Did you know you can culture yogurt without yogurt maker? If you like store-bought yogurt but don’t like the price, it’s time to create your own yogurt at home for a fraction of the price. We have a variety of yogurt starters that require heat to culture at Cultures for Health. These are some of them:
Heat is required for culture (such as store-bought yogurt or a thermophilic starter culture above) You might also buy a yogurt maker to incubate the milk and starting in. There are, however, a variety of techniques to culture yogurt without using a yogurt machine.
Maintaining Temperatures When Culturing (Mesophilic) Yogurt on a Countertop. Looking for the best yogurt maker? We have a list you can check!
Test The Temperature
Before making yogurt with one of the different techniques listed below, it’s a good idea to test the temperature of the method you’re going to use. You’ll want to make sure the container you’re using can maintain the proper temperature range for the duration of the yogurt culture.
Pour 110°F water into a container and check the temperature every 30 minutes to an hour. You are ready to travel if the temperature does not fluctuate. If you see significant temperature changes, adjust your container as needed or try a different method.
How To Culture Yogurt Without A Yogurt Maker: Use Food Dehydrator
With the shelves removed and the door open/closed, a box-style food dehydrator works well to maintain the desired temperature. When the milk has been heated and the yogurt starter has been added, pour it into jars or a culturing container and place it in the food dehydrator to culture.
How To Culture Yogurt Without A Yogurt Maker : Use Folding Proofer
The temperature required for culturing yogurt can be set in the Folding Proofer. To use, simply place your milk and starter jars in the proofer. Keep the jars close to the proofer’s edges if you don’t want to fill the proofer completely. If your proofer is totally full of jars, rotate them a few times while they are cultured to get more even results.
How To Culture Yogurt Without A Yogurt Maker: Use Oven
A gas oven’s pilot light may provide enough heat to cultivate yogurt that demands it. A candle or the oven light may keep the area warm enough to produce thermophilic yogurt in an electric oven. Make sure to test the oven temperature using a jar of water and a thermometer before using this procedure.
The yogurt jars will be more stable on the oven racks if they are placed on a baking pan. Last but not least, remember to place a note on the oven – you don’t want your yogurt to cook if the oven is preheated for cooking!
How To Culture Yogurt Without A Yogurt Maker: Use Thermos
Temperature is maintained without the need of power in an insulated container such as a drinking thermos or the YogoTherm. This method works best with a glass or stainless steel thermos. You should avoid placing soft plastic on the thermos, since it can scratch easily and allow bacteria to grow. You should also avoid using abrasive cleansers on the thermos. The ambient temperature can affect the culturing process; in chilly weather, wrap a warmed towel around the thermos or Yogotherm for increased insulation.
How To Culture Yogurt Without A Yogurt Maker: Use Crockpot
Crockpots are kitchen marvels for cooking, and they’re also great for making yogurt at home! Making yogurt in a crockpot allows you to combine the preparation and culturing of milk in one vessel. (The crockpot approach should not be used to activate Greek or Bulgarian starters.) To learn how, look into the crockpot approach.
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