Yogurt making

14 years ago

I recently bought Yolife Yogurt maker and makes yogurt 8-12 hours. It has 7 small jars and 1 big 40 oz.jar. The company maker recommends Yogourmet Kefir. Kefir has 7 live cultures and may be used 7 times.Forums said you can use it only 3 times to the max because the texture won't be the same again. Can you recommend what maker is the best. I saw forums that recommend Salton. I found Kefir in a chiller of a health store. I have second thoughts of buying it because i will need a styrofore or a chiller to store it in. It takes me an hour to reach home. Have you tried Euro Cuisine, Natren, or Nutrimax? Which one works best for starters and which one is cheaper. We don't have Stoneyfield here. We only have Nestle in the supermarkets. Please help. My sister will be coming home in August and I want to surprise her.

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Comments (4)

grainlady_ks
14 years ago
You don't need a yogurt maker to make Yogourmet Kefir AT ALL, so that should take care of the yogurt maker delemma. Yogourmet Kefir Starter ferments milk at room temperature. Both my sister and I would hold back a 1/2-cup portion from a fresh batch to culture the next batch - and it would work about 3 times before we'd need a new package of the powdered Kefir Starter.

Are you confusing Yogourmet Kefir Starter with Yogourmet Yogurt Starter? I sold and used both for years until I quit using them both after I got REAL kefir grains (which last forever).

Another good option to use for a yogurt starter is Stonyfield Farm Yogurt. "It's the only U.S. yogurt brand with six live, active cultures, and the only U.S. brand with Lactobacillus reuteri culture." I used to be able to get it 2-hours away so I'd freeze it in 1-T. amounts in ice cube trays. Then I'd pop the yogurt cubes out of the trays and keep in the freezer until I needed a new starter. I'd thaw the amount I needed in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature just before making yogurt.

What beats any of the powdered Yogourmet Yogurt or Kefir Starters all to heck is REAL kefir grains. Check the link below for more information. Why pay so much for something you can often get free (or the price of shipping) and never need to replenish them EVER again.

Some advantages of using real kefir grains...
(source: "KEFIR Rediscovered!" - by Klaus Kaufmann)

-Milk used for making kefir does NOT have to be preheated like milk for making yogurt, and it is left at room temperature throughout the incubation.

-You can use almost any kind of milk (cold out of the refrigerator).

-The smaller curds make kefir are far more digestible than yogurt.

-Kefir contains "right-turning" lactic acid, usually called L+ lactic acid. How turning left vs. turning right makes a HUGE difference not only on the highways, but in your own bodily pathways.

-Best of all, the cost of making kefir is far below the cost of making yogurt. The REAL kefir (unlike the powdered Yogourmet version) never dies. Thus, kefir cultures do not have to be bought time and again. Kefir grains are "immortal." Yogurt cultures are merely like "humans," they have a birth, childhood and youth stage, an adult stage, and sinking-towards-death stage.

I use kefir as a substitute for buttermilk, cream cheese, sourcream, and plain yogurt. Depending on how long I drain the curd will determine what I use it for. I also use the very important whey as a refreshing beverage, or if you shake the jar of kefir, the curds will quickly liquify and mix with the whey. We consume kefir every day!

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir In-Site
weed30 St. Louis
14 years ago
I have a kefir smoothie every day for breakfast. I buy my kefir from Trader Joe's - I'm not ambitious enough to make my own. I put 1/2 - 3/4 cup kefir in my blender, then add frozen fruit and a little sugar, equal, or splenda. It's fast, easy, healthy, (other than the sugar/sweetener), and delicious. Otherwise I would not have breakfast at all.

