Reddit mentions: The best yogurt makers

My tried and true method is as follows:

Pour 1/2 gallon of milk (I use skim, but I think it will work the same for any type) into 6 Qt. Instant Pot.

Close lid, and press "Yogurt" button till "boil" is displayed.

Once Instant Pot beeps to indicate milk is ready, remove lid, and check temperature to confirm it's at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove inner container from IP, and put in a huge bowl with ice water. Stir around so that it cools off, and check temperature every minute or two (I bought a digital thermometer from Amazon for only about $5.00, and it works great). When temp is between 110 and 115, remove from ice water, and wipe dry outside of container, then put back in IP housing. (it only takes about 5 minutes to bring the temp down, if you keep stirring it, and use a big bowl of ice water).

Pour in a couple tablespoons (I never measure...just eyeball it) of whey from my last batch of yogurt (you can also use yogurt from last batch, or store-bought plain yogurt with active cultures). Stir it up for a couple seconds to mix it.

Close IP lid (can be on sealed or unsealed--doesn't matter, since it never gets hot enough to make steam), and push Yogurt button till time is displayed, and set it to 9:00 (9 hours).

After 9 hours (I typically start the whole process at 8:15 pm, so that it starts the 9 hours near 9 pm, and is then done at 6 am the next morning), remove inner IP lid, and remove inner pot (it's not too hot to touch with bare hands), and put inner pot in the refrigerator (I don't even cover it). At this point, the yogurt will be pretty well "set" and should jiggle if you shake the pot.

I leave it in the fridge while I'm at work all day, and I think that helps it solidify a bit more.

When I come home, I strain it. What I originally did for a number of batches, was to use a glass mixing bowl, with a strainer set in it, and then two 12" x 8" pieces of "cheesecloth" draped over it (one in one direction, the other crossing it in the other). I'd then pour the yogurt into that, and put this whole setup into the fridge for another 8 hours or so. That was kind of a clunky setup, and because the strainer had handle things on the side, it took up a lot of space in the fridge. I then bought a yogurt strainer (I think it's cheaper elsewhere, at the moment), which I now use. I simply pour the yogurt from the IP pot into the strainer, snap on the lid, and stick it in the fridge. I still leave it in for about 8 hours, and by that point, pretty much all of the whey that will drain out has done so.

I then take off the strainer lid, invert a plate onto the top of the strainer, flip the basket part of the strainer with the plate on it, then sort of forcefully set it down on the countertop. That makes the yogurt all come out onto the plate in one big mass, and barely leaves any clinging to the strainer. I then let it slide off of the plate into my yogurt container (which is just a big plastic container with a lid), and put it in the fridge.

About every 3 or 4 batches, I'll pour out my reserved whey (the starter I use for my next batch of yogurt), and refill the container with whey from my latest batch. I sometimes mix water in with some of the whey, then water plants, but it sometimes makes the plants turn yellowish (the color of the whey)! From a half gallon of milk, I get at least 3 or 4 cups of whey--so I'm straining off a lot, but I like really thick yogurt. I've starting setting aside another 1.5 cups to use in a no-knead bread that's suuuuuuper easy to make!

So that was a really long answer to your question, but I thought it might be helpful to you or others, as it's a method that works every time for me.

I should also add that while I like the yogurt strainer I'm using now, as it's just a neater solution, and takes up less refrigerator space, the cheesecloth method I originally used worked absolutely perfectly, as well, and I'd never hesitate to go that route, if necessary.

Please check this out:

http://breakingtheviciouscycle.info

The specific carb diet saved my life, it might help you too. It has a legal/illegal list so you can see what you can and cannot eat. After 3 months on this diet I am finally feeling decently better. You can read all about it if you want. Just thought I'd give you the heads up.

I also experienced something similar where I was on antibiotics and felt great until I went off of them. As far as I understand it has an Incredible amount to do with diet. When you take the antibiotics it kills most of the bad bacteria but never all. Since many of the them consume carbs , if you continue to eat the wrong things they'll grow back and you will become sick again.

Please at least give this a look. I understand what your going through and it's awful. Just maybe this will help you too.

Anyone who commented here as well please look at this, I see others have already talked about diet. As well I've noticed that many people suggest the low fodmap diet but to be perfectly honest it didn't do shit for me. SCD changed everything.

