milk into a bowl, then whisked in 2 tablespoons of dried skimmed milk and 2 tablespoon of organic yogurt. This I put into a jug and then poured into the six little jars and straight into the yoghurt maker. No pre-heating up at all. Results = perfect yoghurt.

ChocClare

Hello chaps!

I, too, followed the instructions above (1.5 pints FF UHT milk, 2 tblsps dried skimmed milk, 2 tblsps Total yoghurt as a starter. I put it on a timer for 6 hours as it was too close to bedtime to do anything else. I could have got away with slightly less milk as I had too much by the time I'd mixed in the skimmed milk and the starter.

Result: good, thick set yoghurt. Looked great. BUT tasted of UHT milk, which I really dislike! (Well derr...) It was fine when mixed with St Dalfour jam which I happened to have in the fridge - consistency was fantastic and I could no longer taste the UHT. However, I will try the next lot with bog standard semi-skimmed milk, heated a la KTFrugal and see if it makes a difference. Thanks again everyone, finally feel I'm on the right track!

apple_mint

Mine tasted yogurty Chococlare ... perhaps if you leave it for a day in the fridge it may improve?

ChocClare

Oh, it did taste yoghurty - it's just that I could detect the UHT taste. :eek: I have to say it tastes much better today. Will still try the next lot with semi-skimmed milk though!

Bossyboots

I have finally retrieved my yoghurt maker and will press it back into service today using some of the ideas on these threads.

apple_mint

I can't do without my yoghurt maker bossyboots. I use it several times a week and OH thinks the yoghurt is sublime

I also make a lot of meals using yoghurt now. I mixed a batch with korma curry powder and corriander, poured it over a couple of chicken pieces, popped it in the oven and 50 minutes later had a lovely chicken meal in a light curry sauce. I also popped a load of cherry tomatoes round it as it was roasting - so all I had to do was add a few of my home grown new potatoes to the plate to make it a yummy meal.

larmy16

Ted

We spoke once about having the same yog maker (Kenwood). I just wanted to ask you if you put the screw cap jars on while the yog is stewing, or do you put them on after its stewed ?

I ask this, as I saw a yog maker in Robert Dyas, similar set up to ours and it said to put the caps on after yog was made?

Many thanx

Ted_Hutchinson

I usually leave them off but my partner leaves them on, so it works both ways and I can't see any reason to put them on first.

My other half argues that putting the lids on stops some of the water evaporating off but I can't see that's an advantage. I put the lids on when they go in the fridge which I do straight from the yoghurt maker, so actually they are still warm when they go in the fridge. I know you are not supposed to put warm things in the fridge but I think it helps them to cool down quicker.

EDIT: I've now checked the original instruction leaflet for both the kenwood and salton (now deceased) yoghurt makers and BOTH support my partner and not me as they both say to put the pot lids on at the start and not at the end of yogging time. So it's clear I've not been following the instructions all this time. I'm not sure I'm going to bother either. I suppose if I remember I could lid half the batch and leave the other half unlidded and see if I can detect any difference. We make separate batches as Beth prefers full cream fresh milk yoghurts and I stick to UHT skimmed milk.
Another way we have neither of us, been following the instructions is that the Salton instructions say use 4 tablespoons of yoghurt as starter and 4 tablespoons of skimmed milk powder (we only use two of each) and the Kenwood instructions say use a whole pot of yoghurt as starter.
But if it works why change? I'm sticking to my two tablespoons.