Crockpot yogurt

[Tiny]

Just made an 'experimental' first batch of crock pot yogurt.  It's not particularly cost effective since I had to buy powdered milk and plain yogurt and milk    But,since it was more entertainment than 'money saving endeavor' it was OK. 

It came out pretty well... I had some of it this morning.  It's not as tangy as I'd like so next time i'd let it culture longer.  It's not very thick - so maybe next time I'd try the "Greek yogurt" recipe.     Have to see how I feel after eating some of it everyday for 7 days.  It made quite a bit.  I'm gonna have to find some victims - I mean volunteers- to help me eat it all. 

I used a super simple no fuss recipe:

1.)  1/2 gallon milk in crock pot on high for 2 1/2 hours.
2.)  whisk in 1 cup of powdered milk
3.) Turn off crock pot and let set covered for 4 hours
4.) Remove 2 cups of milk, mix in 1/2 cup of yogurt. Add that back to the crock and stir.
5.) Cover crock pot and wrap with a heavy towel.  Let set 8 hours or overnight.
6.) Put yogurt into containers.


Do any of you make yogurt?    What do you use it all for?

[Annie7]

I make yogurt almost everyday. It's very simple:

1. Heat milk until it boils.
2. Cool milk until a little warmer than room temperature.
3. Put in about a tablespoon of old yogurt or buttermilk.
4. Let it sit for a few hours until set. If it's too cold, warm the oven, turn it off and let it sit in the warmed oven.

We eat this with plain rice and a bit of salt.

I make a refreshing drink - blend some yogurt, salt, green chillies, ginger and cilantro together. Put in water to make it to a drinkable consistency. Yummy during hot summers

[raeoflyte]

I may have to try this tomorrow. I've been wanting to make yogurt for years but never have.

[Happy prose]

I make a big batch of yogurt once a week. 1/2 gal milk ( i use skim), heated until ALMOST boiling. Try to keep it at that temp for about 15 minutes. Turn off stove, and let it sit until the milk is about 110 degrees. Add a few spoons of plain yogurt. Cover pot and keep somewhere warm. I put mine inside oven (gas) but don't heat it. Leave about 12 hours. Without disturbing contents, put pot in refrigerator for at least 5 hours. It will have a liquid on top; drain off. This contains the whey, so save and use it if you want. A half gal of milk makes a half gal of yogurt. It's really good. I add mine to smoothies, eat with honey, or eat with added fruit.

[NoNamePerson]

I've been making yogurt since the 70's when it wasn't readily available in my area. I have been thru 3 yogurt makers in that time. My current one I got at Williams-Sonoma about 10 yrs ago. Takes guess work out of timing and such. My recipe is close to annie7.

[Tiny]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I like thicker yogurt so I put some of mine in coffee filter lined colandar (inside a bowl) to remove some of the liquid (whey?). Let it set like that for a couple of hours.

I think I'm going to do the on the stove method with a quart of milk since I made a bit too much yogurt (with 2 quarts) and I think I'll try using skim milk. I liked the consistancy and taste of the homemade better than the store bought (some of the store bought yogurts have an 'oily' or 'slippery' after feel I don't care for... and don't get me started on how sweet (or bitter nasty artificial sweetner after taste) they are.

Annie, if you come back - can you elaborate on the yogurt/rice you make? Is it like Rice Pudding? Do you eat it cold or warm? Do you have any measurements (like 1/2 cup yogurt to 2 cups rice?) - or if you just eye ball it when you make it - what's the final consistancy -- is the yogurt just a coating for the rice or is the rice swimming in yogurt? I make rice pudding during the winter and use it as breakfast. It's not true 'dessert' quality rice pudding so it's not all bad for you. I'm thinking yogurt and rice could be the same yummy breakfast-y kinda thing.

[pepperdoo]

Sept 27, 2013 11:30:52 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

I make yogurt almost everyday. It's very simple:

1. Heat milk until it boils.
2. Cool milk until a little warmer than room temperature.
3. Put in about a tablespoon of old yogurt or buttermilk.
4. Let it sit for a few hours until set. If it's too cold, warm the oven, turn it off and let it sit in the warmed oven.

