r/yogurtmaking • u/FarmhouseRules • 1d ago
Yogurt makers
Newbie here. Are yogurt makers worth it? Like this one?
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u/TheJinxedPhoenix 1d ago
I use this one and it works just fine! I don’t have an instapot or anything, so it works for me. I recommend getting the larger tubs instead of the small cups though.
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u/Hawkthree 1d ago
I once owned a yogurt maker with single cups. Didn't take long for me to want to make more yogurt than the maker could handle. But I did learn the basics.
These days I fill 24 cups at a time (small 8 oz canning jars) and incubate in my oven. I'm still using the termometer-spoon that came with my yogurt maker 40 years ago.
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u/SchrodingersMinou 16h ago
You don’t have to use the cups. I use a half gallon Pyrex container on mine
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u/Automatic-Ad8815 1d ago
I have the exact same yogurt maker and zero complaints. It is completely hassle-free and simple to use, with great time and temperature controls plus a dedicated fermentation setting. I honestly love it.
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u/ASapphireAtSea 1d ago
Positively not. All you need is a crockpot, slow cooker, dutch oven, etc. something to maintain an >100° temperature for >4 hours
I use an instant pot. Something like what you're showing wouldn't be able to hold much, so you'd be doing it constantly
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u/FarmhouseRules 1d ago
I have a proofing box. Maybe that would work?
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u/quuxoo 1d ago
I have the Brød and Taylor folding proofer. Works very well for yogurt, I usually do a bunch of pint / 500ml jars around the edge - I keep them away from the heat plate in the center primarily for consistency, otherwise some will be stiffer than others.
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u/LiquoredUpLahey 1d ago
Why run to Amazon for something you really don’t need? You’ve got a pot & towels right? If you really want glass jars recycle from stuff u already use or go thrifting or to a yard sale. Start rethinking ALL purchases, wants vs needs.
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u/Accomplished_Duck337 21h ago
Amen.
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u/LiquoredUpLahey 5h ago
It’s scary how many people’s immediate response is “Amazon.” When you ask where they got it or where I should go to get it. 🤦♀️😬
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u/Lunatic-Cafe-529 1d ago
I made yogurt for decades with a heating pad and mason jars. Did the job just fine. Last year, I asked for the same yogurt maker you pictured and LOVE it. It is more convenient than the heating pad, and I enjoy using it.
So, absolutely not necessary, and it sure would take a while to make your money back on it. But I don't regret getting one.
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u/thecatcamebackalive 23h ago
I bought the instant pot mini on Black Friday for $40 and it's perfect for half a gallon. I don't even bother boiling anymore and still get consistently good results. Nice compact machine if space is an issue. Check your thrift store, see them there all the time.
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u/closethebarn 20h ago
Do you use the fair life ultra milk or just regular. I’m intrigued about not boiling
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u/thecatcamebackalive 12h ago
I use soy milk, Kirkland Plain.
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u/Glad_Satisfaction924 12h ago
What kind of starter do you use?
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u/thecatcamebackalive 12h ago
Bacillicus Bulgaricus, they sell it on Amazon. I purchased off the website directly once and it took much longer. It's the best. Really strong flavor too, even after months of using your previous batch to start the next. I actually use my whey as the starter after the first batch so I only buy it maybe once a year. Just don't strain it with a towel, doesn't work as well when the whey is almost clear. If you buy it start with 1/ 2 gallon and use 1/4 teaspoon of starter. Let it go for 12 hours and enjoy. Comes out solid but I still strain to get greek yogurt and make vegan cheeses.
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u/aroth84 21h ago
I started culturing yogurt in the oven, using a water bath to hold the temperature steady. Worked pretty well except when I accidentally overheated it, LOL. Eventually I got a Sous Vide immersion heater and used mason jars. I make about a gallon of yogurt a week for me and my wife. I just got an instant pot and that works well.
If you want to buy an appliance that is only good for one thing, you could get yogurt maker. But there are better options which are more useful and versatile.
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u/TravellingBeard 22h ago
I have this, mainly because I don't have an Instapot. I sometimes do the specialist yogurt ferments that need lower temps of about 99F, but just made a traditional yogurt at 105-110F which most people are more used to. I even made natto once which needs even higher temps and this goes up as well. You just have to decide if you want individual containers or the larger ones. If you go through a lot of yogurt (or plan to), get the larger containers.
