Yogurt makers - can anyone who has one answer a few questions please?

[BendyBob]

Right, I must be keeping the yogurt industry afloat. I always seem to be buying them. So I'm thinking maybe a yogurt maker might be the answer. But I just know () if it's a faff I won't do it and it'll end up in the gadget graveyard at the back of the cupboard.

So no1 - Is it a faff/messy/time consuming to use a yogurt maker?

Is it cheaper?

Can you make quite a big quantity and does it keep for a few days?

Is it nice? Or do you end up with something unappealing to dc that you have to crow-bar into them?

Is it healthier? I've read to use full fat uht milk What's that all about?

Would one of those EasyYo kits be a better idea for someone like me ?

Thanks so so much if you can advise.

Very cheap and very easy.

Don't bother with easyyo, it is expensive and almost as expensive as buying yoghurt to get the sachets.

The Lakeland electric yoghurt maker is great, think it is around £20.

All you do is put a dollop of good quality natural yoghurt in the maker and fill up to 1l with full fat UHT milk. Stir it in, switchon your yoghurt maker and leave it for 8 hours or so. I usually leave mine overnight. Hey presto!

I only buy a small tub of yoghurt once a month, in between I use some of my home made yoghurt as the next "starter".

The maker costs pennies to run, the UHT milk is around 65p a litre so you get a whole litre of yoghurt for under 70p :)

Oh and it keeps fine and the dcs eat it no problem. You can always stir some jam into it anyway. I currently have ds off cows milk as a trial so am making goat milk yoghurt which works just the same way and neither of them has objected.

Should really read your post properly.

Full fat milk gives a better yoghurt. THe difference in fat content between full fat and semi skimmed is 1% which is nothing. The only reason low fat shop bough yoghurts are still thick is because they add all sorts of crap to them. You can use semi skimmed in your maker but you will probably end up with a much thinner yoghurt.

Oh Indith THANKYOU! That's very helpful We quite like Greek style yogurt sometimes. Is that possible?

Like the sound of the Lakeland one you have. I thought they'd be much more expensive.

I think if you add some milk powder to it you get a thicker set which may sort out your Greek yoghurt cravings. You just have to experiement a bit with how long you leave it and how much starter yoghurt you use. The instructions in the lakeland one use very little but I tend to find a good splodge works best.

Exactly as Indeth says :) I've been using mine for years.

Well I'm sold on this and I'm def going to get one Many many thanks for your help and advice.

I'll let you know how I get on. Oh to be freed from the tyranny of 'Mummy, we've run out of yogurts again..'

I'm all excited now. A legitimate reason to buy a new toy!

You've sold me indith I think I'll get one when we move house, no room in kitchen for more gadgets at present! But we spend a fortune on yoghurt and it's all rubbish too.

Woohoo! COnverts!

AQ yes you need one. You will really need teh trip to Lakeland to fill your new kitchen with stuff

I think we prob. have enough to fill new kitchen, just shoved breadmaker and slow cooker in the garage as there's no room to cook anything! But trip to Lakeland always worth it

I believe that if using anything other than UHT milk you have to boil it and let it cool first. Is that true?