That’s right, you don’t actually need a yogurt maker to make homemade yogurt. People were turning leftover milk into yogurt for years before these little machines came along, after all! Here are three ways you can make fantastic yogurt using equipment you already own.
In order to thicken and set properly, yogurt needs to be kept at around 110°F for 4-6 hours. That’s why yogurt makers, which hold a steady temperature, are so handy. But with a little ingenuity, it’s easy to get the same results without investing in another kitchen gadget.
1. The Oven Method - Preheat your oven to around 115° and then turn it off. An oven thermometer is handy for gauging the temperature of the oven, but if you don’t have one, just turn off the oven after about five minutes. The oven should be warm, but you should still be able to rest your hand on the wire oven rack. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven while it’s preheating - the stone will retain heat even as the oven cools. We also read many sources that recommended leaving the oven light on to add an additional source of warmth.
Once you have heated your milk and mixed in the yogurt culture, transfer it to a dutch oven, sauce pan, or glass container (or you can heat the milk right in the pan itself). We prefer a dutch oven because we think it holds the heat the best. Put the lid on the pan and wrap the whole pan in several layers of towels, which will act as insulation. Set this bundle in the oven for 4-6 hours, until the yogurt has thickened to your liking.
2. The Slow-Cooker Method - A slow-cooker can actually be used for the entire yogurt-making process from heating the milk to keeping the temperature steady while it sets. The best instructions we found for this method come from A Year of Slow Cooking - click through to get the full tutorial.
3. The Thermos Method - A vacuum-insulated thermos will keep milk at a steady temperature for hours. Once you have cooled the milk and added in the yogurt culture, just transfer it to one or more thermoses and screw on the lid. When the yogurt is set, transfer it to an alternate container to be refrigerated. We’re thinking of investing in a big 2-quart Stanley thermos (available on Amazon for $34) for this very purpose.
It’s also possible to make yogurt simply by setting it on a sunny window sill or in a warm spot in your kitchen. We have to think this method might give some spotty results as the temperature fluctuates, but it’s also a way to make yogurt without using any equipment at all. Might be worth experimenting with on a hot summery day!
What’s your preferred method for making yogurt at home?
Related: Crunchy, Tangy, Sweet: 10 Favorite Add-Ins to Yogurt
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I just put it in a heavy clay pot and wrap it in a blanket and leave it overnight. It works fine.
Btw, I boil the milk then let it cool to the point where I can keep my finger in for _just_ 10 seconds and then stir in the culture. Not sure what actual temperature that is, but I read it somewhere long ago, and it works fine.
I did the slow cooker method and it worked out great for me. I will definitely do it again in the future.
I wrap a mason jar in an army blanket, then stick it in a cooler with a hot water bottle.
The best yogurt tip I know is to use a long initial heat. Many recipes call to heat the yogurt to 180 degrees and then let it cool. This is not for sterilization; it's to denature the milk proteins so that they hold the whey in their web-like matrix after culturing. If you keep the milk around 180 for at least an hour before letting it cool to 115 or so and adding starter, you'll get much thicker yogurt-- not thick like strained yogurt, but thick like custard or sour cream. Sooooo good.
i must admit i was floored the first time i heard that there were actually yogurt machines around. my sister-in-law makes amazing yogurt using nothing but milk and bacterial culture in a bowl covered with cheesecloth, right on her counter. yum!
I just pour my mixed yogurt into large mason jars I've preheated with water and stick them in the oven with the light turned on for 6 hours or so.
yep - i'm with miriamjudith - it's easy.
While DIY yogurt making has a certain appeal to it, when my wife and I decided on making at least a gallon a week, we thought that discretion was the better part of valor, we bought a Waring Pro yogurt maker on sale at Tuesday Morning under $30. And are we glad we did.... it takes less than 2 hours for that machine turn turn out the best yogurt money can't buy! And all for the cost of milk.
http://mryogurt.info/
Bill
I made yogurt accidentally once, by leaving a half-glass of milk on my desk overnight. In the morning I found it and decided to throw it out (wasteful I know, but it had bugs in it). So I took it to the sink, upended the glass and...nothing came out. The milk was stuck in there.
I thought "My god, that's some serious spoilage," and to confirm this, held the glass under my nose and took a sniff. But it smelled nice--not fresh, but nice--and very familiar. Either like buttermilk, sour cream, or plain yogurt. I didn't taste it, I dumped it out anyway, but ever since then I've wondered how hard making yogurt could be. One of these days I'm going to try it, using some of the good advice on this page, and I'll report back on how it went.
One more: The Microwave Method
Heat 2 quarts of milk (it can be powdered milk, you will not be able to tell the difference) in a glass container in the microwave on high for 8-12 minutes until 190 degrees. Remove and cool to 110 degrees. Stir in 1/4 cup yogurt. Cover with lid. Let sit in the glass container in a warm place, wrapped in towels, for 6 to 8 hours at least. Ta-da! Yogurt! By the way the warm place where I live is outside on the porch, or in the car overnight.
Two more ways, using the milk and cultures mixture described above:
1. Boil a large pot of water, cover it, and stick it in the oven next to your milk. The heat from the water will act like a gentle radiator, and the insulation in your oven will keep the heat in place.
If the insulation in your oven is terrible, use this method:
2. Get a medical heating pad, like one from the pharmacy. Put it on high in a closed space, like a kitchen cabinet. Put a cooling rack or trivet of some kind on top of the heating pad, and put your milk on top of that. Close the cabinet and let it do its thing for 6-12 hours. The rack matters because the milk gets kind of weird if it's directly exposed to the heat.
Slow cooker is such an overkill when it comes to time and electricity.
Only two rules apply:
1)The milk has to be slightly warmer than your body when you put cultures(old yogurt).
2)It has to remain around that temperature for 4hrs+. A warm hoodie will do the trick.
My mom has been doing this everyday as long as I can remember. Don't remember buying yogurt either. And she didn't even wrap the container with any insulating material. No thermometer, heating pads or fancy gadget.