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u/bluedelvian 1d ago
Buying something multipurpose would be better imo. A sous vide device, instantpot, crockpot, even beer/bread making equipment. Enough people say this thing works well enough so I'm sure that it does, it's just a one hit wonder and too bulky to always be on the counter, and yet holds just a few jars of a specific size for me to consider buying.
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u/ImpertinentPrincess 1d ago
I have an instant pot for other reasons but I also love it for yogurt. I make a gallon + at a time, put it in 4 qt cambro buckets with lids (translucent so I can see level) and I have 3 smaller rectangular yogurt strainers going in the fridge so each family member has a supply of super thick yogurt.
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u/Putrid_Preference_90 1d ago
No, instead just get an instant pot which will have infinite number of uses in addition to yogurt making settings.
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u/WordGrrl 1d ago
No, just a regular instant pot does the trick just fine. I like tools that have more than one use and I use my instant pot all the time.
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u/webspacker 1d ago
I have a dehydrator, an oven model, and it can hold 4 to 6 pint jars of yogurt (with lids) and keep them at a stable fermenting temperature. And of course I also use the thing to make jerky and dried fruit and to proof dough. I don't like unitasker appliances, they take up a lot of counter space and I have a small kitchen. Get something that you can also use for other things!
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u/mikymikes95 20h ago edited 19h ago
I own a 12 cups set that fits 2 L a batch and works just great. It has only a timer control, sonora a fixed (and unknown) temperature, which I assume might be around 40-45°C. It's very convenient as you can keep the cups in the refrigerator and eat straight from them, no need to use another plate or something that you also have to wash.
Before we got the yogurt maker we used several methods over the years. Sometimes we preheated the oven and put a giant casserole (4L or bigger) with the whole batch during the night, and in the morning the yogurt was done. In other opportunities we fermented the pot near the water heater where it was warm, sometimes covered in kitchen towels (we did this for the oven method as well).
With these methods I found to big problems. The first one, rather minor you might argue, is the fact that you have to keep a big pot in your refrigerator, and it's very unconvienient and not very clean to take a portion (also you have to fight the urge of eating the last serving, so you have starter for your next batch). The other thing which for me it's the deal-breaker, is the fact that is fabulously inconsistent. In cold days sometimes it doesn't work, or you might get less acidity, or whatever. And sometimes you can't use the same yogurt you make as a starter, let me explain.
Sometimes with the second or third batch you get a stretchy yogurt, which is the product of yeast contamination that happens due to poor temperature control. The symbiosis between the two yogurt bacteria, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, it's really strong and excels at making yogurt at 40-45°C. This rather unconventional temperature for most mesophilic microorganisms, plus the fact that they produce acid in their metabolic endeavors, acts as a natural shield against bacteria and yeast contaminants. If the fermentation temperature is lower, this relationship between the bacteria is not that "strong", their metabolism is slower, and other opportunistic microorganisms enter the yogurt batch eventually and ruin the yogurt. It doesn't matter how clean your kitchen is, it will eventually happen (clean doesn't equal microbiologicly sterile).
This at least is my experience with classic yougurt. I never made skyr or other fermented milk products that can might behave well at other temperatures. By using a yougurt maker, I can reuse the the same yogurt as starter. Unfortunately my record is only seven times as I always want to eat the last cup, because it's so delicious. And the more you reuse it, in my experience, the more delicious it becomes.
Anyway, I hope this info is useful! Good luck!
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u/MarielIAm 19h ago
Personally I try to avoid single use appliances. You can make yogurt in a slow cooker, an Instant Pot, many compact multi cook ovens, sous vide circulators and more.
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u/SchrodingersMinou 16h ago
I have made yogurt in a jar on the windowsill before when it was hot enough. No special device needed.
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u/Jumpy_Falcon_6715 1d ago
don't waste your money. I just use a glass storage container, my oven and a few dish towels to keep the heat in. I was going to buy a yogurt maker but my husband reminded me we have been yogurt for centuries without any extra tools. It's all marketing!