Monday, November 11, 2013

Yogurt


After a couple of years of making yogurt, I finally feel the groove. I tried all sorts of ways to find that sweet temperature that yogurt cultures need to thrive, finicky little things that they are. I've evolved from mason jars sitting in a little Playmate cooler filled with warm water to using a yogurt warmer that you plug in.

My yogurt "maker" is a Cosmopolitan Yogurt Maker by Salton. I bought it in a thrift shop for $4. I see on eBay it's vintage! What's funny is that for years I was collecting these little white glasses that I thought were antique milk glass, but when I bought the yogurt maker, I found that all along I had been collecting yogurt warmer jars. I still love them, and actually they are more useful to me now. If I ever break one, I have back up. For the record, the Cosmopolitan is a champ, although I do start plug it in when I start heating the milk. It needs some time to warm up, like most things born in the seventies.

I've found that my favorite yogurt is thick and tangy. The texture I like is achieved by whisking a little milk powder in the milk before heating it. The tangy part comes from a long sitting period: 24 hours. I used to always pull the yogurt at 8 hours, until a friend, who makes excellent yogurt, tipped me off. It also firms up a little more, and I hear tell is necessary if you use yogurt as a starter and you don't buy cultures, which is what I do.

Yogurt was on my mind today because, like buttermilk, I start making it again when the temperatures plunge, and I'm back inside. It seems silly, because yogurt seems like such a summertime thing, right? But summer is so busy, I find I have to let go of some things to make room for others. I'm glad to have these things back in my life!

Yogurt with Cray-pas. Don't you love Cray-pas?

5 comments:

  1. I notice that you use buttermilk only for cooking? We used to mix it with OJ for a tangy drink.

    I think I have the same yogurt maker (unless I sold it at a garage sale). I always felt it made too little. But I do the same trick with dried milk powder that you use.

    EL

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    1. Yes, it does make too little. : (

      Buttermilk only for cooking, but I do put it in a smoothie here and there. I'll try it with OJ though!

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  2. Oh my goodness.... I have two of those yogurt makers and they are really the best! I have incomplete cup sets for each, but some small jelly jars work well.

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    1. Oh, good to know, Emily! I never even thought of that. I only have about five billion half-pint jars...

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