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[dianer29]

Hubby devours Greek style yogurt almost daily. Twenty four ounces is $5.99 here on the island. I use organic plain yogurt for dogs and chooks. I do not eat any of it,just does not agree with me at all. I know that there are kits/machines one can purchase to make it yourself. I am not sure if cost effective as well as will it be thick such as the Greek style ?

 

[SKR8PN]

Get yourself a yogurt maker and have at it. I started out using some Greek yogurt as my starter, and haven't look back. The Wife and I LOVE my yogurt! All it takes is a little milk to make a batch. Easy-peasy!

 

[hwillm1977]

If it turns out too runny... I just put it on paper towels in a strainer and let the whey collect in a bowl underneath... then the yogurt part is nice and thick (I don't buy the expensive greek yogurt, I just use plain and drain away the whey to thicken it)

I've made yogurt and I didn't have a yogurt maker... I just heated the milk to the right temp, added plain yogurt, dumped into a large thermos, wrapped it in a towel and let it sit for 12 hours... (don't move it)... and voila, you have a thermos full of yogurt.

 

[tamlynn]

I've successfully made yogurt in a regular crock pot. Like this:

http://simplyrealfood.blogspot.com/2010/02/perfect-crockpot-yogurt-so-simple.html

The cost of making your own is only dependent on the cost of the milk you buy.

 

[TanksHill]

There are many ways to make your own yogurt. Just depends on you. I use a Donavier maker. I even use live culture Greek as a starter. Works great. Good luck!!

gina

 

[SKR8PN]

I use a Euro Cuisine Automatic Yogurt Maker. Works great. I always mix up a little extra when I cook my milk. That way I don't have to worry about the wife eating all my starter. I have fresh starter for the next batch.

 

[freemotion]

I make 8-9 quarts at a time...takes the same amount of effort as making one cup! And it keeps beautifully. I use the picnic cooler method from BYC, I think, or was it BYH?

 

[sune42]

I had a yogurt maker, it was ok. I found this to be a great method though, and you don't need the machine. The recipe for yogurt is on the first post, after the links. I make this now and it's nice and thick, just make sure you use milk that isn't ultra pasteurized, I found that out the hard way.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9738

 

[Jamsoundsgood]

I use the recipe from BYC, but instead of using the cooler I just stick it in the oven overnight with the light on. Works fine. The oven is nice and insulated and the light gives off enough heat to keep it warm enough. I have found that using the greek yogurt gives me the best results as a starter, but really, I just look for the kind that has the most live cultures in it and use that. Oh, and I freeze the extra yogurt I buy ('cause I buy the big containers) in ice cube trays for future starts. That way when my husband or kids eat it all up, or I forget to hide a bit, or we just go off it for awhile I don't have to worry about having to run to the store to pick up a start. It comes out just fine.

ETA: I grew up with my mom using a yogurt maker and it had just enough cups in it for each of us kids. It was pretty cool. I would personally rather go that route, it just seems like there is always something better to spend money on.

 

[Wifezilla]

I make big batches like freemotion. I have an old slow cooker base that, if set on 1, heats my cooler to 110.

You can also take less expensive yogurt and drain it to get that greek yogurt texture.