What you need:
- An Easi-Yo yoghurt maker
- 1/2c plain yoghurt with live cultures
- 1 litre milk (you can make this up with milk powder and water if desired - 1 cup of milk powder is good, as it produces a nice thick yoghurt)
- Enough boiling water to fill the yoghurt maker
Mix yoghurt and milk together in Easi-Yo container and shake to fully combine. Place container in Easi-Yo maker. Fill yoghurt maker with boiling water to fill-line. Seal and leave for 12-24 hours (the longer you leave it, the thicker it will be), then refrigerate yoghurt for an hour before using.
Side note: If you're wondering why I keep talking about Easi-Yo yoghurt makers instead of just a generic brand, it's because I bought a Hansells yoghurt maker and found it didn't work very well, so ended up buying an Easi-Yo one as well, which cost slightly more but works beautifully. I don't want anyone else buying two yoghurt makers when one will do the trick.
How much money can you save?
Quite a bit by my calculations. I can buy a 2 litre bottle of milk for $2.99 from my local fruit and vegetable store. If I use half of that to make my yoghurt, the total cost is around $1.50, plus whatever I factor in for the original yoghurt I use to get started. A packet of Easi-Yo Greek yoghurt costs around $3.00 if I get it on special. So by making my own I save around $1.50 a batch. If I use milk powder instead of milk, the savings are even more.
Thanks
ReplyDeleteWill any plain yoghurt do? I thought that some of the yoghurts at the supermarket don't have live cultures in them?
Good question - I guess you could check the packaging to see if they have live cultures. The natural Acidophilus ones work, and EasiYo. I think the more natural the better, from my experience - so not the really sugary flavoured ones.
ReplyDeletewhat a good idea. I use my EasiYo for yoghurt, because the packet mixes are cheaper than yoghurt usually, but this sounds great. I'll have to look into it with the frozen berries, I've used passionfruit pulp in them before, that was very tasty.
ReplyDeleteHeather
Update: my friend Gina tried following my instructions and her yoghurt came out runny so I've updated my post above -
ReplyDelete-leave the yoghurt to culture for up to 24 hours
-use yoghurt from the last week so their are more live cultures in it to work with
-Also, I think milk powder and water is better than plain milk because you can add extra milk powder in.
I hope it works Gina!
In the meantime, don't biff the runny stuff - you can still use it in baking and curries and things.
I use Easiyo too! The kits is only $20 here, I wouldn't bother with any other method (people always list things like wrap it in a blanket, use a slow cooker, or oven on low etc etc) but this is so cheap and you can't go wrong. I do find that its runnier without added milk powder (I assume that the Easiyo packet has extra milk powder in it, as its always very thick), you can just use extra milk powder or strain the think yoghurt through a cloth. I just eat it thin, as its easier!
ReplyDeleteHey Liz, I read your post about making yoghurt and now copy you too - by not cleaning out my jar in between uses, and I do a cup of milk powder. It works well.
ReplyDeleteHi, I've been making yorgurt for a while...if you look around op shops you can always find a yogurt maker for a few dollars and then use a 1 lt glass jar which can be sterilized. I have a pickle jar that fits like a dream. I use milk and milk powder. The more milk powder the thicker and slightly sweeter the yogurt will be. If you make the thin type yogurt, you can strain it through muslin and use it as cheese, flavouring it with chives pepper etc...tie it into a ball and use the string to tie it to a wooden spoon and hang it over a bowl in the fridge overnight. The next day all the whey should have come out. It will be thick and similar to cream cheese but a bit more tart. It's lovely on crackers and sandwhiches. :)
ReplyDeletehello,
ReplyDeleteim wondering if anyone knows if any easiyo is failsafe???
not sure why your hansells yoghurt maker didn't work so well, i have one and it works excellent every time,i too have an easiyo maker but i use the hansells yoghurt bases in both machines, don't like the easiyo yoghurt, the fruit flavours are too sweet and too strong in flavour
ReplyDeleteMy Hansells containers never seemed to seal properly, so water would get in and wreck the brew. I'm glad you're having success with them though.
Delete