Yogurt making...

4 years ago

So I have been on a yogurt making kick. I can fit 5 pint sized jars in my Instant Pot with room in the center for a cup sized jar if I have too much milk.

I usually heat whole milk up to 180-185 - let it cool - mix in yogurt - bottle it up and put it in a water bath in the Instant Pot for 8-12 hours. Sometimes I add some dry milk to make thicker yogurt. Sometimes cream to make it more decadent. Last night I had about an ounce of inoculated milk after I filled the pint jars. I keep reading about people who skip the heating the milk step. So I just filled the rest of the jar with cold milk. It seemed to turn into yogurt just fine. I haven’t tasted it yet.

But it got me wondering - does anyone make yogurt without heating the milk? Is it necessary? A leftover from before most milk was pasteurized? I think I will probably still do it as a food safety or at least peace of mind thing.

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Comments (5)

gardengirl37232
4 years ago
I heat my milk. I read that yogurt gets thicker if you heat the milk at a higher temperature to denature the proteins so that is the reason for heating the milk
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
4 years ago
I use my sous vide setup to heat milk to a precise temperature to sanitize, then a DIY PID temperature controlled warner to make yogurt. This method gives me identical results every time.

On the other hand -

A friend leaves milk in the car when she goes to work. When she returns home at the end of the day, yogurt is ready.

dcarch
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Yogurt sieves? I'll have to look about. I'm intrigued by the yogurt cheese cheesecake. A bit off topic, but since yogurt cheese has been mentioned, I'm posting the recipe for one of my favorite party nibbles. You gotta love hors d'oeuvres that you can make days or weeks ahead of time and just whip out on 5 minutes notice and still impress people. I'm including my yogurt recipe 'cause it was attached for the sake of anyone who hasn't made it yet: Yogurt Heat 1 quart of milk to the boiling point for just 1 minute. Cool to 115 degrees (lukewarm to the touch). Pour into a heavy ceramic bowl. Mix in 2 T of fresh, plain yogurt (must have active cultures). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. An oven with a pilot light is good, I use a goose-neck desk lamp bent low over the bowl. I know some people who use a heating pad set on low under the bowl. According to the recipe, 110 is the ideal temperature, but remember that people have been making yogurt for thousands of years without benefit of thermometers. Essentially, it should be warmer than youd like a bath to be if you were going to spend a half an hour in it, but as warm as youd like a bath to be if you came home on a cold winter night and wanted to warm up. The yogurt should be ready in about 5 to 8 hours. Tilt the bowl to see if it holds together. The longer you allow the yogurt to sit, the more sour it will be. Line a colander with a thin cloth, such as a dish towel or muslin. Pour the yogurt into the colander and allow it to drain for at least an hour. Refrigerate. Note: It does not help speed or improve the process to add extra yogurt starterin fact, it can make for a lower quality product. The cultures have to have enough food to poop enough yogurtsorry, I couldnt help myself. You can make yogurt with 2 % milk if you like, but it takes longer and you need to strain it more. Yogurt Cheese in Olive Oil Pour home made yogurt into a sieve lined with a thin cloth, such as a dish towel or muslin. Fold the ends of the cloth over the top of the yogurt, top with a plate big enough to mostly cover the yogurt but small enough that it wont get hung up on the sides of the strainer as the yogurt gets pressed down. Weigh the plate down with a large jar or lidded tupperware