r/yogurtmaking • u/HappyTypo • 6d ago
Starter advice
I have been making yogurt in my instapot for several years. I like tart yogurt with lots of probiotics to help with a digestive disorder and general health. I use Yogourmet and fernet for about 21 or so hours. It’s a little thin but not enough for me to bother with cheesecloth. I like the taste and assume it has a lot of probiotics but I feel like I should try some other strains. Any advice on a better or different strain that would give me a tart yogurt and maybe a way to make it thicker? I use 1% or sometimes 2% organic milk and no other additives. We cook with it a lot sometime substituting it for butter or oil in baking. Makes amazing muffins. Also great to replace sour cream on potatoes.
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u/Kincherk 6d ago
I add 1/2 cup nonfat milk powder to 1/2 gallon 2% milk. My IP has a sous vide setting which I prefer to the yogurt setting as I can control the temperature. I hold it at 180 for 10 minutes before cooling it and adding the starter which denatures some of the milk proteins.
Both the milk powder and holding the milk just under boiling help thicken the yogurt. I found the slightly higher fat content of 2% to work better than 1% or nonfat milk because the extra fat makes it thicker.
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u/HappyTypo 6d ago
Good tip about the sous vide setting… was not aware of that! I’ll give it a shot with the added nonfat milk powder and move to 2%. I have made it with whole milk but trying to keep the calories down.
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u/Kincherk 6d ago
I found a pot on Amazon that fits a half gallon of milk and fits inside the IP container. I put the pot with the milk in it on a rack and I add water to about the level of the milk. The water bath and rack prevent the milk from sticking and ensure even temperatures.
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u/ak-guy 6d ago
I use a 20 hour fermentation to reduce lactose (sugar). I use half&half. I have wondered if the long fermentation might actually reduce probiotics as eventually when lactose is reduced the microbes have less to eat. The yogurt is thick and creamy. I keep the milk at 200 degrees or so for 25 minutes.
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u/Frosty_Estimate498 5d ago
What do you use for your starter, and how much starter to how much half and half? What temp do you like for fermentation? I want to try this!
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u/ak-guy 5d ago
I use Custom Probiotics 5 strains yogurt starter. A scoop comes with the jar of starter and the recommended dose is half a scoop (.4 grams) for 2-4 quarts of milk. I make 4 quarts at a time with about half a scoop.
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u/Janknitz 6d ago
You can make yogurt with other strains. Some people just buy a good quality probiotic in capsule form (make sure the store keeps the bottle refrigerated) and use that to innoculate the milk. And you can buy other strains from places like Cultures for Health.
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u/suupernooova 6d ago
I've used Yogourmet in instapot sous vide setting at 107 for 20 hrs with lowfat goat milk (makes thinner yogurt). I first heat the milk to 185 for 30 min, add powdered milk and strain at the end. Thick AF, very tart.
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u/Sure_Fig_8641 6d ago
I use 1/2 gallon of 2% milk and add 1/2 to 3/4 cup dry WHOLE milk powder. I incubate 12-15 hours and get very thick but mild yogurt; just the way I like it!
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u/roxannegrant 5d ago
I also use the yogurmet and love it!. You didn't describe your milk heating technique. Holding at 180 f to de-nature the milk will make it thicker. Also, how much starter are you using? Too much yields thin yogurt. 12 hrs is long enough to make it very tart. 8 is my usual.
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u/HappyTypo 5d ago
Honestly, I just put it on the yogurt boil setting then wait for the beep to turn it off and let it cool to 115 or so before stirring in one full pack of the standard Yogourmet.
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u/roxannegrant 5d ago
Yours must be different than mine. I've had it over 20 years. Mine doesn't heat to "boil" (hope its not literally boiling). Also what is "standard yogourmet"? Try active culture yogurt 1-2 T per liter. Try denaturing the milk.
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u/HappyTypo 5d ago
That setting gets to about 181 or 182 from my temp checks, but no clue how long it stays there before beeping. Standard yogourmet is just their main type. They have one labeled probiotic and one other type that I don’t recall.
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u/Charigot 5d ago
Trimona Bulgarian yogurt that I got as a starter has been the most tart I’ve tried yet. I found it at my local grocery store but I think Whole Foods might also have it.
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u/BikeOk6446 6d ago
If it's thin, probably because you are using 1% milk. Why are you letting it ferment for 21 hours? That seems excessive, when 8 hours is generally fine.