Making and freezing home made yogurt, freezing milk

[madbrain]

Last friday, I got a Euro cuisine YMX650 yogurt maker. It can make up to 7 6-oz cups of yogurt at a time.
I have made a couple of batches so far, with both whole milk and nonfat milk. The manual says the yogurts are good for only 8 to 10 days in the refrigerator.

I am new to making yogurts and have a number of questions :
1) Can home made yogurt be frozen ? And if so, how long would they keep ?
2) Same question about preservatives as for ice creams - are there any, preferably natural, that I can add to them to extend their life, especially in the freezer ?
3) the yogurt maker came with 7 glass jars which have a convenient calendar dial plastic lid to set the expiration date. Additional lids are relatively expensive - about $25 on amazon with shipping.
Does anyone know a cheaper source for similar jars that would fit the yogurt maker ?
4) Making yogurt requires milk. The best price I have found on milk so far was at costco. On saturday, 2 gallons of nonfat milk was $4.79 . 2 gallons of organic whole milk was $9.99 .
There are only two of us at home and 2 gallons is too much. Neither of us drinks milk, so it would only be used for making yogurt or ice cream.
In the refrigerator, the milk will expire within about 10 days. I have read posts from forum members about freezing milk. How long will milk keep in the freezer ?
5) Making yogurt requires a starter. The manual recommends about 6oz of starter for each batch. I used some Mountain high that I had purchased from Costco . I could use my own yogurt as starter later, but it's only recommended to be done for one generation in the manual, so it is not practical. Can I freeze the store yogurt to reuse as I make new batches each week ? And if so, how long would they keep ?
6) I have also seen the option of buying dry starters that are frozen. But these appear to be much more expensive than just buying store yogurt once in a while, unless I am mistaken. The Mountain High at Costco was $3.79 for 64 oz. That's enough starter to make 10-11 batches of 7 yogurts. It seems hard to beat this price, if the store yogurt can be frozen long enough.

 

[moolie]

Welcome to the forum!

There's a great thread about making home-made yogurt here that will answer most of your questions.

I don't personally use a yogurt maker, so no idea on similar sized jars. I just re-use "Natur" brand natural peanut butter jars (500 gram size), they are a good size for my family and I make 3 jar-fulls each week for my two teen daughters, myself and my hubs.

As for freezing milk and yogurt, this works fine for both although it can change the texture. Stirring milk as it thaws can help with this, I don't personally freeze yogurt except in ice cube trays for starting the next batch so no idea on how larger amounts thaw (the cubes thaw perfectly).

Hope that helps!

 

[madbrain]

Hi moolie,

Welcome to the forum!

There's a great thread about making home-made yogurt here that will answer most of your questions.

I don't personally use a yogurt maker, so no idea on similar sized jars. I just re-use "Natur" brand natural peanut butter jars (500 gram size), they are a good size for my family and I make 3 jar-fulls each week for my two teen daughters, myself and my hubs.

As for freezing milk and yogurt, this works fine for both although it can change the texture. Stirring milk as it thaws can help with this, I don't personally freeze yogurt except in ice cube trays for starting the next batch so no idea on how larger amounts thaw (the cubes thaw perfectly).

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the link. The thread is helpful, but the only question that is answered is #5 - and not completely. People do freeze their starter, one person mention it loses strength after 6 months.

I have one more question actually :
7) what ratio of starter to milk do you use ? The Euro cuisine manual recommends 6oz of starter for 42 oz of milk, ie. 1:7 .

 

[freemotion]

A tablespoon per quart should be sufficient.

 

[freemotion]

Last friday, I got a Euro cuisine YMX650 yogurt maker. It can make up to 7 6-oz cups of yogurt at a time.
I have made a couple of batches so far, with both whole milk and nonfat milk. The manual says the yogurts are good for only 8 to 10 days in the refrigerator.

