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

Sui_Generis

They often end up with whey on top as it says in the booklet - stir that back in. A couple of points that have come up in the past - don't use cold water direct from the tap use it at room temp so let it stand if necessary; you can leave the yogurt in for up to 24 hours if you like it thicker but most fruit ones are OK from about 8 hours. I usually leave it overnight.

As you can see just above toffee, custard and a couple of others do seem to be gloopy. I can say I've never a a problem with any of the fruit or the Greek varieties. I'm sure others will chime in.

Primrose

I always end up with whey on the top of my EasiYo yoghurt and pour it off. Even after I pour it off, the next day I find another layer of whey has developed. If you continue to stir it back in, doesn't it make the yoghurt more runny? What do other people do in this respect? I do normally use cold water straight from the tap for mixing in the powder so thanks Sui_Generis for that tip. In future I'll either use cooled water from my kettle, or the water in my water filter jug which has had time to reach room temperature. Does this make much difference to the eventual thickness of the product?

helyg

Bleughhhhhh! Just tried the Greek with Honey and it is disgusting, it has a really wierd gloopy texture. Will be sticking to Strawberry in future!

rockie4

We've had our Easiyo about a year now and only had one failure!:D

I leave the water to come to room temperature and then add the mix to half the water, shake well and then top it up and shake again - I watched the woman on QVC make it this way.

I fill the Easiyo to about 1cm above the red inner bit and then pop the pot in.

I always make it about 10pm, leave overnight then pop it in the fridge when I get up at about 6.30am, so it has just over 8 hours.

We tend to use the greek style mainly, I add a desertspoon of sugar to each litre - just sweetens it a little. I've always found this one comes up really thick - yum!!

I don't like the low fat ones though they're really sour!

OH won't eat any other yoghurt now, he loves the stuff!

janiebaby29

just had a clearout of a cupboard and have found a box of 12 sachets , the skimmers one , but the date is 2007 ,
would they still be ok ??

Primrose

janiebaby - am sure they will still be OK. I rarely pay any heed to any of these Sell By and Best By dates. The foil packets are sealed and airtight so can't see how the contents could have been impaired in any way. If you try one packet and it's OK you'll know that the rest will be.

Sui_Generis

Primrose wrote: »

I always end up with whey on the top of my EasiYo yoghurt and pour it off. Even after I pour it off, the next day I find another layer of whey has developed. If you continue to stir it back in, doesn't it make the yoghurt more runny? What do other people do in this respect? I do normally use cold water straight from the tap for mixing in the powder so thanks Sui_Generis for that tip. In future I'll either use cooled water from my kettle, or the water in my water filter jug which has had time to reach room temperature. Does this make much difference to the eventual thickness of the product?

There is usually whey but stirring it back in and then putting it in the fridge I don't notice any difference (fruit & Gk). Apparently using water straight from the tap can significantly lower the "fermentation"(?) temp - not an expert but I can see that will affect the process significantly - it would be 10-15C lower than ambient temp? So it probably doesn't get up to the intended temp for yogurt formation.

rockie4 wrote: »

We've had our Easiyo about a year now and only had one failure!:D

I leave the water to come to room temperature and then add the mix to half the water, shake well and then top it up and shake again

Same here.

veronarona

I understand that whey is nutritious and shouldn't be discarded. Found a couple of snippets:

(1) This liquid, called whey is a natural component in cultured yogurt. Whey contains many of the most important vitamins and nutrients in yogurt. Simply stir it back in to take advantage of its nutritional benefits. It occurs whenever there has been any type of pressure on the curd, or also from temperature change. A little bit whey is normal. The appearance of whey is actually a good sign, indicating that the beneficial cultures are alive and active.

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(2) [From a "Doctor Katz" at Oprah.com:cool: ] You are definitely changing the nutritional value. If you pour off just the whey—the fluid at the top of the carton—you'll lose a small amount of calcium. However, if you strain low-fat yogurt for several hours using cheesecloth or a dish towel, about half the calcium will go down the drain.

On the other hand, the thicker, creamier result of straining yogurt, which is sometimes referred to as Greek yogurt, is higher in protein than the standard stuff, providing roughly 20 grams versus 13 for an 8-ounce serving. It's also lower in carbohydrates because some of the milk sugar, or lactose, is lost.

You're wise to use nonfat yogurt: Removing the whey has the effect of increasing the yogurt's density, and usually when you do that to a food, you boost the concentration of fat and calories. Strain the full-fat version and you'll end up with yogurt that is more than twice as fatty and caloric as regular yogurt. Fat-free Greek yogurt has about the same amount of calories as standard varieties.

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veronarona

malkyp_2

nesssie1702 wrote: »

I bought an EasyYo from Lakeland at the weekend and made my first batch of Greek yogurt last night which is pretty tasty. Not sure that I'll be paying £10 for 5 sachets of powder again though. Anyone got any idea if I can make yogurt with Soya milk, as that's what we tend to take normally

I think it tastes great and I personally have never had a failure. The thing that we do slightly differently now is only fill the yogurt container within 1.5 cm of the top. This makes a slightly thicker yogurt which I prefer.

As to the cost of the yogurt; yes it is dearer than such as Lidl's at £160/kilo but it's fresh and live and it's in the cupboard not in a shop.

I can't answer the question about soya as I think that soya milk tastes vile.

Primrose

malkyp - you can reduce the cost of making your Greek yoghurt by regenerating it. Save two tablespoons of your yoghurt and use it to generate another batch. Simply mix it well with a carton of UHT milk at room temperature and put it back in the flask with the hot water. I don't know why but UHT milk works for me whereas ordinary pasteurised milk doesn't. I've never used soya milk to make yoghurt so am unsure whether using it to make up a regenerated batch would work. Suggest you use just a dessertspoon of your yoghurt mixed in with a little soya milk in the inner container and heat as normal in your flask. If it doesn't work you won't have wasted a huge amount of milk or yoghurt and it's always worth experimenting.