Final note: yogurt yogurt yogurt. Fage is good and has more bacteria than most other commercial yogurt, but making homemade yogurt is incredible and keeps my BM normal, I'd highly recommend this, and as well it is quite easy to make. There are several good machines on Amazon as well.

This is what I use and I eat two a day, if your interested also please look up a guide on how to make home made yogurt, it's very easy.

Euro Cuisine YMX650 Automatic Digital Yogurt Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BQ98EU/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_W6GSybTXW5M3T

Hey there. I am new at making this yogurt too, after reading /u/resistingdopamine 's threads on BB536. I got one of these yogurt makers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BQ98EU/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I boiled a pot of milk (42 oz or 7 cups) to 180 degrees, let it cool to 110 degrees, poured the milk into the 7 cups that came with the yogurt maker, broke open 1 pill for each cup of milk and emptied into the 7 containers with the milk, stirred it around, turned on the yogurt maker and covered with the transparent lid.

It took around 24 hours for the yogurt to become solid, but once it was, I put it in the fridge, took it out a few hours later, and it tastes great.

I save 1 of the 7 cups of yogurt in the first batch to inoculate the next 42 oz/7 cups. I think you can repeat this a couple times, so you don't have to use new pills for each batch. After a couple times using previously made yogurt to inoculate a new batch of yogurt, the probiotic stops growing, so then you'd need to use a fresh set of pills.

I'm just sort of learning as I go, but having the yogurt maker to keep it at that sweet spot of 110 degrees for 24 hours is key. Hope it helps a little. I'm only on day 2, so hoping for good results soon! Eating 2 cups a day. :)

I do! Mainly because I can't handle lactose that well so I ferment my own yogurt for 24 hours and I can eat it pain-and bathroom-drama free :). Look up SCD 24 hour yogurt. Most yogurts ferment for a small amount of time, so if you make your own you really take control of your carb amounts. Plus, you can make it super rich and creamy! :D

I have this little baby and it is pretty easy to make. I put a quart of dairy in a pot until right at boiling, turn off, let cool to room temp, add yogurt culture of choice, split into little cups, put inside the little heater and let it sit for whatever time you want (between 8 for normal fermentation, 24 hours to ensure most lactose is out). Refrigerate for a few hours, then enjoy!

I make mines with half and half. It comes out much richer and thicker than that made with milk, and is more greek-style. It has negligible carbs since the bacteria ate it all, so I just eat for the the probiotics and the deliciousness. If you add something beforehand, the bacteria will ferment it. Toppings and final sweeteners should be added after. You can sweeten it with whatever you want after. I have added berries, a chopped date, cocoa powder, cacao nibs, gelatin powder, protein powder, coconut oil, coconut flour, etc.

The only problem is that I only have one set of cups! I need to buy another set so my fridge can always have some yogurt :).

I used to take 5 billion bacteria, found that different brands didn't do much of a difference VS different strenght for me. Also, for me more was not better, and I never finished the pot of 12 billion, was a bit too much for me, and went back to 5 billion.

I stopped taking them now as I've bought a yogurt-maker and I make homemade yogurt as per the SCD diet (I don't really follow the diet entirely though, only reduced and not removed carbs). My understanding is that basically probiotics from live yogurt are always better than from a pill, but I couldn't have too much yogurt before as I became somewhat sensitive to lactose. The SCD yogurt ferments for 24h, so the lactose is gone by the time it's done.

Might be worth considering, in particular if you are worried about price? My yogurt maker cost £25, and all I need to buy each week is a pot of plain yogurt (say £1, lasts 2+ weeks), and some UTH milk (can't be bothered to boil normal milk in advance to sterilise it) (another 50p?), and one batch on that baby makes 7 little pots, so lasts a week. I take it for breakfast on an empty stomach (with fruits or slice of bread if you tolerate it), overall much better than when I was taking probiotics in pills. You could also have more of it per day than I do, or buy a model that makes one big batch rather than 7 small ones. If you go that way, make sure the yogurt maker is a plugged-in one that can therefore be on for 24h (many use boiled water for temperature control, which is great, but won't keep your yogurt warm enough for 24h).

Hope you are doing ok, don't hesitate to use this subreddit to vent or talk to someone. You'll get better!!! :)

You can do it, but basically you'll just be using the IP like any large container with a lid you can insulate once the milk has been heated (if you elect to do that in the IP). The models without a Yogurt mode (LUX's) can't do the other step/s automatically.

