easiyo yogurt maker any good? or make your own? (merged)

esbm

Had anyone tried adding coconut milk to make coconut flavour? I love coconut yoghurt but it's always so expensive, so thinking of buying one of these.

iammumtoone

I have just order the mini easyio

I want to use fresh milk as this is cheaper than buying UHT.

I know I have to boil the milk, I will boil it well as paranoid about making ourselves ill

Do I leave the boiled milk to return to room temperature before using? I don't want the heat to kill off the live bacteria in the starter. Should I put the milk into the container and place in cold water to quicken the cooling down?

I was also considering buying a starter packet and just using a tablespoon of powder per batch as this might work out cheaper for me than buying a pot of yogurt each time, would this work?

Thanks

pol098

iammumtoone wrote: »

I want to use fresh milk. I know I have to boil the milk, I will boil it well as paranoid about making ourselves ill

You don't have to boil the milk, though you can (the results will be somewhat different, it's a matter of taste). And the purpose of heating the milk is not bacterial safety - you can drink pasteurised milk safely without heating it yourself, as we all do.

You must heat the milk to a certain temperature for a while; this denatures proteins and allow yoghurt to form. 85C for 10 minutes is recommended; just off the boil if you don't have a thermometer.

iammumtoone wrote: »

Do I leave the boiled milk to return to room temperature before using? I don't want the heat to kill off the live bacteria in the starter.

You must cool the milk to 50C or lower before adding the culture, otherwise you'll kill it. 40-46C is usual. The only reason to cool it faster is impatience, it doesn't affect the result.

iammumtoone wrote: »

I was also considering buying a starter packet and just using a tablespoon of powder per batch as this might work out cheaper for me than buying a pot of yogurt each time, would this work?

People say that a spoonful from an EasyYo packet works as a starter. You usually get one or two packets with an EasyYo. But you don't need to buy a starter every time; just use a spoonful from the previous batch. (People say you can freeze it if not making any kmmediately).

HTH

iammumtoone

I've just but my first batch in the easyio :eek:

I didn't have any dried milk, but will get some.

I used 1 tablespoon of natural yogurt and milk which I heated beforehand. I have put some chocolate flavouring in the milk as would like to encourage my son to eat it. I am not expecting it to work first time but looking forward to experimenting.

iammumtoone

Oh dear

I was not expecting the first time to be perfect BUT I did expect it to do something!

I left it 10 hours and when I opened it. it was still milk, just the same as I had put it in:eek: it tasted like gone off milk.

I will try again when I get some dried milk as that might help, I also may need a thermometer to check I heated up the milk enough.

The most concerning thing to me was the water in the eayio was cold, so there was no point in leaving it any longer. Is this normal? Is the water suppose to be cold after 10 hours?

skeeter93

iammumtoone, I'm not an expert, but I think without the dried milk it won't thicken. Also, I was told not to put anything sugary in til afterwards, as the sugar inhibits the yogurt breeding. I have had success sometimes with sugar, sometimes not. I've had more luck using a liquid sweetener. I found mine was getting too cold, so I wrap my flask in a towel and blanket. Hope that helps

pandora205

It won't work without dried milk and I put more than a tablespoon of yoghurt in as a starter. You don't need to do anything to keep the flask warm (in an Easiyo flask), although if it doesn't thicken enough, replacing some of the water with more boiled water will speed it up at the end.

Don't add sugar or flavourings until afterwards, and avoid using flavoured yoghurts too. Bring the milk almost to the boil then let it cool to 85 degrees before adding the starter and powdered milk (I use a Lakeland Thermospatula to check).

iammumtoone

Thanks both, I haven't got any dried milk yet (will pop out to the shops today)

I did try another attempt last night. This time I boiled the milk so I knew I had reached the required temperature and I pre-warmed the easyio. I also just stuck to plain milk (really need to get the basics right first)

This morning it was better but still very runny, and the water was cold again. I have re-filled the easyio with boiling water and will see what happens.

pandora - I am using the mini easyio, it makes half the amount of the standard size. Most people say to use two tablespoons in the standard so on that basis, one should be the right amount for mine.

I will update later so other beginners will maybe learn from my mistakes, next batch I try will be with dried milk. I will also order a thermometer.

UPDATE: something happened but I am not quite sure what :rotfl: I have white lumpy bits in a clearish liquid it looks like when something curdles. Has it gone off? I tasted it and it tasted off Or is the liquid whey (I wasn't expecting to get whey) Unfortunately I don't have anything to strain it with so have just left it in the fridge. I will get some coffee filters tomorrow to strain it and see what happens.

cvCA

I got a bit of whey but not that much. Have you tried actual EasiYo in it? The water in my fullsize flask doesn't go completely cold overnight, so I'm wondering if your flask is OK.

greenbee

I make my yogurt with a spoonful from the previous batch (as long as I haven't let it go off...) and full fat organic UHT milk (I don't use much milk, so it's easier to bullk-buy UHT as the local shop also doesn't to organic). I don't use milk powder and I still get a decent yogurt, although it does vary.

How quickly the easiyo flask cools down will depend on the temperature of your house. I find it doesn't need more than 8 hours, when it will be warm and not quite set - it sets in the fridge. If I leave it longer it can be too acidic.

I get some whey, but usually not until I've removed a spoonful or two... I tend to get a 'set' yogurt, not as thick as greek. The culture lasts for about a month and then I need to get a new one. Interestingly it lasts longer if I make a new batch every 4 days than if I leave it longer.

Maybe start by using the sachet and see how that comes out. Take it out of the flask and put it in the fridge after 8 hours. If it works, then try using a spoonful of that with either boiled and cooled milk or UHT and doing the same thing. I'd go with UHT to begin with as you don't have to worry about heating and cooling. Once you've got the hang of it you can then switch to pasteurised milk if you want to.