Best "vessel" to make yoghurt

[andiesenji]

One of my neighbors uses a thick pottery bowl as the container (covered with plastic wrap) and places it inside a small, inexpensive cooler.  Most of these are very well insulated and hers helps to maintain the desired temp overnight. 

[Nay-nay]

I can't understand the huge differences in success either!  Mine comes out at a lovely consistency and I don't think I do anything you guys don't do. I heat it up to 80 let it cool til it doesn't register and heat it up to 37 again adding the starter, put it in Thermoserver that I heated up with hot water before hand and in this cold weather put it in the oven(cold) til morning (I do it before I go to bed).

[Nay-nay]

It's so thick and creamy that I can even turn it out on a plate. I show you these not to 'show off'  but to give you hope that if I can do it anyone can! So keep trying. 

[judydawn]

You have every right to 'show off' Nay-nay - that is a wonderful consistency.  Perhaps you should write exactly how you do it, what you use etc step by step as this yoghurt making is not as easy as it sounds for some of us.

[faffa_70]

Yep that is how mine turns out Nay and I do the same as you except as yet I haven't had to warm my Thermoserver or put it in the oven (even after DH & I had the conversation) though I dare say the weather will soon be here (apparently we have to WAIT AWHILE for winter here too ROFL) for me to have to do it as I too do it before I go to bed lol.

Hang in there everyone.

I just follow this recipe of Valerie's making sure that the 37^olight DOES NOT register (so I know it is cool enough) before I heat it to 37^o with my culture again.

[farfallina]

Wow Nay-nay! Until I saw your photos I thought that I had consistency!! 

[JulieO]

More information on yoghurt making.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt

Also the little electric incubators mentioned earlier in the thread look good for little expense.

http://www.easycook.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=9

[Nay-nay]

Yes JD - Faffa is right - all I do is follow valerie's instructions. 

[JulieO]

I've ordered an Easy cook yoghurt maker same as in the link above, though I got it from another place for $48, they are supposedly posting it tomorrow so hopefully it will arrive on Friday or Monday.  I'm ready for another lot of yoghurt so will wait for it to arrive.    Of course will still cook in the TM but will incubate in this machine. Will report back on how it works and if it's worth it for anyone who is interested. 

[Cornish Cream]

JulieO I will be interested in your results when you get your yogurt maker.I keep looking at these machines.I can buy something similar here in the UK.
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/electric-yoghurt-maker/F/C/cooking-baking/C/cooking-baking-yoghurt-making/product/3440_3441/pgs/19
 

[JulieO]

It looks almost identical doesn't it?  I'm so hoping it works as I have had such mixed results doing it the other way (as reported in the relevant thread). Keeping fingers crossed

[JulieO]

Cornish - I received the incubator and I made 3 litres over the weekend trialling 3 different methods.

There are 2 methods that come with the machine and you can see them in that link I posted and the third was the one I usually do (heating milk on 90C for 15 mins. cooling to 37C, then adding starter and heating further 20 mins on 37C. Poured it into the supplied container and put that into the incubator, turned it on and left for 7 hours.

After doing a taste test of all 3 and for how they set, my favourite is my usual method, nice and thick and so creamy, just delicious. The next best was surprisingly the UHT milk, though that took longer than 7 hours to set, I left it overnight and by the morning it had set. I didn't touch it, just put in the fridge and left it alone until this morning where I took this photo to give an idea.

After making my own yoghurt since getting the TM, I couldn't think of buying it any more and the only hassle that I've had is in the incubation period, is it warm enough, too warm, etc.  Sometimes it has set, other times not.  This has taken that angst away and I think it worth the small price.

Last night after tea, I served a small pot of the yoghurt with a spoonful of passionfruit curd swirled through that I'd made just for this and it was so delicious.

The other lot I made I'm going to strain through muslin and make into Greek style so it won't be wasted. 

[cookie1]

That looks perfect JulieO. Well done.

[Thermomixer]

Good work Nay-nay & JulieO  - both great results indeed.   

[Cornish Cream]

JulieO that yogurt looks fabulous.Thankyou so much for doing different recipes to see which passed the taste test.Very interesting about UHT milk, wouldn't normally think to go down that road to get yogurt.Just need to see if my credit card can take the strain and somewhere to keep it in the kitchen!