 "You've got to REALLY like yogurt." | 2009-09-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3JK6HGRQ96HPU |
| Makes a LOT of yogurt. Wish it came with starter culture. For a single person, it's enough yogurt for the month. |
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| "Never pay for yogurt starter again: Make your own!" | 2009-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3MGVHCCQ759JL |
I've owned the Yogourmet for over three years and make a double batch of yogurt every week. Here's my recipe, which works perfectly every time:
7 cups water
3 heaping cups dry milk
1 cup half & half
After the milk is heated to the proper temperature and cools to the "green zone" I scoop out about a cup and add it to my starter, then mix the whole bunch back into the milk and pour it into the Yogourmet container. I incubate it for 4 hours 35 minutes then remove the container and store it overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning I scoop out 1/2 cup of the yogurt and reserve it as starter for next week's batch. To the rest I add 2/3 cup of Splenda and a generous amount of vanilla.
I eat this every single morning (and sometimes for lunch, too) over a bowl of homemade granola, then top it with fruit. Heaven!!!
And in case you missed it, the money-saving secret is saving 1/2 cup of the new yogurt; store it in the refrigerator for next week's batch. Works every time and it is so good. If I had to give up every small appliance but one, the Yogourmet would stay with me. This is a purchase well worth your money. (I'm such a believer I buy them for gifts.) |
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| "First Batch, PERFECT!!" | 2009-08-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3J9I79B2AFCHA |
Clearly, a well refined product. Works beautifully, my first batch came out just perfect. I did mine like this:
Used 2% milk, sterilized in a 2 quart Anchor brand glass measuring cup for 16 minutes in a 1500 watt microwave which heated it to 180 degrees, exactly. Cooled it down to 110 degrees in a water bath, took about 10 minutes. Then added one cup of nonfat dried milk (buy in a box with individual 1 cup packets). Mixed in well with a whisk.
I then scooped out 1 cup of with another glass measuring cup, and added to that 2 heaping tablespoons of Cascade Fresh plain fat free yogurt (which has 8 active cultures, including probiotic bacteria, best and cheapest starter), mixed it well, added back to main milk batch, mixed well with whisk, poured all into incubator container, set into yogurt maker's water bath, left it alone for 4.5 hours, no peeking. Then moved container into refrigerator for 8 hours before tasting.
Notes:
- I checked the temperature of the yogurt after 4.5 hours incubation, temp was 110.6 degrees F, the perfect temperature. Room temp was 72 degrees F during incubation time.
- Yogurt used for starter was bought 1 quart size, extra was spooned into clean, new ice cube tray, covered with saran wrap, placed in freezer. Cubes will be removed and placed into another container, back to freezer for future use (2 cubes per batch). This is based on a recommendation from another reviewer. I'm not sure how this affects the bacteria (8 strands in Cascade Fresh brand), will see on next batch.
- The supplied digital thermometer was tested against a precision lab-grade mercury-glass thermometer, the supplied thermometer read higher by 1.3 degrees, plenty accurate enough for food grade work.
- DO NOT submerge supplied digital thermometer head into any liquid, or it's immediately ruined. Really, with all the negative comments posted on Amazon.com alone, I'm surprised they haven't done something about the leakage problem. I suggest you add an o-ring with petroleum jelly, or silicone sealant, (which you would have to separate and re-seal at battery change). However, use common sense and the clip supplied, don't get the head wet, and it should be fine. There are many other digital thermometers on Amazon and eBay to replace it if necessary.
- Experiment! Try different milks and times, find the one that you like the best. And remember that with any lab process, consistency comes from repeatability. Stick to the same process and procedures when you find your perfect batch, use same temps, same starter and utensils, hot-water sterilize everything before beginning, and you should have the same batch quality each and every time. It applies to photographic process control management, yogurt should be no different.
So concludes my one-time experience and review, which resulted in a batch that was firm, creamy, darn tasty without the sour bitterness found in commercial production yogurts. It actually tastes much better (huge difference) than the original yogurt which was used for the starter!
Have I missed anything?? Experienced yogurters, PLEASE add comments to my review!
I really like this machine.
Cheers!! |
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| "Works well for the best yogurt" | 2009-08-06 |
| - Reviewed By mattocatl |
In the five years I have owned this yogourmet yogurt maker, I estimate that I have made perhaps 280 2 quart batches of yogurt. I pretty much have it down to a science. I was interested to read that some folks here talk about the device overheating and killing the good bacteria. I think this concern may be overblown. The device does get warm but as long as it's not over about 115f, the yogurt should be fine. I ferment mine for 24 hours to get rid of all the sugar and the end result is a very creamy and tart yogurt perfect for blueberries, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts and of course much better than anything you could buy at the store.
