The Yogurt Routine

by: mental_masala

Sun Jan 09, 2011 at 10:27:51 AM PST

Of all the things I tried in my kitchen in 2010, learning to make yogurt was by far the most valuable. I had tried once or twice in previous years, with rather poor results, but then in early 2010 I figured it out.  Euclidarms* wrote a long piece about his yogurt technique at La Vida Locavore that really opened my eyes, and soon thereafter Cherie Picked helped me a bit more.  By the middle of 2010 I had developed a system that worked for me and settled into a loose routine of home yogurt making.

I'm probably saving a good deal of money (perhaps $1 per quart), but what's more important to me is that I'm avoiding a good deal of plastic (like the tubs in the manipulated photo above). Instead of bringing home a new plastic container of yogurt every week, I buy milk in a reusable glass bottle or a compostable paper carton, thus making a big dent in plastic use (and of the piles of plastic in my container cupboard).

Yogurt, Pefected

by: euclidarms

Sat Feb 20, 2010 at 04:59:54 AM PST

I'm always looking for ways to simpifly our yogurt making process. We make a quart each week with milk and cream we get delivered from our grassfed dairy, South Mountain Creamery. Until recently, I used a fairly rigorous process of bringing a mix of "creamtop" (unhomegenized) milk and heavy cream to 200 degrees on the stove top, then lowering the heat on the stove and keeping the milk at that temperature for about 20 minutes, monitoring frequently with my instant-read thermometer to make sure it didn't overheat. Then I would put the pot in a bath of cold water and quickly lower the temperature to 120 before mixing in my bacteria culture.

Well, sometimes I got distracted and the milk did overheat. Or maybe I just got tired of taking the milk's temperature all the time. And the whole water bath thing is a bit of a hassle, as well as a waste of water. In any case, I've found that my yogurt comes out just as fine--thick and creamy--if I just bring the mix to that magic 200 degrees, then turn off the stove and let the milk cool to 120 degrees on its own. Voila: I don't have to do hardly any work at all. The yogurt makes itself.

Sometimes the lazy way is also the most effective and fool-proof. The point of heating the yogurt is to make it thick. If you were thinking it's the amount of starter culture you add to the mix that thickens it, you'd be wrong. It's the heat, and the amount of time heat is applied. This binds the proteins in the milk together, resulting in thickness. So letting the temperature rise slowly, then deline slowly, gives those proteins plenty of time to do the necessary binding.

Still, this method didn't seem entirely simple enough. Is it possible to make yogurt this way if you don't have an instant-read thermomenter? Before I answer that, I would urge you to get an an instant-read thermometer if you don't have one already. It is an essential kitchen tool. That's why you see chefs walking around with one stuck in the pocket of their chef's jacket.

But, yes, I think it is possible to make yogurt without actually measuring the temperature of the milk. When the milk gets to 200 degrees, there should be a fairly thick layer of foam on top. The milk won't be bubbling--you don't want to boil it, at which point the proteins will separate. But there will be foam. Then simply turn off the burner and let the milk rest until it is just warm--not hot--to the touch. This might not be exactly 120 degrees. But the point is, bacteria are killed around 140 degrees, and the last thing you want to do is kill your starter culture when you add it to the milk. You won't get any yogurt at all if the bacteria are dead. Better to err on the cooler side.

So this is my new method for making our weekly yogurt: To make enough yogurt to fill a quart-size canning jar, first put two heaping tablespoons of last week's yogurt in a small bowl and set it aside on the kitchen counter to come up to temperature and activate the bacteria. If you don't have yogurt already, you can use any plain yogurt from the store with active cultures in it. We started with a small container of "Icelandic-style" yogurt. It was expensive, but incredibly delicious, with a distinctive tang.

Next, measure 3 cups of the best whole milk you can find, then add 3/4 cup heavy cream (the cream is optional--you can use milk only if you like.) Pour this into a heavy saucepan and heat on the lowest setting on the stove. We have an electric range, and not the typical coil burners, but those big, solid, European-style metal burners. These give off a gentle heat at the lowest setting.  If you have a gas range, or if your saucepan is not so heavy, you might want to consider investing in some kind of heat deflector so that you don't scorch your milk.

Heat the milk gently to 200 degrees, as measured with an instant-read thermometer, or when there is a thick layer of foam on the milk. Turn off the heat and allow the milk to cool to 120 degrees, or to a point where it is warm--but not hot--to the touch. Use a small whisk, if you have one, to stir your reserved culture into the warm milk. Now pour the mix into a warm canning jar and place the jar in a small cooler. I usually place a couple of extra canning jars filled with hot water in the cooler as well. Set the cooler in a warm spot overnight.

The yogurt will form within a few hours. But since I restrict the number of carbohydrates I eat,  I let my yogurt ferment another day at room temperature. This gives  the bacteria plenty of time to convert the naturally occurring lactose in the milk into lactic acid.

Try this and see if it isn't the best yogurt you've ever tasted.  You may never buy yogurt again.

How To Make Yogurt

by: Jill Richardson

Wed May 06, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM PDT

The third yogurt expert says "Never mind yogurt, I want to go outside." To be fair, she's my picky eater and turns her nose up to all kinds of kitty treats, including tuna.

