I just made yogurt for the first time in years. I used the cuisinart maker. It came out very nice. Next go I want to strain it to try Greek yogurt. Nice to know you can use the crockpot! The cuisinart works but you have to get the milk temperature "just right". A bit of babysitting involved there.

I've made yogurt before, but not for a while. I did it with a quart jar of skimmed milk and 2 T. of yogurt. I placed a cooling rack on top of my wood burning store and the jar on top of it with a cloth over the top of the jar. Started in the morning, I had my yogurt by the evening. Never strained it, but I might this year.

Madonna

Good for you! I've never made it and don't think I'll try. I'm fine with Kirkland's 0% Greek, and I've also been enjoying Triple Zero.

You really have to watch out for sugars in prepared yogurts.

I always buy plain, unflavoured yogurt. I don't like the sweetened ones.

I still had to watch the temperature (180°) then cool to 110° which took a long time. It won't keep as long as the ones I buy, but it tastes good, nonetheless.

I like the convenience of individual containers, so I usually have them on hand. I'm enjoying my plain yogurt with berries and honey at the moment.

I used to make about 2 quarts of yogurt every week. I used a baby bottle sterilizer ( remember them?) and used heavy glasses to hold the yogurt. I mixed whole milk with extra powdered dry milk....about a half a cup of Carnation instant to a quart of whole milk. I brought the water up to temp, let the milk warm up, raised the temp again to 180 and wrapped in towels for about 3 hours.

It was delicious! If you want yogurt that is more "Greek like" no need to strain, just break the "gel" and pour off the liquid that forms. I buy plain yogurt by the quart and every time I use some I pour off the extra whey. By the bottom of the carton, It gets very thick and very yummy!
Too lazy to make it myself any more

A friend in LA goes to work in the morning. She leaves a quart of cultured milk inside her car and parks the car under a tree. At the end of the day she will have perfect yogurt to take home.

I do it more reliably. I use my dehydrator.

Once I've measured out the temperature setting of the dehydrator (180F) There is no further work in making yogurt every time. I can make up to four quarts each time.

dcarch

WOO HOO!!!! I made yogurt for a couple decades every week --- until I got milk kefir grains (which is MUCH easier to make and better for you than yogurt), and now I only make yogurt a few times a year (usually when I get fresh goat's milk). If you can purchase yogurt reduced or on clearance for $2.00/32-ounces - or less, it's probably not cost effective to make your own with the high cost of milk at the store. I make dairy kefir with non-fat dry powdered milk and NO electricity needed (it sits at room temperature on the kitchen counter in a quart jar).

1. Skip the messy cheese cloth and get a yogurt cheese maker/strainer - especially if you are going to make yogurt on a regular basis and want to drain it. I have several in different sizes (I also drain the curd from my dairy kefir). I use a permanent coffee filter I found on a clearance rack drastically reduced (a Mr. Coffee Permanent Gold Tone Coffee Filter - cone-shaped with a handle - it fits perfectly in my 2-cup glass Pyrex measuring cup), so think outside the cheese cloth. You can also line a strainer/colander with paper coffee filters and just toss them when done.

2. The thickness of the curd has to do with what you add to the mixture, and for a thicker texture like Greek Yogurt you can add dry milk powder (increases the protein) and also thickeners (gelatin, tapioca starch, Ultra Gel....). You can also use dairy products with higher milk fat. Whipping cream makes a wonderful rich yogurt I use in special desserts and yogurt cheeses.

3. Terms:

Drained Yogurt: Drained for about 10-minutes.

Thick Yogurt: Drained at least 30-minutes. It will be thick but still soft -- will not retain its shape on a flat surface. One hour's draining is considered "ideal".

Yogurt Cheese: Drained for 8-hours or longer. It is the consistency of creame cheese, will hold its shape and retain the mark of a finger indentation.

4. One quart of yogurt will yield approximately 1-1/3 c. of yogurt cheese (about 2 cups of whey is drained off). One quart of yogurt will yield about 2-1/2 cups of thick yogurt (about 1-1/4 c. of whey is drained off).

Here's more Greek Yogurt information from Cultures for Health - http://www.culturesforhealth.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Greek+Yogurt+

-Grainlady

I usually have plain greek yogurt with oatmeal for breakfast. I can get 2 (to 3 if I go a little thinner) quarts of greek yogurt out of a gallon of milk - which costs a little more than one quart of my favorite yogurt. It is worth it - I get set up and do it for awhile. Then I get lazy... I use a canner with mason jars with warm water and a bunch of blankets. Very low tech but it works fine.

I make my own yogurt, a gallon at a time, in the dehydrator. I never eat the stuff, only use it for cooking or baking or to make salad dressing, but Elery eats it regularly.

Mine is plenty thick so I don't strain it unless I want to make yogurt "cheese", which I pretty much never want to do, LOL.

It's definitely cost effective here. I can get a gallon of milk for $1.97 but I don't, I buy the local organic stuff for $4.00 a half gallon. Yogurt is about $1 for a little cup full, or $5 for a quart. I don't need starter, I just use the last of my current batch to make my next batch.

Annie

I wish we could buy our milk for $1.97! As Grainlady alluded to it's not cost-effective for me to make my own yogurt. Our milk is $4.27 for 4 litres. I used 2 litres and 1/2 cup yogurt to make my own. I can buy yogurt cheaper.

The yogurt had liquid in it, I never thought of stirring it into the yogurt to make Greek style. I thought it had to be drained.

Anyway it was a fun experiment, and we both had it this morning with bran flakes, fruit and granola. It tastes great.

I have not made yogurt since college. I used the Salton with the milk glass containers. Nice juice glasses i still have, lol.

I used to strain plain yogurt overnight to make a thick Greek style.

Not cost effective here at all. With good Greek available and i do make milk kefir and kefir cheese with a filter strainer. Love the tart tangy flavor similar to a good buttermilk for dressings. A good alternative to the always fridge stocked Greek yogurt.

I do make mozzarella a few times a year. Worth it no mater the cost. Easily made in the same batch to be soft for a fresh tomato basil caprese salad or firm for pizza or grilled pesto sandwich...

I always use yogurt and milk for buttermilk in any recipe. 2/3 cup yogurt with 1/3 cup milk. It works perfectly in my bran muffins or for marinating chicken parts.