Macybaby, that was a concern of mine regarding the amount of time it takes and needing the oven. We got rid of our dehydrator years ago. Never realized it could double as a yogurt maker, but it makes sense. I noticed your dehydrator opens left to right. I've never seen a MW that does that. Don't need one now but it would come in handy for some. Breezygirl. Thanks for the tip. I think instead of searching in specific segments in GW, I'm going to google things instead. This site pretty much has it all. I think I speak for most everyone in the kitchen forum, we're anxiously awaiting your complete reveal. Moving coupled with the holidays has a way of making more chaos :) Your cabinets and counters are beyond beautiful! I keep checking to see if you have posted the pics.

That's a low viscosity problem, which can be due to: - Failure to stir the starter into the milk very well. Add 2-3 T. of the warm milk to the starter and stir gently to dilute the yogurt. Add a little more milk, stir again, then add it to the remaining milk and stir in thoroughly. The temperature of the milk should be between 110-115-degrees F. If you add the starter at the cooler end of the temperature window, it will yield a mild yogurt. The warmer end of the temperature window will yield a more tart yogurt. - Milk temperature was too low or too high when you added the starter. I suspect it was too warm. Be sure to stir your milk well before checking the temperature. It may have some hot or cold spots in it, especially if you heated your milk in a microwave. - Weak culture. Probably not the cause since you used a new container of yogurt, but if you use from the original batch several times in a row without refreshing the starter, this can be the cause of grainy yogurt. - Residue in your container from a previous batch. Scald your yogurt container out with hot water. -Grainlady

Hmmmm...I've never heard of yogurt powder. It may be an item that is mostly available to prepared food manufacturers. Yogurt culture can be bought online to make your own yogurt. Or....you can use plain yogurt (no gelatin or thickeners) as described on the making your own yogurt thread. Teresa

Oh, my, what a challenge you have ahead! It sounds like you may be headed in a positive direction - let's hope so..... --You may find potential problems with real kefir grains as well, which is what I use, since it's a "natural" food. Check with your physician/s - although it's unlikely they know anything about real kefir grains and will assume the worst without any real information on the subject. You can read more (and more, and more.....;-) at Dom's Kefir Insite at the link below. There is a Nutritional and Chemical Composition chart at Dom's web site: http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefir-composition.htm --I consider commercial kefir products/drinks little more than "junk food" which has little in common with the real thing - other than the name). Real kefir grains also have more strains of bacteria and work in a synergy that can't be duplicated in commercial food production where only certain strains are added. There are probably things in real kefir grains not yet identified scientifically for how it works. For generations, kefir grains were shared from one person to the next, instead of being commercialized like yogurt was, because it's more than just a few strains of bacteria. --Be sure to start slowly because the whey in homemade kefir can have a cleansing effect. --Yogourmet Kefir Starter (powder) has a few strains of bacteria and that may be another option for you and will certainly help keep the cost down over the commercial product. You can use 1/4-1/3 cup from the first batch (and consecutive batches) to use as a starter for another batch. You can usually get 3-4 quarts from one packet of the kefir starter using this method. These laboratory-developed bacteria die out and you need to renew it periodically, while real kefir grains continue to grow and make more grains. Yogurmet Kefir Starter was how I got started with kefir until I found a source for real grains. --Kefir is much easier to make than yogurt, and even more important, it's much better for you and easier to digest than yogurt. The curd is smaller and more delicate than yogurt curds, but there are many other reasons kefir is superior to yogurt. To make kefir: Place the gelatinous "grains" (which look a little like small cauliflowers and are the source for bacteria) into milk (or coconut milk for a nice treat occasionally) - you can also get water kefir grains (see: Cultures For Health - http://www.culturesforhealth.com/). I use 2-3 cups milk in a quart jar (you need to leave some head-space for the fermenting gases), 1/4-1/3 c. grains, put the plastic lid on tightly (which increases the effervescence) and ferment 12-24-hours. Less time when the ambient temperature is warm, and more time when the ambient temperature is cooler - or until it's the consistency you like/want. I personally prefer the long, cool fermentation in the cooler months, but I make it all year. I've used my grains for over 10-years and they continue to grow and make more because it's a living food. When they reach about the size of a quarter, I pull them apart into 2-3 pieces. I make 1-2 quarts per week: -consume some daily in our morning smoothie -use the liquid kefir as a substitute for buttermilk -use the whey from drained kefir curd in lemonade or limeade + water or coconut water, and maybe some chia seeds (better for you than sports drinks, quenching thirst and replacing electrolites) -use the drained curd as a substitute for plain yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese --You may want to switch to PLAIN Stonyfield Farm Yogurt because they use six live, active cultures in their yogurt, while others only use two strains. When I make yogurt, which isn't very often these days since using kefir grains, I use plain whole milk Stonyfield Farm Yogurt as the starter because of the additional strains of bacteria in it. I'll place 1-T. in each space of an ice cube tray and freeze it, pop the yogurt "cubes" out of the tray and store them in the freezer to use when I make yogurt (thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using as a starter for homemade yogurt). I usually use 3 T. yogurt for 1-quart liquid. So you can make your own yogurt using Stonyfield Farm Yogurt as the starter to save money. --Another source for good bacteria is in other live-cultured and lacto-fermented foods like sauerkraut (and other fermented fruits/vegetables). Make your own. Don't kill the bacteria in fermented by heat processing it by canning it. It's best eaten fresh and raw. Freeze it if you can't get it used in 2-3 weeks. --Don't forget to add PREbiotics to your diet. "While probiotic-foods contain live bacteria, prebiotic foods feed the good bacteria already living in your digestive system. You can find prebiotics in foods such as asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, oatmeal, red wine, honey, maple syrup, and legumes. Consider eating prebiotic foods on their own or with probiotic foods to perhaps give the probiotics a boost." I add 100% pure Inulin Powder (NOW brand) to beverages, foods and baked goods as a prebiotic that helps stimulate the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria. --I'd also suggest sprouting legumes to help make them easier to digest. Pre-digested foods make a lot of sense after a coarse of destructive antibiotics. Some sources for more information: Wild Fermentation - by Sandor Ellix Katz http://www.wildfermentation.com/ Jordan Rubin - Garden of Life (supplements & information) http://www.healthfoodemporium.com/garden-of-life/jordan-rubin.php -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir Insite