Valerie's Yoghurt & Yoghurt Cheese

[faffa_70]

How do you prepare it for them for 'normal' eating? My kids are 5 & 7 and used to the typical small tubs at the supermarket.

My yoghurt is now quite thick so all I do is make up a raspberry coulis and pour some of that over the top for my 3 yo to mix into the yoghurt at daycare and she eats it no problem.  If they are used to sweet yoghurt then you could start with this and see how they react!

I also experimented with making a sugar syrup to add along with some vanilla which was pretty good too.

I do the same - have made the pineapple and banana (I think it is) on this forum, strawberry anything really that they like. Mine also eat it with just some honey mixed into it

[cathy79]

Same here - mix up a small container with some homemade jam, honey, pureed fruit - whatever flavour you think they'd like.  At home, mine love some homemade milo mixed through.

The supermarket and places like Big W have "Take and Toss" containers - very well priced, and if they don't come back occasionally, it's no big loss to the pocket.

[happylittleday]

I've been looking for ways to improve my relationship with my TM lately ( http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3661.0 ) and am pretty pleased to announce I've just had my first go at making Valerie's yoghurt  I wasn't exited about the powder in the EDC recipe and since EasiYo sachets (other then Greek) have some additives, I've never tried it. I'm not a fan of the tang of Greek style yoghurt, but I absolutely love love love a plain mild European style or Jalna premium vanilla which isn't too sweet. So, I used Jalna Leben as starter (just the cultures and milk solids are listed as ingredients), and from the tiny bit I tasted from the TM bowl after pouring the cooked mix, it has a lovely mild flavour so I hope it works!

There was a mix up with my delivery demo and we didn't have enough households represented, so I didn't receive my thermoserver, so tonight I made a 600ml amount (also incase in doesn't work) measured with, and now culturing in, my Aladdin brand thermal bento bowl. It's basically a 700ml very short and wide thermos with a clever lid which stacks by locking into the base of another bowl. (We don't use microwaves so I pop hubbies' lunch in in the morning and he gets a hot/cold meal at lunchtime - I highly recommend them!) We have 4 so one can be sacrificed for a few days if this batch works! I think I'll just leave it overnight rather than get up at 1am to check on it. 
I still used 1/4 cup of starter even though I had such a small amount of milk. Just experimenting really so fingers crossed it will work! I will save a small fortune if it does because we go through 2L a week here and it's mostly just eating for dessert or putting into smoothies! Will post back tomorrow with photos.

[Meagan]

Good on you for getting back into it with yoghurt making HLD. Hope it work out for you

[happylittleday]

Ok, so what I have created smells like yoghurt and tastes like yoghurt but doesn't exactly look like yoghurt. I don't know if I would describe it as "stringy" but it's quite gelatinous in texture. Kind of gloopy, but not slimy. I used unhomogenised organic full cream milk, and the yoghurt had a thin layer of cream on top when I opened it - I wonder if that may have affected the way it cultured? Or maybe I needed to use Greek style as a starter and not European?

I'm worried it might have fallen victim to the "bad bugs" that Andie and others' have talked about. If it has, should I not eat it? Is likely to make you sick? 

I plan on trying again just as soon as I go out to get some more milk! Glad I only made a small amount though!

[andiesenji]

You should be able to discern an "off" taste if it has gone bad.  It will have a bitter aftertaste that is quite distinctive.
I don't think there has been enough time for any unwanted pathogens to develop - they produce toxins only after 48 to 72 hours and the taste will certainly put you off from eating enough to cause any problems. 

Try stirring it well - I would use a whisk - then try straining off some of the whey and see if the texture/consistency improves.

[versaceyoyo]

Ok, so what I have created smells like yoghurt and tastes like yoghurt but doesn't exactly look like yoghurt. I don't know if I would describe it as "stringy" but it's quite gelatinous in texture. Kind of gloopy, but not slimy. I used unhomogenised organic full cream milk, and the yoghurt had a thin layer of cream on top when I opened it - I wonder if that may have affected the way it cultured? Or maybe I needed to use Greek style as a starter and not European?

I'm worried it might have fallen victim to the "bad bugs" that Andie and others' have talked about. If it has, should I not eat it? Is likely to make you sick? 

I plan on trying again just as soon as I go out to get some more milk! Glad I only made a small amount though!

OK I'm no expert but I have tried unhomogenised organic full cream milk and I get a much better result with homogenised (Coles now makes it).  Not sure if that really has anything to do with it, but from my experience it works better.  Andie perhaps can explain whether this really makes a difference or not?

[happylittleday]

Thanks Andie and Versace 

Andie there is something about the taste that isn't quite right - maybe my little thermos let the temperature drop too much overnight - it was very cold in our house last night. And the milk I used was just the end of our carton from a few days earlier so maybe very fresh milk will make a difference.

And Versace thanks for the tip! I'm about to pop out to pick up some more milk so I'll try homogenised this time to see if makes a difference. (I think it may be cheaper that way, too!) I'll also try it at TM temp 90C as suggested in this thread - maybe the temp was just a fraction too low to break down the proteins. There was quite a bit of cream on top when I opened it this morning and I was surprised to see how much it had separated.

Anyway, will let you know how I go....try try again.....

[happylittleday]

Well I tried it with homogenised milk and I must be doing something wrong because it didn't work!  :
After letting it sit to culture for 8 hours it was just like it was when I pored it in - not set at all. And now the first batch I made, the gloopy one, is getting runnier and runnier, even though it's stored in the fridge. Its now the consistency of thin custard 

Maybe I need to use a different starter, and maybe the little thermos bowl just doesn't keep it warm enough for long enough. I'm determined to get this right.....

[tonydav]

In terms of keeping it warm (as our house is freezing at the moment). I placed my batch in the oven on top shelf with the light on. Not sure if that's your problem though...

tony

[cathy79]

Before Valeries recipe, I made a few batches of crockpot yoghurt.  Once it was "cooked", you wrap the crockpot dish in a few towels and leave it to cool for a few hours. 

That might work instead of a thermoserver?  The crockpot recipe did work, but not as good as this one, so should work in theory.

[faffa_70]

lol after reading through HLD's woes, I was just going to suggest wrapping it in a towel and having a look at your thread Cathy for the crockpot yoghurt to get a gist of what I meant 

[happylittleday]

Would it need to be a cast iron crockpot or is ceramic ok?

Tony I'll have to give the oven light a go, thanks. I'm not sure if it will get warm enough as a fan comes on in my oven even just for the light, and I can't override it - so hopefully it won't be too breezy!

I'll have to wait until next week to try again I think......can only justify the purchase of so much milk in one week!!

[cathy79]

Would it need to be a cast iron crockpot or is ceramic ok?

Mine is ceramic.

[judydawn]

I had success with this when I first made it but today's lot was a failure and is not going to set. I did use a starter that had been in the freezer for 6 months so this may have had something to do with it.  We will drink it instead.