YOGHURT MAKERS

[hakunamatata]

Being totaly frustrated over the total lack of Greek Yoghurt in the shops here I am considering a yoghurt maker.  I have been looking at the ones in the Lakeland catalogue and notice you can actually buy a Greek Yoghurt mix for one of the kits but the mixers seem very expensive even if they are available in France (where they are actually more expensive - surprise! ) Does anyone have any experience with yoghurt makers and if so some advice would be very welcome.

[Pierre ZFP]

I was given one of these a while ago and I do use it from time to time although I haven't tried Greek yoghurt, hmmmm that seems like a good idea.  I like 'set ' yoghurt so I use a starter pot of commercialy available stuff to start. 

Things I have learnt or discovered:

1) Use full fat milk for a creamier taste (pretty obvious really)

2) add a little milk powder to the milk when you warm it up, about 1 tablespoon to .5 litre.  This makes it set better but I don't know why.

3)never let ANY metal object come in contact with the yoghurt (I even heat the milk in a telfon saucepan). It will become runny and have a sharp taste again I don't know why.

4) be gentle, don't disturb the brew while it is 'cooking' and after carefully transfer to the fridge to cool rapidly.  Jogging it about makes for runny yoghurt.

5) obvious one really, use unpasturised yoghurt as a starter.

Apart from that, it works well.  I find that it doesn't keep as long as shop bought stuff but that's not usually a problem.

Let us know if you try Greek yoghurt.  I would be most interested.

[babcock]

Before buying a yoghurt maker you could try out the Greek yoghurt starter using the vacuum flask method. Basically heat the milk to the required temp, mix in the starter and put it into a wide necked thermos overnight. If it is not thick enough you can either thicken the milk with some milk powder before heating or strain the resulting yoghurt through cheesecloth.

www.ethicalsuperstore.com

sell the mix and will deliver to France.

[Clair]

I have the 1l electric yoghurt-maker from Lakeland and I have been using it regularly for several years.

I buy the Easi-Yo mixes from Lakeland (they are also available from YogurtDirect but in the UK only) or I make my own from scratch.

When using the mixes, I have never had any of problems and I find their taste very good, although I have tried so many I can't comment specifically on the Greek-style ones.

I sometimes strain the yoghurt to make a "sort-of" soft cheese (very nice with this year's batch of home-made blackberry jam) and I use the whey when making bread.

[Cluzo]

Hi      I  have the easi-yo yoghurt maker from Lakeland but I also got one from QVC.as sometimes their special offers are good  . It isnt electric - and doesnt use milk .  You make up the mix with water and put it in the maker in which you have put about a kettle full of boiling water and leave it overnight . You then have I litre of yoghurt in a pot that fits in the milk shelf of your fridge which i serve in ramikins . It last s my OH and I 4 days .    I have worked through all the types as I must have had mixed packs at some time .   My OH only really likes the Strawberry so I only get that one now.

We have one in france and one in uk and  we have it everyday for brekkie .  we used to have actimel drinking yog in little pots but now we dont litter the landfill with little pots so thats a result.

Sometimes I get the sachets from ideal world  ( simply yoghurt) but they are not so nice .

[Jazzer]

Weuse the Easy YO system and find the postage from QVC usually better than Lakeland.The Greek yogurt is really great.- better than the runny muck you get in the supermarkets!

Esay YO are a NZ company,and I understand it is a best seller there. The priduct is available in France, off the internet,but very expensive.

[foxyloxy25]

We were given a SEB yoghurt maker, and have used it ever since. (I have not looked at the Lakeland site for a while) We start of with a pot of Greek yoghurt and full fat milk. Thinking about it I am not sure if this is a helpful reply, as I cannot comment on the yoghurt maker you are looking, I can only say that we get really thick yoghurt from our yoghurt maker and have used the machine for months now.

[sunny]

It is really easy to make greek yogurt and you don't need any machines.

At night. simply heat some milk (four large cups) till it is very hot, but not boiling

Stir in one tablespoon of yogurt starter.

From a bit of height, pour the mix into another pan, and then again, from a height, pour it back into original container (this mixes the yogurt starter and milk and will also make the 'new' yogurt light and airy)

Cover the container and wrap with a kichen tower. Put in a warm place (e.g. on radiator).

Next day you should have some yummy yogurt - to test, simply move the pot gently and the yogurt should wobble a bit, but not be runny.  If it is runny, let it sit in a warm place for a couple more hours, and it should set. To make it thick, like greek yogurt, simply put the yogurt in a cheesecloth and hang over a sink - the liquid will drip away and you will be left with a more solid, Greek style yogurt...but not sure why you would do that, as it is creamy and tasty otherwise as well.

Eat and enjoy, but remember to save a bit of the newly made yogurt as a starter for next time

[Dog]

Yup - all you need is some live yogurt to start from some clean old yogurt pots and a warmish place in the kitchen.

[Cat]

Presumably you'd need sheep milk for proper Greek yoghurt?

