Thermos flasks for yoghurt

[hamster]

Right, I've persuaded the bf to shell out more for milk delivered in glass bottles on the agreement I balance it out by making my own yoghurt instead of buying it. I've tried various non-thermos ways of making it, all of which have failed, so please can someone recommend me a suitable flask so I can invest in one and have another go? Or just point me in the general direction of the kind of thing I'd need.

Thank you!

[mrsflibble]

thermos brand has worked for me on the occasions I've tried the flask method. make sure before you start a culture that you swill the inside out with warm water, it will hold the heat better.

[Clara]

How have you tried before? And what is the problem exactly?

My patent yoghurt making machine is a coolbox which contains an old sleeping bag and a hot water bottle - works everytime. In the winter I just stick it behind the wood burner at night and that works with varying results.

You must be careful not to add the milk to the culture whilst the milk is still too hot, this will kill the bacteria. I can´t remember off-hand the correct temperature, it´s akin to a baby´s bath or cool enough that you can hold your finger in it and count to 10. Too cool and it will take an age to make yoghurt. Also I found that if you don´t reduce the milk first (and then I like to add a bit of cream too ), the yoghurt is virtually just like off-milk in consistency.

Sorry I can´t help with the thermos issue, but just thought I´d bring this up in case there is another problem rather than the method of keeping it warm.

Clara x.

[hamster]

I tried leaving it in a cool oven overnight several times at various temperatures (i.e. heat it up, then turn it off and leave the milk in there) and in various different dishes, but basically nothing ever happened, all I got was milk with yoghurt whisked through it, i.e. what I started with. I also tried just sitting it by the radiator wrapped in several tea towels, but it still didn't work.

I've read you can do it in a slow cooker (put some water in the bottom, heat on low and stand the yoghurt mixture in it in jam jars) which I will try. I just figured a thermos flask might be a useful thing to have anyway - I could still have a pot of proper tea on the days I have to commute - and as so many people seem to be making yoghurt successfully in them I thought it might be worth investing in one.


ETA: I heard someone say that it works best with homogenised milk. I don't really like homogenised milk, so we don't buy it, but could this be part of the problem?

[ina]

I can´t remember off-hand the correct temperature, it´s akin to a baby´s bath or cool enough that you can hold your finger in it and count to 10.

That always used to work for me - I now have a thermometer, and keep it at between 35 and 40 degree C.

Non-homogenised milk should work just as well; I always used it when I still lived in Germany and bought my milk straight from the farmer. However - do you boil your milk before you put the starter yoghurt in? If not, I would try that; just let it come to the boil, cool it down rapidly (I sit the pot in cold water and whisk it), then add starter and fill in container. That prevents any detrimental cultures that might be in the milk from overcoming the good yoghurt cultures.
Mostly I use a flattish ex-icecream tub, and stand it on a warm (not hot!) radiator over night, covered with a towel to keep the heat in. In summer I use a thermos; the type of food thermos with a wide opening. I think I'll also try the heated propagator for yoghurt once my heating is off again; it works great for making cheese.

Oh, and I also add a table spoon of milk powder (skimmed) to the boiling milk; that makes for a firmer set.

[Clara]

I tried leaving it in a cool oven overnight several times at various temperatures (i.e. heat it up, then turn it off and leave the milk in there) and in various different dishes, but basically nothing ever happened, all I got was milk with yoghurt whisked through it, i.e. what I started with. I also tried just sitting it by the radiator wrapped in several tea towels, but it still didn't work.

I've read you can do it in a slow cooker (put some water in the bottom, heat on low and stand the yoghurt mixture in it in jam jars) which I will try. I just figured a thermos flask might be a useful thing to have anyway - I could still have a pot of proper tea on the days I have to commute - and as so many people seem to be making yoghurt successfully in them I thought it might be worth investing in one.


ETA: I heard someone say that it works best with homogenised milk. I don't really like homogenised milk, so we don't buy it, but could this be part of the problem?

Are you heating the milk beforehand? I can´t tell from what you´ve written, but you need to otherwise it won´t get to temperature.