I buy frozen fruit or fresh fruit, whatever is on sale. (I freeze the fruit if it's fresh - I like the ice cream like result.) Typically I get strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, and mango. Bananas are another great addition. I mix and match, but I think my favorite is strawberries, pineapple and raspberries. I don't get the raspberries often, because they are expensive.
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I agree, I'd try adding some nonfat dry milk. I add it to my yogurt because it is thicker, but I don't notice the texture as much. That's most likely because I seldom eat yogurt as-is, I use it in baking, on baked potatoes, in salad dressings and over fruit then sprinkled with granola. With additions, the texture isn't as noticeable. Annie
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Below is not T&T, but it sounds interesting and gets good ratings from the testers. It makes 4 servings which sounds just perfect for your Donvier: PEACHES AND CREAM ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS 1 cup cool water 3/4 cup superfine sugar (if you donÃ¯Â¿Â½t have superfine sugar, simply blitz some granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until super finely ground but not powdery) 4 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks 3 tablespoons peach schnapps, brandy, or orange flavored liqueur 1/4 cup heavy cream 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat) 2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts (optional) INSTRUCTIONS Bring the water and the sugar to a boil in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Simmer until the mixture forms a clear syrup. Place the peaches in a bowl and pour the hot syrup over them. Stir in the schnapps, brandy, or liqueur and let cool. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half the fruit to a small bowl and set aside. Pour the remaining peaches and all of the syrup into a blender or food processor and blend along with the cream and the yogurt to the desired consistency. If using an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture into the machine and follow the manufacturerÃ¯Â¿Â½s instructions. If not using an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture into a large shallow container, such as a metal baking pan, and place in the freezer. Whisk the mixture every 30 minutes. Toward the end of the freezing process, fold in the reserved peaches and the hazelnuts. Enjoy immediately or transfer to a container and freeze a little longer if youÃ¯Â¿Â½re the sort who likes a slightly firmer texture. Regardless, you may wish to remove the ice cream from the freezer about 10 or so minutes prior to serving to soften it slightly. Here is a link that might be useful: Peaches and Cream Ice Cream
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Lactose intolerance is a case-by-case issue, not one-size-fits-all. I've been dealing with this issue since 1981 with our son, then our granddaughter, and hubby also. It's one of the reasons I've used lactose-free and low-lactose whey-based milk substitutes since 1981. Many people continue to make some of the enzyme necessary to break down lactose, others may not make any at all or only infrequently, so it often depends on the amount, type, and frequency of dairy products consumed. Add to that, the higher the fat content (butter, whole milk, half & half, cream) the lower the amount of lactose. Ghee, which has the milk solids removed, is nearly lactose-free because only the fat remains. Conversely, the lower the fat content the higher the amount of lactose. That's why one person can have whole milk, half & half or cream in small amounts, but low-fat milk bothers them. Most don't have an issue eating cookies made with butter, as an example of a high-fat dairy, in my experience. Homemade kefir has very little lactose due to fermentation, and the small amount that remains, is for the most part, broken down so it's easy to digest without causing stomach distress. The same can be true of yogurt, especially if it's made with whole milk. -Grainlady
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althetrainer
14 years ago
I have an old yogurt maker at home but I only used it twice. Instead, I use a heating pad to make my own yogurt. I built an incubator and place the heating pad inside (very easy, I can show you how if you want to see it) with 4 x 500-ml Mason jars filled with cultured milk. Leave it overnight and the next morning, fresh yogurt!

I find the yogurt maker not convenient because the cup size was wrong; too big for one helping, yet too small for two. So I always end up with a bit less than 1/2 cup of yogurt when I open a cup. I also find the taste of my heating pad yogurt much better than the stuff from my yogurt maker... could be the temperature?

I started making plain yogurt using skim milk for my husband and now I begin to play with different ingredients i.e. buttermilk powder and vanilla etc to make it more interesting. Last week, I made a batch with skim milk, buttermilk powder, added one cup of canned coconut milk. My husband loved it!

Yogurt making is so fun and forgiving that you really don't need to pay for a yogurt maker. I enjoy making my own yogurt because it's like little girl doing science projects, a lot of experimental fun!
annie1992
14 years ago
I've never had a yogurt maker, Elery taught me to make yogurt in a cooler full of hot water, but I use my dehydrator, it's easier and I can get a gallon's worth of yogurt in there easily, in quart canning jars.

I always use skim milk, but I like that addition of coconut milk, I think I'll try that next.

I never bought starter at all, I just used a cup of plain vanilla Dannon to start and now I just use some of my current batch to make the next batch.

Each batch gets a bit more sour and mine is very thick. I'm told that eventually I'll have to get a new starter, but I haven't had to yet.

Annie

Yogurt making

Comments (4)

grainlady_ks

weed30 St. Louis

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althetrainer

annie1992

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