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Makers>Information on Yogurt Making
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Information on Yogurt Making
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An electric yogurt maker is specially designed to maintain
the ideal temperature required for preparing healthy, natural and
perfect fresh yogurt every time. Live active yogurt cultures must be
incubated at a consistent ideal temperature to undertake the
fermentation process necessary to produce yogurt. You can
make home-made yogurt with any kind of milk. You can also prepare
delicious yogurt cheese. The yogurt making systems are very economical, as you can
prepare 1 or 2 quarts at a time for about half the price of store-bought
yogurt. Home-made yogurt keeps for 1-3 weeks in the refrigerator.
These are general instructions.
Each individual Yogurt Maker has their own yogurt making
instructions which specify ingredients and may either indicate
boiling milk, raising temperature to the boiling point, or just
raising temperature of the milk to the temperature required to
start the yogurt incubation process. The boiling of milk is
primarily for destroying harmful bacteria and to ensure nothing
in the milk will effect the yogurt culturing process.
Pastuerized milk has already undergone a high temperature
process. If you are unsure of your milk or are using
unpastuerized milk, raw milk or any milk that has not undergone
a high temperature process to make the milk safe, then boiling
milk will be required for yogurt making.
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Ingredients for 1
Quart of Yogurt
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4 cups (1 quart)
milk (whole, 2%,1% or skim)
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1/4 to 1/2 cup
instant non-fat dry milk powder or 1 teaspoon of unflavored
gelatin. This is optional and can be used if thicker consistency
desired.
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1/2 cup plain yogurt
with live active cultures or 1 packet of yogurt starter.
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In a sauce pan, combine milk and dry
milk or gelatin (if desired), heat over medium heat, stirring
frequently to just below boiling point. Remove milk from heat and
allow to cool until lukewarm, (between 100°F and 110°F). Note:
if using the Yogourmet CBA Yogurt
Starter, the milk must be cooled
to 73°F. To cool the milk quickly, place sauce pan into the
refrigerator or sink of cold water stirring occasionally to cool
evenly. This takes about 20 minutes. Milk can be heated in a
microwave oven. In uncovered yogurt container, heat milk at full
power (high) for 8 to 10 minutes or just below the boiling point.
Do not allow milk to boil. Carefully, remove the container from
microwave as the milk will be very hot. Allow to cool until
lukewarm, as indicated previously. Do not add any flavorings or
sweeteners before completing the yogurt making process.
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Pre-warm Yogurt Maker heating base by
plugging power cord into a 120V AC electric outlet. Note: if
using the Yogourmet CBA yogurt starter, do not pre-warm the yogurt
maker. This specific yogurt starter requires a gradual temperature
increase from 73°F.
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Add plain yogurt or yogurt starter to
the warm milk, stirring gently to blend. Do not beat or whip. Pour
mixture into Yogurt Maker container, secure lid and place covered
container into heating base. Cover Yogurt Maker and allow to
incubate undisturbed and away from air drafts for 4 - 10 hours or as
recommended by yogurt starter instructions or until desired
consistency and tartness. Note: if using the
Yogourmet CBA Yogurt Starter,
the incubation period will be 12-15 hrs. Yogurt should be partially set (jiggle in
the center) after processing and will thicken further when
refrigerated. If not partially set, process another hour until set.
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After processing, unplug cord of Yogurt
Maker from outlet. Remove cover and lift covered yogurt container
out of the heating base. Place in refrigerator. Chill at least 2
hours. Remove 1/2 cup of yogurt for future use as a starter before
adding desired fruit, flavoring or sweeteners. Keep yogurt
refrigerated until use.
Yogurt Making
Tips
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Do not leave yogurt in the machine too long, the curd and liquid
whey will separate and can not be reversed.
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Yogurt made with skim milk or skim milk powder may have a soft
consistency. For thicker, creamier yogurt, add an additional 1/2 cup
(50 ml) of milk powder to the milk before heating.
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When using store bought yogurt as a starter, make sure the label
indicates "Live Active Cultures" and check the expiration date.
Yogurt culture becomes weaker over time. Use only plain yogurt as
flavored/sweetened varieties will not work.
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Longer cooking times produces a firmer and more tart yogurt.
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If using raw milk or pasteurized milk that has been refrigerated for
some time, boil it for a few minutes before cooling to the desired
temperature. Boiling kills any bacteria that can interfere with the
incubation of the yogurt cultures.
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Do not heat the milk for too long or at too high a temperature as
the result will be poor quality yogurt.
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Make sure all utensils, container and
lid are clean. Impurities affect growth of yogurt culture.
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Make sure milk is cooled to the correct
temperature before adding the yogurt starter. If the yogurt culture
is exposed to temperatures too high, the culture will be destroyed.
If the culture is exposed to temperatures too low, processing will
take longer. Use a thermometer to assist with the correct
temperature range.
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Do not disturb the yogurt maker during the
processing period as this may affect the quality of the yogurt. Keep
the yogurt maker away from air drafts that could reduce the
incubator temperature.
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Always keep yogurt refrigerated until use. It can
keep up to 10 - 14 days, after which it may become tart.
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Add flavoring, sweeteners and fruit after
processing and refrigeration.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q. What types of milks can be
used to make yogurt?
- A. Any
type of milk can be used to make yogurt including; Whole, 2%, 1%,
skim, soy, powdered, goat and Ultra High temperature (UHT). The
following adjustments may be beneficial when making yogurt from
various milk options.
