My first homemade yogurt attempt

by Marisa McClellan, Posted May 12th 2008 @ 2:05PM

I grew up with a Salton, five-cup yogurt maker. As far back as I can remember, it was always tucked into the back of one of the kitchen cabinets. However, it never got much use during my childhood, as it was more of a relic from my mom's earlier, pre-children, hippie days than an active appliance. When I was 9 or 10 years old, at a moment when we were in need of drinking glasses, she cannibalized the yogurt maker, and pressed the milk glass cups into service around the dinner table. We continued to use them that way for years (I think that my mom even picked up a second yogurt maker at a thrift store at one point, just for the glasses).

Three or four years ago, I happened across a similar yogurt maker at a thrift store. I bought it, despite the fact that I had no active interest in making my own yogurt and my kitchen was already woefully overstocked. I tucked it up on top of my kitchen cabinets and didn't touch it again until last week.

I've been thinking a lot about homemade yogurt recently. Sarah Gilbert's post about her own adventures making yogurt started the mental conversation. Then, as I was putting away dry dishes one evening, my stack of quart-sized yogurt containers grew too tall for the space and had to be culled, which got me thinking about all the plastic I consume along with my regular bowl of plain yogurt (with maple syrup or local lavender honey). The final straw was when this little yogurt container, so much like the one I grew up with, caught my eye and seemed to wink at me.

So I went out and bought a glass bottle of local milk from Sue's Produce (using milk that came in a plastic bottle would have nearly defeated one of the goals), scalded four cups in a medium-sized sauce pan, cooled it down to 110 degrees, stirred in half a cup of plain Greek yogurt and poured it into the five cups (there was just a bit too much). I covered the cups with their little plastic lids, set the top on the maker, plugged it in and went to bed.

The next morning, I got up a little earlier than normal, to give myself a little time to deal with my yogurt. Walking into the kitchen, I sniffed the air curiously, hoping that I wouldn't be greeted by the smell of sour milk. Dismantling the yogurt maker, I picked up the first cup in the row, removed the lid and poked it with my finger. It was yogurt. There was a bit of liquid resting on top, but once I poured it off, it looked much like the plain yogurt I buy by the quart at Trader Joe's. I poured the contents of the cups out into one of my large, plastic yogurt containers (I was worried that all those small cups would get knocked over in my crowded fridge), spooned out some into a bowl and topped it with half a sliced banana. It was a particularly satisfying and delicious breakfast.

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Filed Under: Real Kitchens, Food Politics, Ingredients
Tags: breakfast, Culinate, dairy, real kitchens, Salton yogurt maker, SaltonYogurtMaker, Sarah Gilbert, SarahGilbert, yogurt, yogurt at home, yogurt recipe, YogurtAtHome, YogurtRecipe

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-12-2008 @2:47PM Colin said... So you ate it at room temperature? Sounds kind of unappetizing. I'm the kind of guy that needs my yogurt pretty cold. Not frigid as that dulls the taste buds. But cool.
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5-12-2008 @3:26PM Lorenzo said... I've been making my own for years, both for frugality, and customization. My approach is a little more elaborate. I add 1 cup of powdered milk to 3 1/2 cups of milk, heat it 185 degrees for about 15 minutes (to denature the whey proteins), and after cooling innoculate and ferment in a 1 qt Salton. I also add 1/8 tsp of stevia before heating to sweeten without adding sugar. The result has got the consistency of flan.
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5-12-2008 @4:32PM Karsten Robbins said... Adding the powdered sugar really helps. I also add a tablespoon of unflavored Kefir and greek yogurt after the milk has cooled. I think it adds a bunch of different probiotics at that point. Go to a natural food store and get a few yogurts with active cultures in them. I just mix them all up and let my insides figure it all out!
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5-12-2008 @7:36PM Red Icculus said... I can't justify spending money on a machine, so I warm the milk up to right before boiling and pour it into cups. I add a spoonful of natural yogurt and put the them in an oven heated to warm and leave the door open overnight. Yogurt is usually a winter treat for us. :)

http://red-icculus.com
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5-13-2008 @12:11PM mamajane.123 said... Maybe 30 or 40 yrs ago, I learned to make yogurt without special yogurt makers from Gourmet magazine, (yogurt makers didn't come along until 20-25 yrs later, I'm not sure) It was part of the process for making Laban, or Labneh. Simply mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of plain,active yogurt into a quart of scalded milk after it cooled ( And yes, it was homogenized in those days) Then set in a warm place overnite. Voila! In the morning it's yogurt. Today it's difficult to find such a warm place, because my oven has no pilot, & even the top of the fridge doesn't get warm. To make yogurt cheese, just drain the yogurt in cheesecloth hung over a bowl or sink until it's the desired thickness.
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5-13-2008 @3:19PM Cyn said... I've made my own yogurt and yogurt cheese (similar to cream cheese) plenty of times, without a machine. I use a 1 quart thermos with a screw-top lid. Pre-heat it with hot (not boiling) water, set it overnight 8-12 hours after heating the milk. If you want yogurt cheese, put a cheesecloth in a strainer, add the yogurt, and put a weight (ceramic plate or bowl) on top to speed the process. 3-5 hours and you'll have a nice soft cheese.
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5-13-2008 @11:05PM jocelyn said... My mom used to have one of those machines. She'd make the yogurt and we'd mix her homemade plum jelly into it. MMMMMM.

I made plum jelly last summer and got some plain yogurt to mix it into just for old times sake. I think I need to attempt to make some next.
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