Here are some things I've written before about "making yogurt" in a LUX:

… You can only use a LUX in the same sense you'd use any large container with a lid that you could insulate after heating the milk to try and create and hold a good fermenting temperature inside.
So you could heat the milk (if you want) using the IP (or just in the microwave, on the stove, etc), then you'd keep, or put, the heated milk in the LUX, close the lid, and wrap the whole IP with towels, etc, for the 6 or more hours you'd like to ferment it.
The models with a Yogurt button will actually have a setting for creating and holding the temp at around 109 F which is a reasonable fermentation temperature (the LUX won't have any setting that low).

... The actual temps that can be set in the LUX models are all too high for the incubating/fermenting cycle of making yogurt so would kill the beneficial bacteria.
You could perhaps just scald the milk in the IP (or microwave, etc), then cool it down to 115F or so. THEN for the fermenting cycle, just use the still-warm IP as a "closed box" to hold the heat in for 5-24 hrs like you would if putting a container of fermenting milk into a cardboard box or foam cooler and surrounding it with a towel, or in an oven with the pilot light or regular light on.
...I guess that presumes you'd be fermenting in a separate container/s though, or you could put the IP pot into a cardboard box, etc, covered, as above.

Or you could do the fermentation cycle in an inexpensive yogurt maker like the Dash:

http://www.amazon.com/Dash-DSY101BLU-Bulk.../dp/B00EUVVTM8

https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/permalink/946454725448516

I'm glad I could be useful, here are a couple links you might find interesting:

Vermiculture Subreddit

Vermiculture Canadian Manual

Yogurt Maker

If you actually want to begin with any of the above, feel free to PM me, it took me a while to get it right, but now it is a lot easier.

About the water, I bought a Brita water bottle with a filter in it. It is not a "powerful" filter, it mostly helps with the taste, but there are pretty decent systems out there and they are not that expensive.

Water filter

I tried to link international websites. I'm from Chile, so my usual links are in spanish; I haven't tried the specific products I linked, but their chilean counterpart and they have worked flawlessly.

Have a nice day!


Edit:

There are a couple subreddits you might want to visit.

Permaculture Subreddit

Check it's sidebar, there are over 20 interesting ones.

You can do it with basic kitchen equipment, but it's really hard to keep a consistent temperature. I tried for a while to make it in a slow cooker, but it just didn't work. I eventually got this and it's been worth it. You can find similar ones for cheaper if you look around.

The process is easy once you get used to it. Heat up your milk to almost boiling. It'll boil over and cover your stove, so keep an eye on it. Once it's heated, let it cool down to 100 degrees. I put the pot in a sink of cold water to speed it up a bit. Once it's at 100, stir in a cup of your favorite yogurt. I like using Tillamook vanilla. Any one will work as long as it says it has active cultures. Then pour it into your yogurt maker and wait 4-16 hours, depending. After that, it'll stay good in your fridge for a few weeks.

Yup I bought the strainer she recommended in the recipe (Euro Cuisine Greek Yogurt Maker with Stainless Steel Strainer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IMH7SJY?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf). I had to strain in 2 batches but it worked great. I let each batch strain for about 3 hours and got a mason jar full of clear whey. Bonus that the strainer bowl works great to store the yogurt too!

I used to put a thermometer in the oven that I could read through the oven door window. You probably don't want the temp. to go over 110 degrees F. I would leave the oven light on to add some heat, but had to turn on the oven for a few seconds every few hours.

I've been happy with my yogurt maker.

Edit:

Miyoko Skinner is pretty casual about the temperature. She doesn't even use a thermometer and puts the yogurt outside if it is warm. Check out her tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYMJZkbDH9g

I found one of these at my local Goodwill outlet for $5.
https://www.amazon.com/Yogourmet-104-Electric-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B000N25AGO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519490610&sr=8-3&keywords=Yogourmet

Had to ID and gather all the parts since they were scattered on the shelf. Bought a glass jar made for the Yogourmet to eliminate the plastic exposure. It holds a temp of 110F in a water bath surrounding the jar.

IT IS NOT worth the $60+ original price but with the $18 glass jar it is now my go to for large batches of yogurt. I also keep a box of their freeze dried starter around when I want to make yogurt on short notice (L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus). I end up with a thick Bulgarian/Greek style yogurt with the addition of the powdered milk.

Have Fun

Once I started making my own yogurt, I’ve not bought any at the store since... the only ingredients required are a 1/2 gallon of milk and three tablespoons of yogurt.

