Yogurt making question

[WayneKerr]

I'm contemplating buying the lakeland electric yogurt maker, but am trying to work out if it really will be cheaper to make my own plain yogurt, bearing in mind some supermarkets' own is pretty cheap.

So, does anyone know how much yogurt results from a litre of milk? Is it vastly less than a litre? I can sort of work it out price-wise if I know this.

I think that the volume increases slightly. the pot on mine when full takes a litre or just over. I usually put in the whole litre of uht milk when making it and its a bit over full in the morning but it works ok. The taste of the yoghurt you get depends on the one that you use as a starter to make it with BTW.
Hope this helps

I have had the yoghurt maker for years, have used it in fits and starts but overall it has been a good investment.

Like alison, I also use the 1 litre UHT milk- you're supposed to put 900ml in but found that a waste. Sometimes, I do also use the 500ml ones. I usually buy 1 pot large yogurt to use as the starter each time, but have also kept some back with each batch as the starter. I buy 6x1 litre pack UHT milk from ocado which is £4, so each litre costs under £1, including the starter. I actually prefer the taste of my plain yoghurt as it has a tang to it, and either add fruit, a spoonful of jam, some crunchy cereal or chocolate powder- so it's quite versatile. I get through 1 litre every 2-3 days so it works out very economical for me.

ooooh chocolate powder! Slurp!

That surprises me, was expecting a litre of milk to make quite a bit less yogurt. How much starter yogurt do you have to add, though?

Wayne, have you made yogurt without a yogurt maker? I can't tell from your post.

If you haven't yet, I would try just making it on the stove and see how it goes -- it might give you a better idea of whether you really want a yogurt maker. This is the recipe I use:

www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dining/15curi.html

All you need is a kitchen thermometer. I do it in a large pot on the stove. I put the warm yogurt into (sterilized) glass jars and then wrap them all in a large blanket to keep them warm overnight. It works fine. There are other methods some people put the yogurt in the oven with just the light on, or maybe in the warming closet. As far as I know, all a yogurt maker does is keep it a consistent temperature but it might mean you get "perfect every time" instead of "pretty good most of the time."

I think you can also make yoghurt using a thermos flask too.

I use 2 tablespoons of starter yoghurt for 1 litre UHT milk.

No, Teapot, I've never tried making it before. I like the idea of the maker, as it seems faff-free.

Thanks for the recipe, will mull it over a bit. Could do with borrowing someone's maker to see how it goes and how it tastes.