[hakunamatata]

Clair, how do you use the Easiyo in the electric yoghurt maker, also why is it necessary to strain when you want Greek yoghurt.  I have decided to buy the Lakeland electric model because I have researched the Easiyo mixes and the cost, even from France seems to me to be too much.  Its amazing what you will try when you want Greek yoghurt!!!

[Clair]

The Lakeland yogurt maker has a one-litre lidded plastic container, in which you mix the EasiYo.

You then insert the container into the sleeve, put the lid on and leave the thing switched on overnight. In the morning, you just need to cool it down.

I bought a spare container for it, so I can have two mixes on the go in the fridge.

I strain the yoghurt if I want a soft cheese, otherwise I use it as it comes.

[sunny]

I am totally bemused...why would anyone pay for a machine that doesn't do very much...I mean how hard is it to heat some milk?  That is the only thing required to make yogurt - the rest of the job is done by the bacteria in the starter (essentially a little bit of existing yogurt).  You don't even need special pots or anything for the yogurt to set, any earthenware, glass or steel container will do...

[Clair]

[quote user="sunny"]I am totally bemused...why would anyone pay for a machine that doesn't do very much...[/quote]

I prefer to mix it and leave it. It's just as easy as standing above a pan of heating milk.

and...

No pan to wash.

No chance of overflowing milk and associated hob cleaning.

Above all for me, no smell of heated milk (it makes me sick, and that's not a figure of speech [+o(])

[Pierre ZFP]

I used to (a long time ago) make yoghurt by heating and putting the mixture in a thermos overnight.

This worked very well untill one time I was shaking the last drop of yog out of the thermos and the glass inner came right out smashing everywhere.

Then a friend gave me an electric maker as a gift, it's just very convienient as Clair says.

[Jazzer]

I feel I am missing something here. If you are using the Easi Yo powder why do you need an electric yogurt maker? Powder, water,good shake into the Easi Yo maker with hot water , 8 hours, into the Fridge to chill and bobs your uncle.Does the electric version give better consistency?

[Clair]

I bought the yoghurt maker from Lakeland a long time ago, before they started the EasiYo range.

I cannot compare it with the EasiYo maker, as I have never tried it.

[Clair]

[quote user="Jazzer"]We find the postage from QVC usually better than Lakeland.[/quote]

Can you be more specific on postage costs?

I have find the QVC page, but there is no indication of delivery costs to France...

Thanks.

[Jazzer]

I order from QVC UK 10 sachets of Greek Yogurt at £17.50 postage £7.69 Total £25.19.

Lakeland £19,58 postage £10 Total £29.58.

However I did try to order a fruit yogurt mix but the postage was £14 +.(probably heavire packets)

From memory I think it is best if you open an account. From your details they then quote posrge to France. If you are not happy you are able to cancel your order.Of course with Lakeland if you are ordering several items then postage could work out less.It's all a matter of playing with figures.

If I can help any furthet please let me know.

[Clair]

Thanks for that Jazzer.

I'll definitely look into it (it might help with my Lakeland addiction! [:P])

[hakunamatata]

Maybe its just me being a Scot but I think considering postage etc that the Easiyo system could prove very expensive.  I have therefore sent for a Lakeland electric yoghurt maker which requires milk etc - wish me luck[:)]

[hakunamatata]

Just a further thought, what is the best live yoghurt to buy and what is it called because I have searched the shelves and cannot see anything which tells me it is live!!  I presume a natural yoghurt is the one to go for like maybe Danone original, your advice would be appreciated.

[Pierre ZFP]

¨Just about any of the natural yoghurts will do.  Just avoid anything flavoured or if it says pasturised.  It doesn't have to be Dannone premium price sooper dooper bio enhanced eat this and live forever stuff.

I get best results with Auchan own brand natural.

 

[Jazzer]

You may well be right. I just know the quality is guaranteed,it's so simple, not at all messy,no smell and apart from boiling a kettle it uses no electricity

[Âme]

When I got the Easy-Yo thermos, I also got sachets of Greek yoghurt, which are mixed with water.

I have a wildly out-of-date packet of "Easy-Yo Greek Style Unsweetened" remaining so here are the listed ingredients:

Pasturised whole milk solids* (98%) from free range cows, live lactic cultures (l.bulgaricus, s.thermophilus, l.acidophilus) *contains natural lecithin derived from soybean

How did the soybean lecithin get into the cow's milk solids? [8-)]

I used these sachets when I first got the Easy-Yo thermos flask... Tasted nice, set well but rather yellow, in my opinion.

Now, I use a dollop of Nestle® Greek-style yoghurt plus semi-skimmed cow's

milk (add powdered skimmed milk to increase the calcium,

without upping the fat content). I use the Easy-Yo thermos with an ex-mayonnaise jar (simply cannot eat 1kg yoghurt in short enough time to keep the culture alive for the next batch!) and it works

fine: nice thick yogurt, yum.

But, I know that Hakunamatata has more refined taste [kiss]

and the Nestle Greek-style yoghurt doesn't hit the mark.  What I'm

wondering is: Is  the culture different for the likes of Total Greek

yoghurt?  Or is it the type of milk the yoghurt is made with?  Does it have to be, as Cat says, sheep's milk to make Greek yoghurt?