I am new to making yogurts and have a number of questions :
1) Can home made yogurt be frozen ? And if so, how long would they keep ? Never tried, except for freezing cultures in ice cube trays.
2) Same question about preservatives as for ice creams - are there any, preferably natural, that I can add to them to extend their life, especially in the freezer ? Answered on your other thread.....eat 'em up and keep the air out.
3) the yogurt maker came with 7 glass jars which have a convenient calendar dial plastic lid to set the expiration date. Additional lids are relatively expensive - about $25 on amazon with shipping No experience with this....I use a picnic cooler and up to nine quart jars per batch. It keeps for weeks in the fridge. At least raw milk yogurt does.
Does anyone know a cheaper source for similar jars that would fit the yogurt maker ?
4) Making yogurt requires milk. The best price I have found on milk so far was at costco. On saturday, 2 gallons of nonfat milk was $4.79 . 2 gallons of organic whole milk was $9.99 .
There are only two of us at home and 2 gallons is too much. Neither of us drinks milk, so it would only be used for making yogurt or ice cream.
In the refrigerator, the milk will expire within about 10 days. I have read posts from forum members about freezing milk. How long will milk keep in the freezer ? Once you make it into yogurt it should keep much, much longer. Make it into yogurt as soon as you get it home or shortly thereafter.
5) Making yogurt requires a starter. The manual recommends about 6oz of starter for each batch. I used some Mountain high that I had purchased from Costco . I could use my own yogurt as starter later, but it's only recommended to be done for one generation in the manual, so it is not practical. Can I freeze the store yogurt to reuse as I make new batches each week ? And if so, how long would they keep ? Yes, freeze in ice cube trays for up to six months but three is better. You can certainly experiment with continually using your yogurt to start the next batch and then only get a new one when it starts to fail. I'd remove some of the yogurt as soon as it is done and set that aside for starter, though, to keep it fresh. You can often find a single cup of Chobani, plain, for a dollar. That is what I usually use.
6) I have also seen the option of buying dry starters that are frozen. But these appear to be much more expensive than just buying store yogurt once in a while, unless I am mistaken. The Mountain High at Costco was $3.79 for 64 oz. That's enough starter to make 10-11 batches of 7 yogurts. It seems hard to beat this price, if the store yogurt can be frozen long enough.

If you buy your yogurt culture from a dairy supply place such as www.dairyconnection.com it can be very cost effective, as you need so little to get a batch going. I did this for a while, but no longer make yogurt very often as we use kefir more.

 

[madbrain]

hi freemotion,

1) Can home made yogurt be frozen ? And if so, how long would they keep ? Never tried, except for freezing cultures in ice cube trays.

If you can freeze them for cultures, is there any reason they wouldn't also be good to eat ?

2) Same question about preservatives as for ice creams - are there any, preferably natural, that I can add to them to extend their life, especially in the freezer ? Answered on your other thread.....eat 'em up and keep the air out.

I was hoping there was a way I could make a fe
w large batches and keep them in the freezer for a long time. As opposed to, say making a batch or 2 every week.
As for keeping vacuum out, do you use a vacuum sealer ? I spent some time on google but it appears they are fairly pricey, not to mention the supplies (rolls). And I am not sure these are appropriate for yogurts.

3) the yogurt maker came with 7 glass jars which have a convenient calendar dial plastic lid to set the expiration date. Additional lids are relatively expensive - about $25 on amazon with shipping No experience with this....I use a picnic cooler and up to nine quart jars per batch. It keeps for weeks in the fridge. At least raw milk yogurt does.

I won't be using raw milk. Probably nonfat milk or organic whole milk. Is the 8-10 days keep time from Euro cuisine too conservative ? Most yogurts at the store expire within one month or less in the refrigerator, but they have preservatives. So I would expect homemade yogurt to keep for much less than that.

4) Making yogurt requires milk. The best price I have found on milk so far was at costco. On saturday, 2 gallons of nonfat milk was $4.79 . 2 gallons of organic whole milk was $9.99 .
There are only two of us at home and 2 gallons is too much. Neither of us drinks milk, so it would only be used for making yogurt or ice cream.
In the refrigerator, the milk will expire within about 10 days. I have read posts from forum members about freezing milk. How long will milk keep in the freezer ? Once you make it into yogurt it should keep much, much longer. Make it into yogurt as soon as you get it home or shortly thereafter.

What about freezing the milk gallon jug itself as soon as I get it home ? Is anyone doing that ?

5) Making yogurt requires a starter. The manual recommends about 6oz of starter for each batch. I used some Mountain high that I had purchased from Costco . I could use my own yogurt as starter later, but it's only recommended to be done for one generation in the manual, so it is not practical. Can I freeze the store yogurt to reuse as I make new batches each week ? And if so, how long would they keep ? Yes, freeze in ice cube trays for up to six months but three is better. You can certainly experiment with continually using your yogurt to start the next batch and then only get a new one when it starts to fail. I'd remove some of the yogurt as soon as it is done and set that aside for starter, though, to keep it fresh. You can often find a single cup of Chobani, plain, for a dollar. That is what I usually use.

Yes, I have seen the $1 yogurts at the store. These were small amounts though, about 6oz. So it would only make one batch if I follow Euro cuisine's recipe. Seems you are using much less starter.
Still, I would prefer to avoid the regular grocery store trips to buy $1 starter.