We eat this with plain rice and a bit of salt.

I make a refreshing drink - blend some yogurt, salt, green chillies, ginger and cilantro together. Put in water to make it to a drinkable consistency. Yummy during hot summers

That drink sounds good  I make Lassi with mango and yogurt 

[Annie7]

Tiny Speck,

Rice with yogurt - it's up to you how you want it to be. I mix them to be not too runny - it's not like pudding. It's just enough to wet the rice. I also sometimes put in salt to taste.

There is another Indian way - mix rice, yogurt and salt (as much as you want). Then heat a couple of tablespoons of oil. Add in mustard seeds, green/red chillies (as much spicy as you want). When the mustard seeds splutter, put in some minced ginger. Turn off the heat. Then pour this onto the rice-yogurt mixture. Chop up some cilantro and add it too. This is a very cool and healthy dish for summers.

I make my yogurt with skim milk.

Pepperdoo - I prefer savory to sweet, so my lassi tends to be with salt/chillies rather than mango, etc. I even make lemonade with salt instead of sugar

[donnafreedman]

Hi guys, and sorry for the extended radio silence.

After several fails making yogurt in the crock pot, I went back to the heating-pad method.

Since moving in with DF, though, I've been using an old warming tray that he owns, set on "low."

Here's how I do it:

• Warm two quarts of milk to at least 185 degrees (although it's gone up to as high as 200 because I forgot to watch it)
• Cool it to between 105 and 110
• Gently whisk a couple of cups of the milk into one-half cup of a good-quality yogurt with active cultures (usually it's Mountain High). Then whisk in the rest of the milk.
• Cover it, put it on the warming tray, top with a nice thick towel.
• Come back in 7 to 9 hours and it's done

I've been using a ceramic souffle dish but Pyrex works, too. A heating pad set on "low" is a fine stand-in.

Note: I like a Greek-style yogurt so I let the yogurt cool overnight (not sure if that's really necessary), then scoop out half a cup for the next batch and strain the rest through a colander lined with a piece of flour-sack towel from the dollar store. It's easier to wash than cheesecloth and it just lasts and lasts.

It takes most of a day to get it to the thickness I enjoy, i.e., two quarts of milk turn into just over a quart of yogurt. If you accidentally let it get too thick, just stir in a few spoonfuls of the whey until it's where you want it.

(My DF suggested that I put it in the Whey Back Machine. Anyone who's old enough to remember "Rocky and Bullwinkle" is invited to snicker -- or groan -- at that.)

I use the whey for cooking oatmeal (50% water, 50% whey), and add it to soup stock and chili. When I remember, I use it in breadmaking. No doubt there are other uses.

Oh, and I always look for close-dated milk because it's discounted by 50% or more. I haven't noticed a difference in quality, and the yogurt stays fresh just as well as the "new" milk batches do. Possibly that's because a batch lasts only a couple of days, three at the most. It really is that good.

[donnafreedman]

Forgot to add: I never cared much for yogurt until I started making it. Now I prefer it to ice cream. Seriously.

Tonight I had it with rhubarb compote -- and I got the rhubarb for free from a neighborhood guy who told us to take all we wanted. I froze many pounds of the stuff, and also feral raspberries.

It's also delicious with homemade mandarin orange marmalade (my second-favorite, after rhubarb), homemade applesauce (watch for deeply discounted "manager's special," i.e. bruised, apples in the produce section), or any kind of jam.

I've been adding finely ground flaxseed for an extra nutrition boost and I got the flaxseed for free, too, with Amazon gift cards that I earned from the Swagbucks rewards program. If you're not familiar with that, feel free to check my personal site; I recently did an article on the topic. (Posting a link seems too spammy, but I will say that there's a bonus to join plus the chance to win a $50 gift card of your choice until Oct. 30.)

Oh, and I also put the fruit/yogurt/flaxseed mix into the freezer for about 15 minutes. It gets frozen around the edges but the rest of it just gets super-chilled, the way I like it best.

Am serious about that preference: I can't tell you the last time I bought a carton of ice cream.