Here is a useful link:
https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-yogurt/

I usually set my IP to incubate overnight and then it’s ready in the morning. I typically have it go 8-9 hours... it all depends on how tart you like your yogurt.

If you want Greek yogurt then you either need some cheese cloth to strain it or something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine-Yogurt-Stainless-Strainer/dp/B00IMH7SJY/ref=pd_aw_lpo_79_tr_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JHTSBVKV24TWCX960S69

I hope I’m not breaking a sub rule by linking to Amazon, but that is what I use to strain mine.

If you strain it then you can keep the leftover whey for making smoothies or any number of other things!

I hope this helps! Cheers!

Edit: also, come on over to r/instantpot

And if you don't live in a warm place, or are worried about leaving yogurt to incubate in the open, a yogurt maker would pay for itself pretty quickly if you are a big yogurt-eater.

I've had some good success putting fruit in the cups before - just a spoonful of jam or preserves for flavoring. Greek yogurt also makes a good starter.

We do it the easy way and use one of these but with a good recipe and good milk/culture you can make it in a crock-pot or a bunch of other ways.

The same method I use for all of my probiotic yogurts, which is the following...

First, make a small starter batch from the actual pills. You will use this to inoculate future, larger batches (to ensure the least amount of contamination possible). You need 10 billion (i.e. 1 x 10^9) CFU or more for your starter batch, so if your pill is 25 billion CFU (Mutaflor) just use one pill, and if your pill is 5 billion CFU (BB536) then use two pills. (Note that the Mutaflor pills must be crushed as they are not capsules, so I just put one in a plastic baggie and smash it with my iron skillet.) For both the starter and larger batches, ALWAYS clean everything you will use with a CLEAN, specially-designated sponge for yogurt making and dish soap. Wash everything thoroughly before use to prevent contamination.

For your starter…
Heat 200mL whole milk in saucepan on medium heat (flames barely lick the bottom of the saucepan) until it reaches 180ºF (takes about 5 minutes for me). Then, cool saucepan by submerging in large bowl of ice water until milk reaches 100-110ºF (takes about 5 minutes for me). Skim the milk film off of the top and discard.
Add your 10 billion CFU pills (open and sprinkle in a capsule, crush and sprinkle on a pill, or simply add in a liquid ... just make sure you are using a Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, E. coli, or other kind of bacterium that is a lactose fermenter, because not all bacteria can ferment lactose/make yogurt!).
Ferment for ~15 hours in a yogurt maker. I use this one https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CYM-100-Electronic-Automatic-capacity/dp/B00ARSC1MK
Chill in refrigerator

Larger batches…
Heat 1.5L milk in saucepan on medium heat (flames barely lick the bottom of the saucepan). Remove from stove at ~25mins (when milk reaches 180ºF), then cool saucepan by submerging in large bowl of ice water for ~5mins (until milk reaches 100-110ºF). Remove the film on the top and discard.
Add ~1 Tablespoon of starter you made before.
Ferment for ~11 hours
A solid, white mass is desired, and the mass should not be any further along than when curd and whey are just beginning to separate, i.e. you see “pockets” forming.
A thick, semi-opaque, yellowish layer means the curd and whey have significantly separated; this yields a yogurt that is more sour and bubbly, though perfectly edible.
Chill in refrigerator

I am ultra cautious and don't eat the yogurt or use the starter after 8 days have expired, but I'm sure it could last longer if you wanted. If my yogurt ever smelled or tasted rancid (which it hasn't ever but I am still mindful with each batch), I would discard it. Not worth the possible food poisoning. That said, I've cut corners at times and not been the ultra most lab-grade sanitary and things always turn out fine for me. The yogurt should be a tiny bit lumpy and not as pretty or sweet as store-bought yogurt, but that's because it's all natural and home made! Congrats on your own yogurt.

I believe that model was discontinued, but it looks like the WiFi model is still available? https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Smart-Electric-Pressure/dp/B0777XQ4S8


I haven't used it, but just wanted to post since I remembered they're not making the bluetooth model anymore. I'm assuming the WiFi option should still work for you? I haven't heard too many negative things, but hope you get a more helpful comment than this!

