This wonderful yoghurt maker, however, is pretty much foolproof. As long as all containers and utencils are sterilized before using there's not much that can go wrong. You simply pour your milk into the container (UHT milk, otherwise you have to heat treat it yourself by heating it to 90 degrees celcius then letting it cool to 40 degrees before adding any cultures) and either add a tiny 10th of a teaspoon of yoghurt culture or a dollop of the last batch of yoghurt you made. It's then as simple as putting the container in the yoghurt maker and switching it on - this then keeps the yoghurt at the perfect temperature (around 40 degrees) for your desired length of time - usually 8 - 12 hours. Then you will have a container of yummy fresh yoghurt to pop in the fridge!
I love this yoghurt maker. We've already used in numerous times since Christmas day. And it came at the perfect time as I was starting my 'no plastic food packaging' year. It's also really cheap to make. Double whammy!
When I was a child, my Dad was the yoghurt maker. He'd heat milk in a pan (warned of any potential danger by a strange ridged saucer placed in the bottom of the pan that would rattle as the temperature neared boiling point) Then he would stir in some yoghurt from the last batch & pour the whole lot into a flask & leave it for 24 hours. I watched, I ate...can I replicate?-NO, my yoghurt is slightly thickened milk (great for making lassi but that's about it!)
ReplyDeleteYour yoghurt looks much better!
I actually saw Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall do this on River Cottage - it seemed to work fine in a flask. Perhaps I wouldn't try it during the Australian summer but I reckon you could give it a go in the UK!
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