I already found an instant-read thermometer under $10. on Amazon, with free (Prime)
shipping.

Making yogurt tomorrow! YAY!

Good luck and have fun! Did your oven work as your warm spot for holding 110-115?

 Quote: Tracy Collins

Good luck and have fun! Did your oven work as your warm spot for holding 110-115?

So far, so good. I've had my test water (which I heated to 110) in the oven with nothing but the pilot on, and a tiny crack of the oven door. (Not even an inch ... I stuck a spoon in near the hinge to get it right.)

It was pretty easy to rule out the "warm" setting of the oven .... the water temp was above 115 within 30 minutes. So I went to just the pilot, got the water back to 110, and it's been in there almost two hours without going above 112. I'm gonna make sure and leave it most of the afternoon (the several hours you mentioned).

I do have a crock pot and a heating pad, but I think the gas pilot in the oven is going to work. I could always crack it open slightly more (or less) if need be.

I have good Greek yogurt for "starters."

I'm planning to make it less tangy for me ... I love very mild yogurt ... and leave the rest to become more tangy and more good-buggy for the dogs. (I also want mine a tad soupier so I can stir in a good amount of oats and they can absorb some soft yogurt.)


Then I am stacking some old washcloths by the kitchen sink, because one of my flat-face dogs wears it on his ear-tips, eyebrows, and nose when he eats yogurt. He does enjoy it!

A wooden spoon in the oven door is exactly the "crack" method I use too. We must have similar ovens. Without the crack, my oven will heat the culturing yogurt to 120--and that small difference does, surprisingly, make a difference. I've forgotten to put my spoon in the door once or twice and the yogurt ends up slightly lumpy--like runny teeny-curd cottage cheese. My dogs have still eaten this less-than-perfect result.

Speaking of runny--homemade yogurt will be slightly runnier than store-bought for a couple of reasons. Many brands add thickeners like gelatin, guar gum, etc. Also, the "Greek" yogurt sold in the store has also been strained after culturing to make it extra-thick. If somebody wanted to duplicate that extra-thick texture at home, you could strain the finished yogurt through two layers of cheesecloth in a strainer. This would allow the whey to drain away. Keep staining it long enough and you'd end up with something like feta.

Without straining, your homemade yogurt will thicken up some after refrigeration.

That runniness is exactly what I want for the yogurt-oat muesli (which thickens up a LOT from the oats stirred in and actually thickens store-bought yogurt a little too much).

Maybe I'll strain some to thicken it.

I'm thinking that the dogs' part (probably three quarters of the batch) can be any old thickness.

This is going to be worth the trial-and-error of the first batch (for the right "warm spot) because I'm going to end up with excellent-ingredient yogurt for about a fourth of the store price.

Making yogurt today. Experimenting with a crockpot since the oven is electric.

You can add different strains of bugs to your yogurt later as well by using different store bought varieties, plus your own mix, in your starter.


Alton Brown / Good Eats Yogurt episode.

First attempt - texture is great, but I overheated it during the incubation period and the flavor is very *blah*. Going to strain off the whey and mix it with the dog's food. Off to try again...

I've been making yogurt for the dogs for years. For temp holding, I use a heating pad on low- works well for me. My "teacher" uses glass gallon jugs in an insulated cooler. Her's tends to be thicker than mine does, but I leave mine longer and get a nice tang.

Once you master yogurt, you should try cheese Some cheeses are super simple- like cream cheese, mozzerella, and feta. You will need rennet for cheese, but you can even use Junket rennet on the simpler cheeses- Junket rennet can usually be found with canning supplies in many stores. I've found liquid rennet at the local healthfood store. There is even a vegetarian rennet available.

I am currently aging my first parmesan cheese- it's my first pressed and aged cheese and I'm excited to try it

Don't let cheese scare you! Think about it, if goatherders in the mountains and ancient Greeks could make it, so can you!!