Food Talk And Fabulous Finds Recipes, Healthy Cooking, and General Food Topics

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 03-09-2008, 09:43 PM   #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
nanj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: LaRue, Ohio USA
Posts: 963

S/C/G: SW308/CW159/GW170

Height: 5'7"

Default Making Yogurt

I love Fage yogurt! BUT...to get it I have to travel 90 miles round trip and it cost $4.69 a carton. So, after reading articles and asking people in some of my cooking groups about making yogurt, I decided that I could do this. I bought a one quart yogurt machine for around $16.00 and made my first batch last night.

I used 2% milk, 1/2 c. of dried milk, and 1/2 c. of my precious Fage yogurt for my starter. It was suppose to cook (for thicker and tarter) yogurt for 8 to 10 hours. I forgot and it went for about 15 hrs. It was solid, smooth, creamy and I don't think it is a tangy as Fage, but it is good. It doesn't have the shelf life of the Fage yogurt, but I don't have to travel 90 miles round trip to get it.

If anyone has any suggestions or have made it before, please let me know your secrets and tips. The whole quart I made didn't cost as much as one 16 oz. container of Fage. I also picked up a new Graham Kerr yogurt strainer at the resale shop and will be making some yogurt cheese for tomorrow.

Hope you are all doing well, especially your newbies. I've got snow up to my..... well it is pretty high and getting stuck in the house gave me a chance to use my Splenda cookbook. I made a Lime Cheesecake with a nut crust and a batch of Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies. The cheesecake was really tart, but good. Loved the nut crust. About 15 grams of carbs for 1/12 sized piece so it was sliced and went straight to the freezer for a once a month treat. My family said the Chocolate Chip cookies were great. I made small loaves, for my DD and DH ,from the same cookbook, of banana bread and they said it was excellent. I was afraid to try the cookies and the banana because I probably would have ended up in a carb coma! Grabbing handfuls and eating them like Cookie Monster from Sesame Street!!
nanj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-09-2008, 11:22 PM   #2  
it's always something
 
Suzanne 3FC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,615

Default

Oooh, I have a yogurt maker and have never tried it out. Like you, I have to travel approx 100 miles round trip to buy Fage (and many other good quality foods) and would like to do what I can from here. Thanks for the inspiration, I'll have to give it a try too
Suzanne 3FC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 08:19 AM   #3  
Senior Member
 
FlourGirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Pa
Posts: 128

S/C/G: 350/215/180ish

Height: 5'6

Default

I know my MIL use to make her own yogurt. She didn't have a yogurt maker though. I'm not sure how she did it. I'll have to ask her and then I'll post how she did it. I would be interested in trying this too.

Chrissy
FlourGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 09:05 AM   #4  
Senior Member
 
Schmoodle's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: East Coast US
Posts: 4,201

S/C/G: 261/252/145

Height: 5'4"

Default

I have a yogurt maker and make my own when I can, especially if my milk from the dairy is getting close to expiration - it's a great way to use it up! I know you don't need a maker to do it though, you can use a thermos container or a heating pad under a glass container to keep it at the right temperature. The trickiest part for me is getting it at the right temp to add the starter. I have a tendency to walk away and get distracted, but overall it's a very simple process. To get Greek yogurt, you need to strain your end product through cheesecloth or a dishtowel to remove some of the water and get a thicker, creamier texture.
Schmoodle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 09:32 AM   #5  
Senior Member
 
2beautiful2Bfat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 804

S/C/G: 236/221/136

Height: 5'7

Default

I am very interested in this topic. Where do you get a yogurt maker? Can you add fruit to it? Can you make different flavours? I usually buy nonfat yogurt for $1 for 5-7 oz depending on brand. Woudl it be cheaper to make my own?
2beautiful2Bfat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 04:08 PM   #6  
Senior Member
 
gailr42's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Butte County, CA
Posts: 2,357

S/C/G: 202/ticker/135

Height: 5'2"

Default

I tried making yogurt with a styrofoam cooler and a heating pad etc. It didn't come out very well! I had forgotten all about this, and I never thought of trying the fage yogurt - what a great idea! I think I will buy a yogurt maker - what kind did you get?
gailr42 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 04:56 PM   #7  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
nanj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: LaRue, Ohio USA
Posts: 963

S/C/G: SW308/CW159/GW170

Height: 5'7"

Default Yogurt maker

I bought a Salton YM9 for under $20.00. It is a quart size because I don't want a bunch of little jars in my frig for DH and grandchildren to knock over. It has a lid for the frig and a ladle. Very simple machine. I know there are other ways to make it, but this is so simple. I did have to have a new candy thermometer because mine got broken, but that isn't really necessary. My cost for a quart of plain yogurt was probably around 63 cents. Gallon of milk was on sale for $2.50 and I already had tons of dried nonfat milk that someone had given me. I'm figuring there is about 77 cal. for 1/2 c. and 6 prot. and 8 sugars. Since I need the higher protein, probably will add a little unflavored protein powder in it. The greek yogurt strainer cost me a dollar at a resale shop. So right now it is cheaper for me to make it. But, I won't be able to find milk on sale every week.