I´ve never tried the oven method, to be honest a turned-off oven loses heat all over the place (they aren´t designed to hold heat for such long periods of time), so either the coolbox or thermos method should work better because they are basically designed to keep things insulated.

If you prefer thicker yoghurt you need to simmer the milk (to reduce it)for a while before you let it cool - I typically reduce a litre of milk by a third to half, then add about 200ml cream -makes really thick greek style yoghurt.

Good luck (and enjoy your thermos tea!) Clara x.

[Thomzo]

I use a really cheap flask. On it's own it doesn't hold the heat well enough so I pop it in an insulated bag and wrap some towels around it. Works a treat.

Zoe

[Annpan]

I use a freebie travel mug that John got from work, then I sit it on a storage heater.

I get great yogurt (best was from full cream organic milk) but my problem seems to be that I do get a slimey, stringy, gooey consistancy to it... that sounds discusting, it is difficult to explain, it isn't bad, just not the texture/ consistancy that you get out of the yeo valley tub

[hamster]

Well, I tried the slow cooker thing overnight and I have something that might be yoghurt. It definitely isn't milk....

Doesn't look like the stuff in the tubs, though.

[ina]

How exactly do you make it? If you describe it in detail, maybe between all of us we can work out where you might go wrong...

[Marc]

There are several different yoghurt bacteria, and they can give variable results. Also you must make sure that you use a LIVE yog as a starter. some have been pasteurised and so the bacteria is dead and will not grow. Read on the tub to make sure it does say LIVE, and if you read the label it should tell you which types it contains. You really have to experiment until you find a method and starter that works well for you.

Marc

[hamster]

It tastes like cream cheese. Is that normal?

Basically, I put some water in the bottom of the slow cooker and heated it on low. I heated 1 pint of milk up till it bubbled and then let it cool till I could put my finger in it for 10 secs. Then I whisked through 1 tbsp live Greek yoghurt, divided the mix between 2 jars and stood them in the slow cooker overnight, with lids on the jars and on the slow cooker.

Something's definitely happened (first time!), but it tastes like cream cheese!! It's quite nice cream cheese - is this just because home-made yoghurt isn't as sweet as shop-bought, or have I actually made cream cheese somehow?

[Clara]

Yoghurt is usually sour, are you sure you haven´t been buying sweetened yoghurt and you´ve got used to the taste?

How´s the consistency?

clara x.

[mrsflibble]

It tastes like cream cheese. Is that normal?

Basically, I put some water in the bottom of the slow cooker and heated it on low. I heated 1 pint of milk up till it bubbled and then let it cool till I could put my finger in it for 10 secs. Then I whisked through 1 tbsp live Greek yoghurt, divided the mix between 2 jars and stood them in the slow cooker overnight, with lids on the jars and on the slow cooker.

Something's definitely happened (first time!), but it tastes like cream cheese!! It's quite nice cream cheese - is this just because home-made yoghurt isn't as sweet as shop-bought, or have I actually made cream cheese somehow?

sounds a bit like the method used to make ricotta; only that's done with just whey rather than milk...

[QuakerBear]

In my experience home made yoghurt isn't sweet at all, rather it's mildly sour.

I think there might be a couple of problems here.

1. Try bringing it to the boil more then once, you really need to kill anything in the milk.

2. I'm wondering if the culture you're using has come from a yoghurt that's been sterilised. Try going to an Indian green grocers and buying some of their yoghurt. This will show you what home made yoghurt is supposed to taste like and it will provide you with a good, guaranteed to work starting culture. Look out for yoghurt in a squat white tub with black writing on it and a black picture of a cow. This is the main brand in our area of the UK.

If you're using this and full fat milk your yoghurt will come out almost firm, not at all like greek yoghurt, you'll be able to slice it with the spoon and it will hold it's shape for a couple of seconds before collapsing. There will also be a faintly yellow water on the top, this is the whey, the yoghurt is the curd, hence a lovely Indian device for making yoghurt I have called 'Curd Queen'.