Excellent new yogurt maker

[Toadflax]

I know it's not strictly bushcraft, but I'm highly impressed with the Easy-Yo yogurt maker that I recently got from Lakeland, especially as they were doing them at half price (just over £6).

I've never had great success with homemade yogurt, having used an old (non-electric) yogurt maker, vacuum flasks, jars wrapped in blankets but this maker hasn't let me down at all in the 4-5 batches I've made so far.

It's aimed at getting you to use their powdered yogurt/milk starter (but see later), which isn't cheap (not much less than 'fresh' yogurt) at about £2 for enough to make 1 litre, but it does work well.

There is an insulated outer container, which you part fill with boiling water. You then add the sachet of powder to 1 litre of water in the inner container, screw on the lid, shake it up, and sit it in the hot water, then put on the insulated outer lid and leave it for 7-8 hours.

What I did after the first batch was to use a litre of UHT milk (no need to scald it to sterilise) and added this with a couple of tablespoons of the old yogurt before incubating as described above. This worked well for two batches, but the third was getting pretty sour, so I've gone back to a powdered starter again for the next batch but will follow up with UHT milk again.

Forgetting the cost of the maker itself, that's 3 litres of yogurt for a starter at £2, plus 2 litres of UHT milk at 70p each, giving an average price of about £1.15 per litre of yogurt.

I'm sure you could use it with a standard live yogurt starter, but their sachets have a shelf life of a couple of years, so this avoids the need to keep buying live yogurt starters.

No connection, etc., but very happy with this.


Geoff

 

[verloc]

I have never tried home made yoghurt before let alone trying to make my own but I must say I am now intrigued. I might have to wait a bit tho with swmbo less than a month away from sprogs delivery date. Although some would argue that it could be the perfect time to start and make yoghurt ,
Tom

 

[Mikey P]

Yes, they are expensive if you use the sachets but, try the caramel one. Sublime! You'll be hooked.

 

[British Red]

We now use the Easy_Yo flask and just use live yoghurt cultures as you described. Interestingly we've worked with whole, skimmed, UHT and soya milk and, after playing with timings (vital) have achieved good results with all - so its just milk cost going forward.

A nifty bit of kit indeed

 

[EdS]

milk in our fridge seems to turn itself in to yogurt after a week or so. May be we should use it quicker.

 

[Front Room Woodlander]

I use the Easy Yo for the kids pack ups. They like to be involved in the making and seem more likely to eat the product.
I've not had good results from the milk and live yogurt starter method.

 

[Breeze]

How to make yogurt:

1- In a big pot bring the milk to near boiling, 85 C, or when you see lots of little bubbles and well before boiling over all of a sudden as milk does and stirring so the bottom does not stick too much and burn.

2- Let it cool to around 44 C or like me dip your elbow in until it is just bearable.

3- Add a spoon or two of thick quality yogurt which is preferably at room temperature.

4- Put the lid on and wrap it in a blanket and put it somewhere out of the draft like in a cupboard and TELL people not to open it up for at least 12 hours and preferably for 24 hours for a more solid result. Can be put in boiler cupboards for heat too.

The more you leave it the thicker and the runny water can be mixed with some yogurt and salt to make lassi drinks. To have the very thick Greek style yogurt: drain in a muslin inside a pot for 24 hours or even more and have as is or grate cucumber in.

Yogurts with foods makes digestion easy and many believe regular consumption makes one live very very long.