Homemade Yogurt

Filed in archive Tricks & Techniques on November 21, 2007

Creamy, slightly tart, plain yogurt is a wonderful thing. We eat it mixed with fresh fruit or muesli, drizzled with honey or sprinkled with sugar for breakfast. Yogurt can also be whipped with garlic, cucumber and cilantro to make a soothing raita to accompany a spicy Indian feast. It has endless uses!




I love plain yogurt and have been thinking about getting my own yogurt maker. We go through at least a dozen little pots a week and having my own maker would probably save us some money in the long run and keep all that plastic from ending up in the garbage.

The process is a relatively simple one: yogurt is basically a mixture of milk, bacteria and time. I make my own wine, liqueur, vinegar and bread. So why not yogurt?

Purchasing a little machine isn't very costly and there are dozens of options available. Sur La Table has the six pot EuroCusisne Yogurt Maker for just under $30. Salton make a one quart yogurt maker for under $20 and Cooking.com offers a Donvier 8 pot yogurt maker for just under $40.

Most machines come with their own recipes and techniques for making the yogurt. An online search for homemade yogurt revealed Dr. Fankhauser's very detailed directions and another well done, illustrated guide.

There are also several methods for making yogurt without a yogurt maker.

I hope to pick one up soon, so I'll let you know how it goes!