Yogert for Yoga

As I ween off of my daily yoga and I notice my yogurt consumption is rising.  There must be a healthier choice than store-bought yogurt.   I decided to make my own.  To tell you a secret, I've long been lusting for a yogurt maker for years!  But, my fear of making yogurt has stopped me from making the initial purchase.

Today, I placed the order on Amazon and I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival.  I tried to do a comprehensive search on yogurt makers, however there were few actual reviews of individual yogurt makers.  I hoped to visit Consumer Reports or Good Housekeeping to view a comprehensive list of studied yogurt makers but there were none.  I am happy to report that I discovered another gluten free writer who steered me in the right direction.  Her analysis of starter packaging was an eye opener.  I was exhausted after researching starters.

My yogurt maker arrived and a week has passed since I began experimenting.  I've made three enthusiastic batches and the results have been fair.  My problem was they didn't firm-up which I believe is a temperature issue from pouring the boiling milk to the cups at a much lower temperature.  I ended up putting the pan in a ice bath to quickly reduce the temperature but think it drops the temperature too much before the yogurt maker can start the process.  I found the heating temperature to be a challenge even with my new thermometer.









One great source of information for making yogurt, kafir and other fermenting foods is http://www.culturesforhealth.com.  Their web site is a vault of information and products.  They offer a free downloadable recipe and information book that is bound to please.  Their varieties of starters had my head spinning.  I ordered 5 different starters and they each bring a different outcome.