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Whole milk makes the thickest, creamy yogurt because it contains
the most solids.
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Skim
milk may require adding 1 cup of milk powder per 2 quarts of
skim milk or ¼ ounce of unflavored gelatin.
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2%
milk can use ½ cup of powdered milk per 2 quarts of 2% milk to
help thicken result.
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Goats milk should be treated as skim milk.
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Ultra High Temperature milk doesn’t need to be brought to the
boiling point.
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Soy
milk may affect consistency of result. Pre-made soymilk with
added sweetener such as fructose, malt or honey is required to
allow the yogurt culture fermentation process to take place. Do
not use soy milk powder.
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Milk
powder mixture doesn’t need to be brought to boil, just to the
100°F to 110°F temperature.
- Q. Do I need to use a yogurt
starter to make yogurt?
- A. No, If
using yogurt starter is not desired, previously made yogurt can be
used. The pre made yogurt must be plain, unflavored yogurt and have
live active cultures and the yogurt cultured after pasteurization
(high heat kills cultures). The yogurt must not have past expiration
date. Any homemade yogurt to be used as starter for a new yogurt
batch must be used within 5 days and requires ½ cup per quart of new
yogurt. Do not flavor yogurt that is to be used as yogurt starter.
After using homemade starter several times, the yogurt may not
thicken properly. This is because the active yogurt cultures may
have become weak. when this happens, you must purchase more plain
yogurt as a starter or use a dry yogurt culture starter.
- Q. What are the advantages of
buying ready to use dry yogurt starter.
- A. Dry
yogurt starter provides a convenient way to make yogurt. You are
guaranteed to have fresh live active yogurt cultures and you can
select the type of yogurt cultures depending on taste and health
desires. Once an initial yogurt batch is made from the dry starter,
a portion of the yogurt can be used as a starter for a new batch.
This helps reduce costs of purchasing starter for each yogurt batch.
- Q. Can I adjust the tartness
of the yogurt?
- A. Yes,
tartness can be adjusted by altering the processing time. For mild
tasting yogurt, process less time. For a more tart yogurt, process
for longer periods.
- Q. What is the clear liquid
that forms on the top of the yogurt after processing?
- A. This
clear liquid is a normal part of yogurt processing and is called
Whey. It has nutritional value including lactose, provitamin A and
minerals and should be stirred into the yogurt.
- Q. When do I add any desired
flavorings, fruit or sweeteners?
- A. Fruit,
flavorings and sweeteners should be added after processing and
refrigerating the yogurt.
- Q. Why doesn't my yogurt
thicken?
- A. There
are several reasons why yogurt may not thicken during processing:
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Starter is too weak or added when milk was too hot.
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Quality of the milk or milk powder is poor or expired.
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Starter was not mixed thoroughly and gently with milk.
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Utensils used in preparing the yogurt were not clean.
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Incubation temperature too high. This can occur if the ambient
temperature is above 90°F.
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If
using dry milk, there may be a preservative present that
interferes with the incubation process.
- Q. Can yogurt be frozen?
- A. Yes,
but the live cultures will not survive. However, nutritional value
will be retained.
- Q. What are some of the ways
in which I can use yogurt?
- A. Yogurt
can be used as a substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream, as a base
for soups and dips and as an addition to fruit dishes and smoothies.
See
Yogurt Recipes.
- Q. How long can I refrigerate
yogurt after processing?
- A. The
recommended shelf life of refrigerated yogurt is 1 week. Some yogurt
starters indicate up to a three week shelf life in the refrigerator.
Yogurt cheese is a solid
concentrated yogurt with the liquid (Whey) removed. An optional
Yogurt
Cheese Maker is available. The
yellowish liquid Whey coming out of the yogurt contains lactose, provitamin A and minerals. You can refrigerate it and drink it
or add it to recipes. Note: When making yogurt cheese do
not add any gelatin to the yogurt that will be used to make
yogurt cheese.
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Yogurt is composed of coagulated
particles called curds which are suspended in a watery
liquid called whey. As the whey is drained off in a
strainer, the remaining curds become a thick cheese-like
consistency.
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Yogurt cheese can be used as a
delicious low fat substitute for cream cheese,
mayonnaise, sour cream and whipping cream.
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Use to spread on toast, muffins or
bagels or to top baked potatoes. Serve plain or flavor
with fruit, honey or vanilla for a sweeter taste. Use
the yogurt cheese to make low fat dips, salad dressings,
sandwich spreads and low fat cheesecakes.
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Empty a desired amount of yogurt into
a bowl lined with a double thickness of cheese cloth.
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Gather the edges and tie with a
string.
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Suspend the the cheesecloth over a
bowl in the refrigerator for 2-8 hours until the yogurt
has solidified to desired consistency.
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You can
experiment with taste by adding different flavors from
salt, red and green peppers, onions, chives, garlic,
mushrooms, pineapple, nuts or anything else that is
desired.
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Based on one cup of home made yogurt.
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Protein |
Fat |
Carbohydrates |
Calories |
| Whole Milk |
8.9g |
8.8g |
12.0g |
159 |
| 2% Milk |
8.9g |
4.5g |
12.5g |
124 |
| Skim Milk |
8.9g |
0.2g |
13g |
89 |
| Instant Milk Powder |
11.5g |
0.5g |
16.5g |
114 |
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