bowl full of water and set the sieve over a bowl to drain. Be sure and empty the bowl from time to time so that the yogurt isnt sitting in its own whey. I generally do this overnight, but times can vary depending on the weight etc. You want a product about the texture of cream cheese. Form the yogurt cheese into balls about 1 " in size, rolling them in your hands. Pack the balls into sterilized jars with an herb mix sprinkled over each layer. Fill the jar with extra virgin olive oil. Store for at least 2 days to moogle the flavors, and up to about 3 weeks in the fridge. For the herb mix, I usually use dried red chilli pepper flakes, fresh rosemary & oregano (minced), fresh garlic sliced paper thin and salt. Then I add other things to suit my fancy. Herbs, minced onions, spices etc. Get playful. I dont know how to measure amounts, but remember that only a bit of the flavored oil will make it onto the cracker or bread with the cheese, so you almost cant put too much "stuff" in the oil. The "cheese" balls should be served with their spiced oil.
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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
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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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Thank you all so much. I already see some of my issues. bumblebeez, you answered my question on volume. I see the cost savings when you get equal amounts of yogurt from the milk used. My problem was I used a quart of milk and got only about a cup and half of yogurt. And not very good yogurt at that! I used about 2 tablespoons of dry milk to the quart of fat free milk. The taste may have been because of "incorrect" incubating. Or something else I did wrong. Grainlady, thank you for the tips. I have not checked the temperature in the oven with the light so that could have been the problem. I use the oven for rising yeast bread and it works wonderfully, so....I thought.... will check the temp with a thermometer. Made several other mistakes, I stirred my yogurt as soon as I thought it was done. Did not refrigerate first, just stirred and drained. And lost most of it. Will retain the whey next time. I thought it was good stuff but not sure so I let it go down the drain. Never again! Thanks for the info on using the whey. Annie, I read the "yogurt tread" and that is what got me going in the first place. I did use a fresh organic storebought yogurt for the starter, Stoneyfield, so my starter was good. I also used organic fat free milk. I am going to try using canning jars next time instead of a bowl. Armed with this new info, I will try again. In the meantime, I did discover Greek yogurt and just love it. Seems it is everywhere in the grocery stores now. Publix is even carrying the Fage brand, which I have not seen in this area before. Or just missed it somehow. If I don't have any success, maybe Grainlady will post and tell us how to make kefir?? You said it was easier than yogurt. :) or I maybe I can talk bumblebeez into making for me, I think we are sort of neighbors....upstate SC LOL Will post my results. Again thank you for the responses. Murphy
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CA Kate z9
4 years ago
dcarch, I love it! It’s surprising how warm a car gets suring the day.
lindac92
4 years ago
I used to make yogurt all the time, and never heated the milk....but I discovered that unless everything you use is immaculate, you will not get good yogurt. That was in the days before a dishwasher and my wisk was not as clean as I thought...
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
4 years ago
I use the cold start method in the Instant Pot, and the result is delicious. Going to post a lengthy one to show my method. I have made it so many times now, ask any questions and I will answer to the best of my ability.