I use one quart of half and half and one quart of Vit D whole milk along with the two packets yogourmet starter. This produces a yogurt that is creamy but not overly so as when you up the percentage of half and half to milk. Be careful with the half and half you choose. I was using a brand from TG Lee which when I read the label, actually contained HFCS. What the h@##!? Since when is corn syrup needed for half and half? Here I am trying to do something healthy for myself and the food science d-bags have to corrupt a product as simple as half n half. The best kind of half and half is just the store brand which contains nothing but milk and cream.
Oh and I've made every mistake possible (I think) while making yogurt. I've let the pot boil over too many times to count, I've had a bottle of wine spill and a few drops get into the fermenting yogurt. I've had the yogurt come out runny for no apparent reason which I later determined to be crappy half and half which was separating in the refrigerator (see half and half rant above). I've used all milk (runny yogurt) and all half and half (too creamy). I've boiled the milk and realized I had no starter. I've forgotten to clean the device well enough and had bizarre smelling water after the cycle (didn't trust that yogurt, threw it out). I've boiled the milk and only had one packet of starter (worked fine). I've dropped the wet batch jar after 24 hours of fermenting (bummer). I've turned on the water in the sink next to the sink where the hot milk/half mixture was cooling and corrupted the milk having to throw it all away (sucks). I've forgotten to take the yogurt out after 24 hours until the next morning (bummer, no yogurt to wake up to). I've had the power go out on the yogurt maker. Etc, etc, etc. You wouldn't think it would be so easy to screw up but it happens.
Anyway, enough said, it's a great machine with my only slight concern being the polypro batch jar. If they could just make this thing with a ceramic jar, I'd gladly pay the cost to get it. |
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| "SOOOOO TASTY!!!" | 2009-08-04 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3S4KKRH5R2A93 |
| I have to say, I was initially pretty skeptical about making my own yogurt. I suppose I was thinking I would inevitably mess something up or that somehow or another the yogurt would turn out terribly. I warmed my milk in the microwave until it reached 180, let it cool in the fridge, and put it in the Yogourmet just before I went to bed. Much to my surprise and elation I woke up about 7 hours later to find a wonderful batch of thick yogurt!!! Even more surprising was just how good the yogurt tastes! Store-bought does not compare. I am hooked and can't wait to make more batches and soon. I'll try changing the incubation times around to see what time is ideal for me, but 7 hours plus refrigeration seemed to work great. |
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 "Learning to Make Yogurt" | 2009-08-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3NM3RF4V6TI13 |
I bought this item a few weeks ago and have made 5 batches so far. It has been a learning experience for sure. The first problem I had, believe it or not, was boiling the milk. I first tried with my sauce pan. I got burned milk stuck to the bottom of the pot. I read some people saying boiling milk with a double boiler would be better. I thought I'd try with an improvised double boiler first before I invest yet another kitchen gadget that may or may not work for me. Good thing I did. Same burned milk would get stuck to the bottom of the inner pot. Also, it takes a long time to do this because you have to turn the stove so low to minimize the burning milk problem.
What finally worked for me is a Pyrex glass measuring Cup in the microwave. Mine is a 2-cup capacity, I heat the milk in the microwave for 4 minutes to get the temperature of the milk is just over 180 degree F. I have to repeat this 3 times if I fill the measuring cup slightly over the 2-cups marker- still way faster than the stove-top method. Best of all, I no longer have to scrap the pot after boiling the milk. I also keep a bamboo chopstick in the measuring cup when heating the milk in the microwave - something I learned from a segment I saw on TV about safety on heating liquid in the microwave.
I also bought a Medelco 8 Cup Glass Stovetop Percolator. I pour the heated milk in this pot to cool and while I use measuring cup to heat more milk. Both the measuring cup and the coffee pot has nice handle and pour-sprout, no mess like you would get from pouring out of the sauce pan.
Now the yogurt came out tasted goooooooooood. I use about 1 cup of organic whole milk Greek yogurt as starter. The milk I use is skim milk with about 1 and 1/2 cupful of skim milk powder. Without the milk powder, the yogurt will come watery - I drank my first batch of yogurt because I made it with skim milk and without the milk powder.
For flavoring, I found it is very easy to just add vanilla flavored coffee creamer in the milk mixture. Or add the creamer when you serve the yogurt, that way you can have plain yogurt for other recipe. For fruity yogurt, you can serve the yogurt with fruit spread to get the same effect of Fruit on the bottom style of yogurt. Hope this helps.
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