Need help making yogurt

[mrscoyote]

I have tried several times now with no success. I don't have a yogurt maker. I tried the crock pot method and putting the jars in the cooler with 120degree water and nothing is comming out right. I just keep getting poor results. How do you guys do it?

 

[moolie]

I make 2 or 3 pints of yogurt at a time, starting around 9am.

I place two frozen yogurt cubes (I use purchased Greek yogurt and whole homogenized milk) made in an ice cube tray in each pint jar to thaw.

I measure and heat the milk to just below boiling, then cool till I can comfortably stick my finger in it--still hot but not scalding (around 45C).

I add a couple of tablespoons of the warm milk to the thawed yogurt in each of the jars and mix, then gently pour the milk in and put the lids on.

I pop the jars into a small picnic cooler (holds a 6 pack)--3 jars of yogurt, 3 jars of super hot tap water. (I used to fill the cooler, but that got messy and I had to dump the water and add new throughout the day until I got the tip about putting the hot water into jars from ORChick )

I heat the water jars a couple of times throughout the day in the microwave, then move the yogurt to the fridge around dinner time.

Hope that helps!

 

[ORChick]

moolie! It does make it easier to keep the water confined in jars, doesn't it?

mrscoyote, moolie has given good directions; its how I have done it for years. One thing to remember though ... sometimes it just doesn't work! For some reason, barametric pressure, the phase of the moon, whatever it might be, it just doesn't do what it is supposed to. Various suggestions for that - first and foremost, don't give up! Try again. You might also want to try another purchased yogurt starter (either a commercial yogurt that you like, and that has LIVE CULTURES, or powdered starter [I have used some from http://www.cheesemaking.com/ with good success; kind of pricey, but you can keep one packet's worth of culture going for a long time, as has been described in earlier threads]), and try another dairy's milk.

If you are more comfortable with numbers than moolie's descriptive methods of temperature taking (and I know some people are) then heat the milk to 185-190F, and cool to between 125F and 110F. As to the temp inside the cooler, don't be concerned about it; just make sure the top is on tightly, and check every 3-4 hours that the hot water jars are still hot.

Good luck!

 

[mrscoyote]

Sounds good, I am working with my fresh goats milk. I will keep trying.
thanks

 

[citylife]

Do you think you could use fresh Kefir strained into a more yogurt type substance instead of the yogurt?

 

[ORChick]

Kefir, to my mind (or tongue) doesn't taste anything like yogurt. I like yogurt, but ... try as I will ... I cannot like kefir. I really want to, because I know it has more healthful bacteria, etc. ... but I can't. It just tastes horrid to me, so I, for one, could never substitute the one for the other. I finally gave up, and have retired the kefir grains ... for the second time. I did once before for several years, and then tried again, with the same result. It is certainly easier to make (if you have the grains), and has the added advantage of using room temperature milk (which is nice if you are using raw milk). I am making more cultured buttermilk now, as that also doesn't require heating the milk to quite such a high temp.

 

[KnittyGritty]

I also can't stand the taste of kefir, but I make it regularly because I know how good it is for my health. I only use it for smoothies - TOTALLY hides the taste, with 1/2 banana and some berries, chia seeds, raw egg, cinnamon, and coconut oil.

 

[Daffodils At The Sea]

The starter is important that it not be yogurt that has any pectin or thickeners in it, only the live cultures. I actually make it in a hot car, and making sure it's out there by 9:00 AM, too. I fill quart jars with 1/4 C live full- milk yogurt and milk that's been heated until it just stings a bit on the wrist, lids on, with towels tucked around each jar in a low-sided cardboard box in the front seat of a car that gets sun at least until 4:00 or 5:00 PM. It still won't be really firm, but after it's refrigerated it will get thicker. It's not extremely thick, so go by taste rather than texture. Works every time.