Working here you never know what you're going to see or find. Rich Hammond is a senior lab technician at Consumers Union by day and a personal chef on the weekends in northern New Jersey and New York.
I saw Rich walking through the hallway just before Mother's Day carrying a small bowl with what looked to me like ice cream with topping. I asked him if it was part of a test. Then I thought, “Of course not. Silly me! Rich tests computers and electronics. He’s not a foods tester.” But then again, maybe they were giving away the leftovers.Rich said it was yogurt that he had made himself. In fact, he has been making homemade yogurt since his college years. I didn't know anyone who made yogurt, so he shared his secrets with me.
Ingredients
1 quart of any type of milk product, anything from skim to heavy cream.
1 6 oz. container of plain yogurt (the kind with live active cultures)—Rich says he uses Dannon—at room temperature.
Tools
Saucepan with cover, large enough to hold over 1 quart of liquid.
Rubber spatula.
An instant read thermometer.
A pitcher large enough to hold over 40 ounces of liquid.
A yogurt maker.
Clean hands (no kidding).
Steps
1. Scald the milk. This means to put the milk in a heavy saucepan and bring it almost to its boiling point. Bring it to between 180° and 190° F.2. Remove from heat to cool and cover the saucepan so the milk will remain sterile. The freshly scalded milk is too hot to inoculate with yogurt culture (flexible time—you can walk away and come back later). It should be cooled to a temperature of 110° to 115°F on the instant read thermometer.
3. Put the yogurt in the pitcher and stir it up. Then stir in approximately 1 cup of the warm milk. It should almost immediately thicken up—indicating that you have a good culture and the right temperature. Pour in the rest of the milk and stir well, and add to yogurt maker.
4. Follow your yogurt maker’s directions—turn on the unit, fill the jars, and let it go for 6 to 7 hours. The result is plain/unsweetened yogurt that you can doctor up to your taste by adding: maple syrup, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, granola, fruit, nuts … anything!
Do you have someone who is lactose intolerant or on a low-carb diet? You can let the yogurt ferment (leave it in your yogurt machine) for 24 to 48 hours. The time is dependent on the amount of fat in the milk you used.
And it's not just good for yogurt. You can use this mixture to make other food items—line a strainer/colander with cheese cloth, add some yogurt, put a bowl underneath to catch the whey (liquid portion) and let it stand in the refrigerator overnight. You will be left with a cream-cheese-type product that can be used for dressings, dips, desserts, etc. Use it anywhere you would use sour cream or cream cheese.
So now I have seven containers of yogurt from one, and, more important, I know what's in it. What a deal!
And I would be able to control what’s in my yogurt. No more "fructose, high fructose corn syrup, modified corn starch, pectin, kosher gelatin, natural flavor, malic acid, black carrot juice concentrate, turmeric and carmine (for color), tricalcium phosphate, disodium phosphate." These were a few of the ingredients listed on the label of the strawberries w/banana purée yogurt I had for lunch.
Now I knew what I wanted for Mother's Day: A yogurt maker. I eat yogurt every day, so I figured it would pay for itself in a couple of weeks. More tomorrow on my adventures in shopping for a yogurt maker.
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Steve
07:04:50 PM on Wed Jun 9 2010
Great article but a yogurt maker is not needed. Just let the pan sit for a few hours then store in the fridge. Drain the liquid off the top as necessary. In fact, what I do is cover the top of the yogurt with paper towels to soak up the liquid and thus get a firmer yogurt product. Love it.
Here's one way most people would never consider eating yogurt. Spread it on hot buttered toast as you would cream cheese or peanut butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. This is one of my favorite treats for breakfast.