Reasons for making your own yogurt include:
1. It's cheaper than buying it.
2. You no longer generate plastic waste from yogurt containers when you make it and store it in reusable glass bottles that you personally re-use.
3. It tastes great.
4. You're in total control over the ingredients that go into the yogurt.
5. It's really, really easy.

ACTION: Make My Yogurt With Real Milk!

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Mar 13, 2009 at 14:27:46 PM PDT

The National Yogurt Association petition being considered will:

...undermine yogurt as we know it by weakening minimum ingredient and labeling requirements in current FDA standards of
identity. The proposed amendment would allow processors to:
* Substitute imported Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC) and other cheap, inferior (imported) dairy ingredients for the American farm milk and nonfat dry milk.

* Use milk and dairy ingredients that do not meet minimum federal Grade A standards - a scary thought following the Chinese melamine milk scandal.

* Include whey derivatives as allowable ingredients in yogurt.

* Disguise the presence of aspartame and other controversial artificial sweeteners by hiding their presence in the fine print of the ingredients label.

This is NOT GOOD. If this goes through, I might have to learn how to make yogurt. For a very thorough explanation of this issue, check out what The Ethicurean has to say on it.

Take Action: Go here to submit comments. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.regulations.gov and search on Docket FDA-2000-P-0126. You need to do this prior to March 31, 2009.

Misadventures in Yogurt Making (Or, How Not to Make Yogurt)

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Mar 11, 2009 at 16:14:41 PM PDT

Appetizer Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Mar 04, 2009 at 17:34:13 PM PST

• San Diego's citrus and avocado industries may be in trouble. The reason? Water. Or, rather, lack of water.

• Interested in studying gastronomy in Italy? You get to gorge yourself on fine wines and cheese in Italy and get a college degree for it. Nice! Last week I met up with the university's David Szanto while he was in L.A. I have to admit, I might not be ready to pack my bags for Italia but I sure am jealous!

• Sustainable Table gives instructions to make your own yogurt. OK, now I am seriously sad I don't know of any local dairies near me. Homemade yogurt looks yummy. Hat tip to Natasha Chart for this.

• Civil Eats celebrates National Eat the Stuff in our Freezers and Pantry Week. I'm not sure I can celebrate. Do cashews and dried beans go stale if they've been sitting on a shelf for 2-4 years?

• Marion Nestle went to see Food, Inc and she gives it two thumbs up. I've only seen clips and heard a talk by the director and stars Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan about the making of the movie. It's going to be a BIG DEAL when this comes out.

• Grist answers the question "Can you compost tainted food?" Their answer, in short, is NO. If you've got food that's been recalled due to salmonella or other toxic microbes, throw that shit away!

• Chef Kurt Michael Friese isn't done yet picking on KFC's cheap chicken ads. He says they hide the true cost of the food. It's a pretty funny take on the ad, especially when he goes into the fine print and translates it from lawyer into English. "The chicken is fresh, except for when it's not." Yum. (Here's his previous commentary on KFC ads.)

• Check out this article about a foodie who gleans the Bay Area's unwanted fruit, herbs, and nuts from residential trees.

• The Ethicurean tells about volunteering at a free lunch program in New England. It's a really well-written and touching story from a first-person point of view. I definitely recommend taking a look, especially if you've ever considered volunteering yourself.

Dannon Follows Yoplait and Goes rbGH-Free!

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Feb 24, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM PST

And, like General Mills, Dannon makes no claims about the safety or cruelty of rbGH, saying only that "the move is a result of consumer feedback."

"This is a response to our market evaluation and consumer preference," Dannon's senior director of public relations Michael Neuwirth told DairyReporter.com.

Another point Dannon made is that its three plants (in Utah, Texas, and Ohio) are affected by the dairies near each plant.

"It's very much a regional question. In Ohio, for example, nearly all milk in that region is already rBST-free, whereas in Texas it is less so," explained Neuwirth.

With Dannon and Yoplait already rbGH-free, the rest of the yogurt market is at a competitive disadvantage if it does not follow along. And of course, kudos to the companies and brands that had the foresight to make this move long before General Mills or Dannon did.

Congrats to Yoplait! Dannon, You're Next!

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 10:26:21 AM PST

You see, rbGH increases a hormone called IGF-1 (a hormone linked to breast cancer in humans) in cows and in their milk. Yet Yoplait runs a major publicity campaign asking consumers to send in their pink Yoplait lids to increase Yoplait's donation to fight breast cancer. Congratulations Yoplait, you are now walking your talk - or at least, you will by this August.

Latecomer or not to the rbGH-free world, Yoplait wasted no time patting themselves on the back in typical corporate fashion:

In an e-mail announcement sent out Friday, Yoplait noted that it's the first leading yogurt brand to go "rbGH-free," which may come as a surprise to companies such as Stonyfield, Nancy's, Cascade Fresh, Brown Cow, and other organic industry leaders, all of which have been in the forefront of the movement to reject the synthetic hormone in milk products.

Nice job, Yoplait. Dannon, you listening?

UPDATE: Yoplait's press release is out! See it below.