I'd like to try the skimmed milk on my next batch. I won't do flavored because I also like to cook with the yogurt.
nanj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 05:02 PM   #8  
Boston Qualifier and MOM
 
ennay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,346

Height: 5'3.75"

Default

My mom used to make yogurt... she just used a big glass jar, no yogurt maker. It isnt that hard if you have a good starter.

Tanginess...I know the longer it ages, the tangier it gets.
ennay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 11:44 PM   #9  
Senior Member
 
Darkblue's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 472

S/C/G: 285/ticker/140

Height: 5'7"

Default

My mother used to make yogurt. She had a long oval heater unit with 4-6 little jars. I remember the yogurt being quite tart, so we'd mix in chopped fruit. Must ask her if she still has it...hmm.
Darkblue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2008, 02:01 PM   #10  
Moderator
 
suitejudyblueeyes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Posts: 2,157

Height: 5'7"

Default

Hillbilly Housewife has a great run-down of how to make your own yogurt. I've been itching to try this for ages but still haven't.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/yogurt.htm

She's VERY frugal, so she uses powdered milk and water instead of regular milk due to the price difference. Obviously it works either way.
suitejudyblueeyes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2008, 07:57 PM   #11  
Senior Member
 
gailr42's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Butte County, CA
Posts: 2,357

S/C/G: 202/ticker/135

Height: 5'2"

Default

How fun. I have tried to make yogurt without sucess. Maybe I'll try again using her method.
gailr42 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2008, 07:05 AM   #12  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
nanj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: LaRue, Ohio USA
Posts: 963

S/C/G: SW308/CW159/GW170

Height: 5'7"

Default Yogurt cheese

Thank you for all of the suggestions and comments. I did run my yogurt through the yogurt seive last night. The yogurt cheese that was left is of the consistency of cream cheese, but a whole lot tangier. I will be using it for cooking. My next batch's starter is going to be the Stonefield because it has four more bacillus in it as compared to the Fage.

I even got my DH eating the homemade yogurt by putting splenda and berries in his.

The Hillbilly Housewife: I love her website. Haven't been on there in a while. Thanks for reminding me.
nanj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2008, 08:48 PM   #13  
Captain Obvious
 
gastronome's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 155

Height: 5'8

Default

Wow, your thread inspired me to make my own yogurt. It was suprisingly really easy, I just boiled the milk waited until it cooled then added a couple scoops of Fage yogurt. Then I just let it sit for 1 day and it came out as yogurt! It is like nothing I've ever had before. Not tart like the store bought ones, but almost like solidified milk kind of sweet. I LOOOOOOVED it. Thank you so much for inspiring me!
gastronome is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2008, 10:49 PM   #14  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
nanj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: LaRue, Ohio USA
Posts: 963

S/C/G: SW308/CW159/GW170

Height: 5'7"

Default Homemade Yogurt Convert

I was so surprised how easily you can make yogurt. I'm glad yours turned out well and you like it. My DH has been taking it to work every morning with berries and granola. To night he was "snacky" and decided to try the yogurt cheese and Fiber One crackers. He really, really liked it. I'm glad because I make a quart at a time and that is a lot to eat when you don't eat much at a time. Let me know if you rn into any little tricks that help make better yogurt.
nanj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2008, 01:09 AM   #15  
Senior Member
 
zenor77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The Hill Country
Posts: 2,579

S/C/G: 218/175/155

Height: 5'6"

Default

I make my own yogurt as well. I noticed that you use a 1/2 cup of yogurt as a starter. I only use 2 Tablespoons and I "chain yogurt" about 4 times (use 2 T of homemade yogurt for the next batch that is) before using more "fresh" starter. You can freeze yogurt in ice cube trays (1 cube=2T) and then thaw before use. It works beautifully!

I use a West Bend yogurt maker that I found at a yard sale.

If anyone is interested in detailed directions, see if your library has a copy of The Tightwad Gazette. This is the book I learned how to make yogurt from. The author also has directions on how to make yogurt wiht out a yogurt maker.
zenor77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:25 PM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.