@Terry mom's OK; thanks for asking. As to the yogurt- the instant pot instructions were pretty clear. We fermented it for 8 hours & it came out OK as far as we can tell. It smelled like yogurt & had a surprisingly firm texture. So it's in the fridge, awaiting my husband's verdict on its taste. He's the one who eats a lot of yogurt & consequently initiated the idea of trying to make it at home.
I’m straining it through some cheesecloth now. I tasted a bit of it. The taste is pleasant- slightly tart and well…yogurty. Update- hubby has now eaten some & liked it very much.
Getting ready to make another batch today. I bought a yogurt strainer which we will try. Last time I used some cheesecloth, which was a messy nuisance.
Save the liquid for your smoothy or shake... It's almost all whey protein. And yes, the cheesecloth method is a complete pain.
To replace some of the water or in addition to depending on what thickness you like in the end product.
I don't need to use any type of strainer, with my Greek yogurt. It comes out thicker than any store bought yogurt. Also, I've been making my own Greek Style yogurt for 8+ years.
@Sara-s , @richgem For many years I just used an ice chest with a heating pad inside, on the bottom, set on low. Towels over the heating pads, and towels over the six, 1 quart containers. The recipe was easy. 1/3 half and half, the rest whole milk. Two small containers of different brand Greek yogurt, regular, non sweetened, unflavored. Sugar and honey to taste. I heated the milk and half/half to 180, and cooled to 100 in an ice bath. Then added the yogurt and other stuff. Heat for 12 hours and it is always thick. Now, I use a yogurt maker(Ultimate Probiotic Yogurt Maker), and set the temp at 99°F, for 36 hours. I use just a little starter Greek yogurt, with half Half/Half rest Whole milk. I add a heaping tablespoon of Inulin prebiotic powder, two crushed tablets BioGia(l.reuteri), and two capsules of L.Gasseri powder. All has to be mixed very well. This is the simplest method, and no heating of the mixture before incubation. Before this batch runs out, use a heaping tablespoon of this yogurt as a starter, so that no more Greek yogurt needs to be bought. Also, I cut down on the R.Reuteri to one as well as one for the LGasseri. If you watch the video I posted earlier in the thread, it will explain a lot. This is some super potent yogurt, and if you feel you are too sleepy, or are sleeping too much, eliminate the L.Gasseri, or, just don't eat as much.
We completed another batch of yogurt today. We took a bit more care with the temperature & got a thicker result. Once strained, it had the texture of Greek yogurt. I’m starting to like it with just a bit of honey & vanilla.
Well, how is everyone's yogurt making coming along?? I had one bad batch. I used milk that had been in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, but not expired. It looked smelled, and.tasted fine, before using it. But, I guess it wasn't. When I saw the yogurt separating, I immediately bought fresh milk and made a new batch, with the same starter culture. It turned out fantastic. Thick and smooth as ever.
We are getting good at it. We can see that temperature control is the key to a good batch. Our last three have come out thick & creamy. And the yogurt strainer we bought works well.