I used a yogourmet yogurt maker for years... I've since stopped SCD. But the yogurtmaker lives on. It keeps the temp. at the right spot for as long as you have the unit plugged in... So it's easy to do 24 hours, or longer. The texture is smooth. I found that whole milk made the best yogurt. More fat equates with a thicker yogurt at the end. http://www.amazon.com/Yogourmet-104-Electric-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B000N25AGO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452462231&sr=8-1&keywords=yogourmet+multi+yogurt+maker

I was in Yodobashi Camera the other day and noticed a row of yogurt makers. I looked up a few on Amazon.co.jp under "ヨーグルトメーカー" and found a few that were surprisingly cheap (eg less than or around Y2,000) and lots of positive ratings:

AMAZEN YMR-9100-W Y1,260

TO-PLAN TKY-41 @ Y1,598

TIGER CHD-B100-W at Y2891

Or, use Kakaku.com ... for yogurt makers.

Oh yeah, one gallon of milk equals one gallon of yogurt. It's kind of breathtaking the first time you do it.

To make "proper" Greek yogurt, you need to strain that to let the moisture/whey drain out of it. I use this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IMH7SJY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But still, at the end of the day, you end up with a lot of yogurt. :)

Testiculating - talking shit, but with more expansive arm movements.

I've been gifted exactly once, an expansion to a game I don't own yet.

[This] (http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-AG1250-Gloom/dp/158978068X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3BUYPKWBAKDBD&coliid=I11PEJ6RA5LE4X) is a game I've been wanting for years, and [this yogurt maker] (http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine-ym100-Automatic-Yogurt/dp/B001KZM4Y4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=S1GF0HLI3KZI&coliid=I3RTUT6FZXO9YP) is super practical.

I use this: https://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine-GY50-Greek-Yogurt/dp/B0091XNL0I

Works great, half gallon capacity.

This version has a metal screen instead of plastic:

https://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine-Yogurt-Stainless-Strainer/dp/B00IMH7SJY

> I stop in the winter because I can't seem to coerce the little buggers to ferment well for me in the winter.

Get a yoghurt maker. They're awesome.

Instant Pot Smart WiFi 6 Quart Multi-use Electric Pressure, Slow, Rice Cooker, Yogurt, Cake Maker, Sauté, Steamer and Warmer, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0777XQ4S8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2I6XCbZHXVD3Z

Here is the link for what I purchased. Granted I caught it on sale for $130.

The app comes with recipes too. So you can pick your recipe and the pot will be automatically set.

Get one of these. Seriously. If you want great yogurt, this is the way to go.

This was my first yogurt maker before I had the IP, and it's the only one I've made Greek in. It came with a fine mesh sieve as shown in one of the pictures. That unit is so small, however, that I didn't feel like the labor was worth such a small amount of yogurt. Now that I have the IP, I could probably use the same sieve to strain Greek into tall cylindrical plastic containers. Something that fine should get the job done.

Hmmm. Tough call. If you're looking for more control over the yogurt, you could decide to make it yourself as well :)

Amazon had this model you are referring to (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0777XQ4S8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) in pre-order status for around $100 USD. I was able to get a preorder in before they changed the price to about $150 USD.

I also got notification that Amazon shipped my order, even though the product page is still in pre-order status.

No idea on temperature. This is the one that I use, apparently more than $20, but it gets used about twice a week. I just heat, then cool milk and toss it in. I'm not convinced that's necessary, but the Internet says it makes it thicken up, so I guess I do it out of superstition.

For the lowest possible effort, get one into which you can put milk containers. This saves a lot of time as you don't have any containers to clean up later. Plus you can eat the last portion by cutting off the milk container's top and eat it directly out of the so created bowl after adding nuts or whatever.


Something like this will work effortlessly:

https://www.amazon.com/RioRand-Capacity-Automatic-Homemade-Machine/dp/B073FGNG1Q/ref=sr_1_19?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1505406587&sr=1-19&keywords=yogurt+maker

We use this and it's really convenient https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00IMH7SJY/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_awdo_jMPACb5G8PNAT

Just make your own or buy local.

Dash yogurt maker:
https://www.amazon.ca/Dash-Greek-Yogurt-Maker-Bonus/dp/B00IIUT1E0

This is a yogurt maker.
http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AYM-606-8-Cup-Digital-Yogurt/dp/B0037Z4OES/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1348085128&sr=8-5&keywords=yogurt+maker

aqui

As others have said, yogurt and other dairy can cause problems. If you really want to keep eating yogurt, however, you can get a yogurt maker and make your own yogurt, but let it ferment for longer (24 hours instead of 8-12).