My Cold Start Yogurt Method

Unbelievably easy. And making your own yogurt is so much cheaper than buying already prepared yogurt. I get all the ingredients from Walmart. You don’t have to use the heavy whipping cream. I like it because, to me, it seems to make the yogurt thicker than if you don’t use it. Just my opinion. AS

1 bottle Fairlife brand milk in the red bottle*

1 – 2 Tablespoons fresh, unopened, plain Chobani Greek yogurt I always use 2 T.

1 cup heavy whipping cream (you can omit the cream)

Pour the whipping cream into the IP stainless steel insert and add the 2 T Chobani yogurt. Whisk until it is very well mixed together, whisk fairly easily, you don’t want to get a lot of air into the mixture. Pour in the bottle of Fairlife and whisk together well.

For the IP 6 quart Duo, select YOGURT Normal (press the YOGURT button repeatedly until Normal displays). Press the +/- to set incubation time to 12 hours. Then press Start. The IP will beep and start counting up. When it is finished, the IP will beep and display YOGT.

I do it right before bed. The longer it incubates the tarter and thicker the yogurt. You don’t have to put the IP lid on but I do. You can just use a lid that will fit or sit a dinner plate on top. The reason is that for the yogurt setting no pressure builds up. I just prefer using the IP lid.

In the morning do not stir the yogurt or do anything to it, it will not set up correctly if you do. Take the inner pot out and put in refrigerator with a paper towel on top of the pot to absorb condensation and the IP glass lid or a dinner plate put on top. Chill all day.

Again, Do not stir, this breaks down the yogurt. Only scoop.

Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to scoop out the yogurt and put into jars. You don’t have to put into jars; you can just leave the IP insert in the refrigerator and scoop out as you need or you can scoop into another container, but be gentle so the yogurt continues to be set.

This was so very nice and thick. And tastes great. The addition of the heavy cream really helped to thicken it up.

I use the yogurt in the place of sour cream, so don’t make a sweetened yogurt.

If I want sweetened, I scoop out about a 6-oz serving and add some honey or preserves or granola or Nutella, fresh fruit, or brown sugar, jam, fruit spreads by Smucker’s, apple butter; anything you want and/or a combination of items. To their individual servings, some people like to add cinnamon, white sugar, some 1 T dry instant pudding mix, Jell-O powder, nutmeg, almonds or any kind of nut, coconut, etc. I have even added peanut butter and jelly to a serving - it was really quite tasty.

If you want to make a sweet yogurt from the beginning, you can add one of the following to the above mixture before incubating:

If adding one of these, use full two heaping tablespoons of yogurt as your starter.

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk (you can use the whole can or half of it)

1 16-oz Natural Bliss creamer (vanilla or sweet cream are my favorites) ONLY USE THIS BRAND OF CREAMER, OTHER BRANDS DON’T HAVE WHAT IS NECESSARY TO MAKE YOGURT.

OR 1/2 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk and 8-oz Natural Bliss creamer and 1 tblsp of vanilla

I purchased these yogurt cups to make yogurt in in the IP: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017Z060Z6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So, the way I incubate the yogurt now is a bit different from the instructions above. This is what I do.

Pour the whipping cream into an old Tupperware Mix-N-Store Bowl/Pitcher (I like to use this because it is not as heavy as the large glass measuring bowls/pitchers). Add 2 T Chobani yogurt. Whisk until it is very well mixed together, whisk fairly easily, you don’t want to get a lot of air into the mixture. Pour in the bottle of Fairlife and whisk together well.

I put the cups into the racks before filling the cups. Then carefully pour into each individual yogurt cup. I do this in the sink, so if there are any spills, they are easy to clean up. Put the lids on the cups.

Add 1 – 1 1/2 cups water to the inner pot of the IP. Then lower one of the racks into the inner pot and then lower the other and place on top of the other rack. Put the lid on the IP.

For the IP 6 quart Duo, select YOGURT Normal (press the YOGURT button repeatedly until Normal displays). Press the +/- to set incubation time to 8 hours. Then press Start. The IP will beep and start counting up. When it is finished, the IP will beep and display YOGT.

I do it right before bed. The longer it incubates the tarter and thicker the yogurt. You don’t have to put the IP lid on but I do. You can just use a lid that will fit or sit a dinner plate on top. The reason is that for the yogurt setting no pressure builds up. I just prefer using the IP lid.

In the morning, take the racks and cups out of the IP and put in refrigerator to chill all day. This is a great website for cold start yogurt making; I believe Frieda is the originator of the method.

https://www.friedalovesbread.com/2017/06/easy-cold-start-yogurt-no-boil-method.html

Frieda Franchina You can use as little as 4 cups of milk directly in the liner, which is a half batch of my yogurt recipe. Yogurt keeps for at least 2-3 weeks and if you make plain yogurt, you can use it as subs for mayo or sour cream in many recipes. I make a half batch which comes out to about five servings.

In my Cold Start yogurt recipe & FAQ, I indicate that ultra pasteurized or shelf stable milks can be used. This includes powdered, canned ...and boxed milks. This is great news for those who live in remote areas that have a hard time accessing fresh milk.

Yogurt making...

Comments (5)

gardengirl37232

dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m

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CA Kate z9

lindac92

WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a

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