6)
If you buy your yogurt culture from a dairy supply place such as www.dairyconnection.com it can be very cost effective, as you need so little to get a batch going. I did this for a while, but no longer make yogurt very often as we use kefir more.

I looked on that site, but it seemed fairly pricey. Seems like I would be trading price for convenience. If I can freeze store yogurt as cultures, that would come out a lot cheaper.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I use a yogurt maker too. Sounds like the same (or similar) kind. Try buying your milk when it's on sale for a really great price.

We have our own goats so we have LOTS of milk several months out of the year. After I make the yogurt, I might mix some with orange juice then pour into popsicle molds to make my son some creamsicles.

Could try other flavors. My kid suddenly likes butter brickle or pecan pralines. Also likes cookes and cream (if I can figure out how to make it gf). Gotta figure out how to make rocky road or some other flavors.

And could use just plastic storage containers instead of popsicle molds. Good way to store yummy treats AND that extra milk. Hmmm... frozen yogurt.

 

[madbrain]

I use a yogurt maker too. Sounds like the same (or similar) kind. Try buying your milk when it's on sale for a really great price.

I want to avoid regular grocery store trips so looking for the milk sale is not really a good option for me. Even milk on sale and 3 days left before expiration at safeway was still more expensive than costco with 10 days left, buying 2 gallons at a time.

I looked into buying powdered milk. But actually it appears to be much more expensive
$8.99 at safeway for nonfat powdered milk that makes 2 gallons . Vs $4.79 at costco for fresh 2 gallons nonfat milk.
Costco doesn't carry powdered milk. Of course the fresh milk won't keep long.
So ... can the fresh milk be frozen or not and if so how long ?

After I make the yogurt, I might mix some with orange juice then pour into popsicle molds to make my son some creamsicles.

The dimensions of the yogurt maker are small, so I don't think popsicle molds would fit.
FYI, this is the yogurt maker : http://www.eurocuisine.net/index.php?p=650 .

 

[moolie]

If you plan on freezing milk in the gallon jug, be sure to pour out about 10% to allow for expansion before putting the jug in the freezer. As I mentioned before, milk freezes just fine--although you may notice a change in texture. No idea on how long it can be kept frozen, but a quick google search came up with this link which says:

Can I freeze milk?

All milk can be frozen for a period of up to 3 months providing that it is frozen before the best before date. Skim, 1% and 2% milk freeze better than whole milk. Thaw milk in the refrigerator. Milk may separate once it has been frozen. If that happens, shake or beat it with a rotary or electric beater.

As to freezing yogurt, best thing is to just try it and see how it goes. Googling came up with mixed opinions, the most positive being:

http://earlymotherhood.blogspot.com/2009/10/freezing-yogurt.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5623395_freeze-home-harming-healthy-bacteria.html

 

[freemotion]

You will be changing the way you think eventually if you want to become more self-sufficient....hope that didn't sound too snotty, it wasn't meant to. I had to change my way of thinking and it took me a while, like a couple of years or more....now I expect you to change your way of thinking overnight! What I mean is.....you won't be happy with the results if you want everything homemade to be exactly like storebought. It will be very different. And if you are going to go through all that trouble, you may as well make everything very healthy, too.

Expect complaints from the family. Get them involved and educated along with you and you will meet with FAR less resistance, trust me on this. My dh truly enjoys all my projects and experiments so much more since he started educating himself.....he leaves most of it to me still, but he is on board with all my efforts now.

Think seasonally. Yes, we make and store things for the off season, but quality will drop when we do. The commercial stuff is full of chemicals to make the texture, color, and flavor seem wonderful in products a year or more old. Antifreeze is in ice cream but does not have to be labeled, can you imagine! So unless you are adding some, expect a different result in the freezer.

Start to think of your homemade stuff as gourmet, and give up the idea of making it just like Brand ABC. Get used to REAL FOOD! Real food needs to be eaten up when it is available. Yes, some things can be stored and store well, but others can't. They are "seasonal."

Check out www.westonaprice.org for some great articles on real food. This site give tons of science behind what we do when we try to be more self sufficient.

And last but far from least, I'm glad powdered milk is expensive. It is rather toxic. Skip the fat free milk, they add powdered milk to it to get the proper "mouth feel." They don't have to label it since it is still legally considered to be "milk." It is as close to real milk as a styrofoam cup is close to a crystal glass. And the styrofoam cup will probably do less damage to your body if you eat it than the powdered milk will.

Oh....frozen milk/yogurt....I freeze goat's milk and it is fine, but I have to run it through the blender when it thaws as it changes drastically in texture and is undrinkable unless blended. I have never thawed yogurt to eat. It literally lasts for weeks and weeks in the fridge. No need to freeze it.