Yoghurt maker?

[ohflipit]

Regretting selling my EasYYo yogurt maker at a car boot sale years ago! It was new in box but the starter packets were so expensive and none of the local shops sold live yoghurt to use as a starter back then.

But, with my prepping hat back firmly on, I need to admit my mistake and buy a new one.

Does anyone have any recommendations on which one to get or general tips?

(I would like to avoid EasYYo unless it really is the best because that would just confirm for me how stupid I was to sell it!!)

Thank you prepping people!

I make yoghurt in an Instant Pot. I use the pot for other things such as cooking frozen chicken breast etc.

I use UHT milk which has a long shelf life (good for preppers) and a yoghurt starter so either a pot of YeoValley natural yoghurt or some of my own yoghurt which you can freeze.

I personally make 3 litres at a time, put the instant pot on overnight as it takes 10 hours. But the beauty of making my own means I can make smaller amount easily. I do strain it as Dh like super thick Greek style yoghurt so I take out about 1300ml of wey.

You can make yogurt in a slow cooker, which is great because you then have a multi-use bit of kit.

Obviously if the power goes you can’t have yogurt.

I think you can also make it in a wide-neck flask. Just fill it with boiling water first to heat it up and then pop the milk and starter in.

Thank you! UHT milk sounds good. Our family live on yoghurt so it would be good to be able to have some sort of dairy in our prep stores.

I'm afraid the slow cooker (brought on a healthy eating whim) went in it's unopened box to the car boot sale along with the yoghurt maker!

I do like the idea of a flask though!

The instant pot is incredible for frozen chicken breast for lunches, shreds beautifully, cooking pulled pork, risotto - add everything, lid it and perfect risotto no adding small amounts of liquid at a time, yoghurt and it is also a slow cooker.

1 litre of UHT milk, 2 tbsp "starter" so in my case YeoValley natural yoghurt, 2tbsp milk powder. As it is a cold start (you can do a hot start) I just put the instant pot onto sterilise, then put 3 litres of milk in and 6tbsp of starter and milk powder, give it a good mix, put the lid on and 10 hours later I have yoghurt (with a lovely tang, you can make it in 8 hours).

Due to volume I line 2 sieves with kitchen roll, put them over a bowl each and strain the yoghurt for about 5 hours. I just keep pouring off the whey until I hit 1300ml. Then I tip the yoghurt into one of the now empty whey bowl, mix it and put it into the glass yoghurt container I have. You can add flavour at the mixing stage, some people use a Kitchen Aid to mix in vanilla or fruit.

Yoghurt so thick you could plaster a wall with it

Also shocked you have never used a slow cooker. Lovely curries, jambalaya, pulled port, whole chicken. Loads of recipes for both slow cooker and instant pot on YouTube. Both of them have made my life easier.

The instant pot holds the perfect temperature for yoghurt, no monitoring needed.

An alternative is kefir, you can make it at room temperature in any glass bottle, jar or drinking glass.

I also make it in the instant pot, mine has a yoghurt function though.
I just bung it all in together ( semi-skm uht milk, large dollop of yoghurt- I use greek, and a big tablespoon of milk powder- I use Sainsbury's lighter coffee whitener) turn it on and 8-10 hours later have yogurt ready to strain to however thick you like.
Not to mention all the other delicious things to make in the IP

Thank you everyone! I'll have to look into those instant pots. Milk powder? I was going to just use UHT and starter. I do have some (what prepped wouldn't! ) so can give it a try.

Kitchen roll for draining? Wouldn't it dissolve? Sounds a great idea though! I'll give it a try as I do like thick yoghurt

I make yoghurt in a thermos flask.

Heat UHT milk to just boiling, let it cool to hand hot then stir in a couple of big spoons of plain yoghurt starter (either from the shop or from the previous batch). Pour it in the thermos, wrap it in a towel and leave it in the airing cupboard overnight. I've never had a failure yet.

I strain off the whey and use it for smoothies etc.

just got out my yogurt made overnight in my instant pot and set it to straining ( I use a nut milk bag) Intant pot is so versatile. This week I have used it for :
Mac cheese, steaming veg, mashed potatoes, proving bread dough and rice pudding.
Also going to make some jam in it this week

I am going to say what you don't want to hear, because I use the easiyo flask to avoid needing electricity and it works well. Uht and a couple of spoons of milk powder to thicken it and not have to strain. The boiling water poured into the flask means you don't have to heat the milk first. I managed to go from March to August without buying any new starter as you just save a few spoons of the old one, but eventually left it too long and it wasn't as nice.

There was a starter sachet of easiyo strawberry with the flask and no one liked it, same texture as pva glue. Also very expensive to buy the sachets. I would consider an instant pot when my slow cooker eventually breaks as everyone raves about them.

I use a dutch oven, following this recipe: www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-yogurt-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-125070

Great for bigger quantities.

You can make yoghurt in an ordinary lidded bowl, by standing it somewhere warm such as an airing cupboard. Use a bought yoghurt to start it off, then keep some of that batch as your next starter.
Try making lebneh if you find you are swamped with too much yoghurt!.

I'm also going to say what you don't want to hear - I use the EasyYo pot and flask with whole milk and Yeo Valley as starter. I scald the milk first which you don't need to do with UHT. I bought mine in a charity shop, I see them often enough.

My Instant Pot is old enough to not have a yoghurt function.

I use my easiyo that I bought during lockdown. The starters are really dear so I found this recipe-
1 1/2 cups of full fat milk powder
2 heaped tablespoons of easiyo starter.
It makes lovely yogurt, just keep the starter in a sealed container.

Wait.. just milk powder and starter??

Yes and water obviously.....

Ah ok! I thought it was a new secret super thick yogurt I hadn’t heard about

Sorry maybe not obviously... easiyo starter is a powder too so just use a smaller amount of that with milk powder and mix with water. It's really creamy

@TeddyIsaHe might be a bit dry 🤣🤣🤣

Imagine if I tried it 😂 hey kids! Mummy has made yogurt for breakfast!

So with the easy yo, I can use UHT milk cold, a spoonful of milk powder and a spoonful of starter and that’s it?
Boiling water in the outer container.