Has anyone made Greek Yogurt in the oven?

[OmgATalkingOnion]

Anyone?

I was thinking of giving it a go. You Tube have a couple of demos re this. Is it worth the hassle or not really?

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well it sounds like its worth a try - I'm just off to look at it

I have made yogurt on the stovetop numerous times. I followed the recipe in the NY Times from several years back. Basically, you get out your biggest pot, fill it with fresh milk (the fresher the better -- shouldn't be longlife) and heat it, checking with a candy thermometer. You have to add existing yogurt (for the culture) but I think you do this after you take it off the heat. For it to set, when it cools a bit (going by the thermometer) you put it in the containers you are using and they have to be kept warm for a certain amount of time. (BTW, this is all a yogurtmaker does.) I used to put mine in glass jars and put them all together, wrapping the whole bunch in a large blanket and leaving it overnight. Some people put it in a slightly warmed oven with the light on.

As I understand it, "Greek" yogurt is strained. I have done this as well -- you just wind up with a lot less yogurt, but it is thicker.

I have just described the process but obviously these aren't directions -- I don't remember times and temperatures.

I did this a few times and felt quite virtuous but stopped because I always did large amounts and then had trouble getting it all in the fridge, it was not necessarily better than what you can buy at the store, and I didn't think it worked out to be meaningfully less expensive.

It was a fun thing to try but there are other things you can do at home where there's a bigger difference compared to store-bought and the effort is more worthwhile. (Bread, cakes come to mind.)

Thanks Teapot! I do wonder, as you say whether all the effort is really worth the end result in terms of time and money compared to buying it. The oven method I saw takes 8-10 hrs which seems a lot of cooking to me.

I wonder if I should just get a yogurt maker Would it make thick Greek yogurt though? It's straining off the whey that makes it.

I've got an Easiyo or whatever they're called - the thermos type yoghurt maker. I don't use it often and generally used the mixes but I tried 'from scratch' once or twice - you use milk (even UHT milk) and add a spoon or two of natural yoghurt as a starter, put in a container and shake together then stick in the thermos full of boiling water where it'll stay warm and culture away.

Personally I would try the blanket method before investing in a yogurt maker -- all they do is maintain the right temperature. (You can also put it in your warming cupboard if you have one.)

I don't know if there's a yogurtmaker that strains, but that's extremely simple -- just buy a bit of cheesecloth, sterilize it in boiling water, and strain your yogurt.