Are yogurt makers worth it?

[Stripybasket]

I'm looking at a Lakeland one. We spend about £10 a week on yogurt and kefir! Insane. Are yogurt makers worth it or are they a load of faff and mess? I can't be arsed to buy anything that's really time consuming. I'd ideally like to use it to make Greek ( style I guess ) yog.

Dead easy and mess free. Lakeland yoghurt maker is easy to use.
I can give you my foolproof method if you want. Been making yoghurt for 40 years. Since the days you made it in an airing cupboard 😂

@YourHappyJadeEagle yes please to your recipe? Apparently I can make yogurt in my instant pot ?

Yoghurt in the instant pot is brilliant. I use a couple of tablespoons of live yoghurt, a litre of UHT whole milk, and bingo, the next day you have a litre of delicious yoghurt. I strain mine to make greek yoghurt.

I’d love your foolproof way, when I’ve made it it hasn’t been great so could use the tips please

@YourHappyJadeEagle Oo id love it please! I'm actually just reading the reviews of the Lakeland one and a lot of people are reporting a problem with the temp. Have you found this?

Well this has now made me want a yogurt maker! I wonder if you can add in protein powder to make a protein yogurt, as that's what I'm spending a fortune on at the moment.

I have one of those yoghurt makers sitting in the cupboard. I think I used it twice😀 I might get it out again and have another go.

My Lakeland yoghurt maker is about 4 years old, working fine.
My method to make thick Greek type yoghurt:
Full fat milk
Dried milk powder
Live yoghurt, you’ll need 1/3 to 1/2 of a small carton.

Fill the yoghurt maker just over 3/4 full of milk. Tip milk into saucepan.
Switch on the yoghurt maker to heat, placing the live yoghurt you already have in it to warm through.
Start to heat the milk in the saucepan. While it is heating stir in two heaped tablespoons of dried milk powder. Using a whisk, whisk the milk as it heats. You only have to do this gently, you’re not beating it like you’d beat cream iyswim.
Just before the milk boils remove from the heat and stand the pan in cold water. Leave to cool to blood temperature.If it gets too cool you can heat it up again to blood temp.
Pour milk onto the yoghurt, stir thoroughly but gently with a spoon.
put the two lids on immediately and wrap a folded towel around the yoghurt maker. Leave for a minimum of 7 hours. Can be left up to 9 hours.
if there is any liquid separated in the yoghurt you can drain it off or stir in gently.
Use half a teacup of this yoghurt as the starter for your next batch. You can usually do this 3 times before you have to buy another small pot.

Kefir is another thing altogether. I’ve found it’s a faff But if you’re near Asda I can recommend their Polish kefir 1 litre for about £1.40. White bottle, blue lid.

I’ve made it using a thermos flask. It’s easy.

I bought a Lakeland yoghurt maker about 15 years ago when I lived in Singapore and couldn't get decent yoghurt. It was brilliant and I still have it (but haven't used it for a while).

If I remember correctly I bought long life organic milk and a starter of organic yoghurt. It was delicious. Put it on overnight and had lovely large portion of yoghurt the next day (probably 700mls)

Really good and simple (and cheap). I might bring it out again.

I vote a load of faff and nonsense.

You don't need special machines. If you have an instant pot, use that, it couldn't be less faff (switch it on & leave it over night, straining is extra but you don't have to do that), otherwise use a wide necked flask.

I also use my instant pot.
Why are previous posters using UHT milk? I never have - what am I missing?

I’ve got a Lakeland one, not the flask type but the electric one. It’s a doddle to make and I’ve had no problem with the temperature at all. I use UHT milk so you don’t have to heat and cool it, a couple of tablespoons of live yoghurt, mix it in. Set the temperature at 46C and for 10 hours and it makes great yoghurt. For the thicker Greek style you just use the strainer that comes with it but it obviously halves the amount of yoghurt you get. However, you can use the whey in some recipes if you google, it’s supposed to be good for you.

Edited to say I use a couple of tablespoons of the yoghurt I’ve made to start the next lot and so on, indefinitely. No need to buy any ready made yoghurt to start another batch, ever.

If you use uht milk you don't have to heat it up first to a certain temperature. When I used to make it in a flask with fresh milk there was a load of messing around with a thermometer, I seem to remember. Particularly useful for the instant pot, you just throw it in cold.

I don't have an instant pot but I do have a slow cooker? Does it work in them?

Easiest of all is the Easiyo maker - basically a large thermos with inner pot. Fill with boiling water, in the inner pot a spoonful yogurt and a litre of UHT, top on, leave 12 hours. The only faff is boiling the kettle. Can leave it up to 24 hours too.

You can ad dried milk powder so don't see why not

@Portakalkedi I saw this. Doesn't it need sachets? I'm not keen on using them but if I could use it without then that would be amazing.

I agree with pp. A load of faff and nonsense. Who needs more work?
Homemade bread is cheaper too, why not make your daily bread?

@Whataretalkingabout I do!

If you are using fresh milk then you will be heating the milk first in the IP then letting it cool to a certain temp if memory serves. It is how I used to do it years ago now I do what is termed "cold start" and for that you use UHT.

With UHT milk you just put that in, add your starter and you can add powdered milk if you want, then turn it onto the yoghurt setting. 10 hours or so later, your yoghurt is ready. My recipe ratio is 1 litre UHT, 2 tablespoons starter yoghurt and 2 level tablespoons of milk powder.

The way I do it, 3 litres of UHT, 1 whole small pot of Yeo Valley natural, whisk together and leave overnight for 10-11 hours. Strain off some of the whey to make a lovely thick Greek yoghurt. We like it a bit tart.

For all the it's a faff, we make our own bread and ice cream too. It brings us joy.

Hi all
I recently purchased a Lakeland yogurt maker and am very happy with it however, I have one question...what is the shelf life of the yoghurt once it is made and refrigerated. The booklet seems to say 4 days and that is a very short timescale if you are making a large pot of it. I don't want to get food poisoning but don't want to make it every four days! Shop bought yogurt lasts longer even the organic ones. Can anyone help with this please?

I bought an Easi Yo and the pots etc and used it twice - I’m just not organised enough to make yoghurt and fridge was always too full to store it , same reason my ice cream maker gathers dust - the freezer never has room for the main part when I want to make it

My dad used to make us yogurt before fancy yogurt makers or instant pots. He’d just wrap an old baby blanket around the bowl and stick it in the oven overnight. Next morning we’d have yogurt which he’d strain to make “labneh” 🙂