Culturing yogurt in crockpot or other warmer

[forestrymom]

I was going to buy a yogurt maker, but wondered if maybe I could do it cheaper, for now. So I have a crockpot, and I also have a large thermos. I have a heating pad. i would prefer to not use my oven at all, as I always have something in it, it seems. I have 2 crockpots, one large and one small, so I always have one to spare. I would love tips on doing it in the crockpot. do they keep the temperature right? Even on a low setting, it seems like my crockpot will boil water.

Thanks a bunch! I'm going to have fresh goat milk soon, and want to be prepared!

[Arduinna]

I've never tried making it in a crock pot. I just set the milk with culture near the wood stove when I made it. Lately I've been thinking about making yogurt in a clay pot.

[MyLittleWarrior]

You want the temp to be about 110*F. I would conduct a few experiments to find what would work for you. Put some water in a quart jar and wrap the heating pad around it. set it on low and come back in 5-6 hrs and check the temp of the water. Same with your crockpot on low or warm if you have a warm setting. You could try heating the water and putting it in your turned off crockpot to see if the insulation would be enough to keep it at temp. Some people use an insulated cooler with a hot water bottle. I find yogurt culturing to be not an exact science, with a good bit of wiggle room. good luck!!

[forestrymom]

So if I do it in the crockpot, do I set a mason jar inside the crockpot, turn it on low and go for it? It won't hurt the crockpot if there isn't any liquid actually in the crock?

[rhiandmoi]

I fill the crockpot with warm water and then check the water temp periodically. If it drops below 100 I turn it on for a little while.

[forestrymom]

Well, I'm attempting my first crockpot batch and its not going well. I bought the Greek culture starter from culturesforhealth and the directions said it should take about 4-5 hours. Its been 8 and I still don't have anything even close to resembling yogurt. The temp has fluctuated from about 100 to 120, but never dropped below or went above. How long until its no longer worth trying?

[TanyaS]

I heat my milk on the stove, add the culture and then pour it into a yogotherm. It sits about 10 hours on the counter. I love it.

[cristeen]

Most crockpots, on low, will be too hot. You need one that has a "warm" setting. Fill it with water, put a mason jar covered with cloth (not sealed - you want heat to be able to escape), and leave the lid of the pot off. I never pre-warm my milk with this method. Set it to warm and 24 hours later you should have yogurt.

Or, you can use a glass bowl with a lid, preheat your milk, set your heating pad to low, put the bowl on the heating pad, wrap the exposed parts with a towel and put the whole thing someplace secure for 24 hours.

[Magelet]

we did ours in the oven, it turned out to be about 110 with a pilot light. our yogurt is a little coarse but super yummy.

[forestrymom]

How does the yogotherm work? I'm intrigued, but wondered how it stayed warm for that long. Dh's thermos probably stays warm that long, but he takes it with him every day and it would be a pain to clean.

I didn't leave the crockpot on, but I had to keep going back and forth turning it on and off, and I just can NOT be doing that. I'm way too scatterbrained to make that work on a daily basis. I also think I may not have had it mixed in well enough, because after I dumped it, it looked like sediment at the bottom. I don't have any plastic lids for my canning jars, so I'm not sure how I could get it mixed. I'm thinking maybe mix in plastic containers and then transfer to the glass. Anyway, I might get the yogotherm, or I might end up with a yogurt maker, although the last thing I need is another gadget.

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by forestrymom

Well, I'm attempting my first crockpot batch and its not going well. I bought the Greek culture starter from culturesforhealth and the directions said it should take about 4-5 hours. Its been 8 and I still don't have anything even close to resembling yogurt. The temp has fluctuated from about 100 to 120, but never dropped below or went above. How long until its no longer worth trying?

Temperature is pretty important. It will stop culturing at 100 and 120 can actually kill the culture. If it's your first batch from the dehydrated starter, you can leave it a little longer. If it's not your first batch--it should have cultured by now so the temperature is probably an issue. Depending on how long it spent at 100 degrees, it's possible it may still culture though and at this point there's no harm in leaving it awhile longer.

[ginnybee]

I've been making yogurt for years in a 6-pack size picnic cooler. I pour it into quart sized glass jars and fill the remaining space with jars of hot water. I wouldn't let the temperature get out of the 105-115 range, though. The hot water I use is hotter than the culture/milk. Anyhoo, this method is really low-tech and has always worked for me. Takes 4-12 hours depending on how sour/firm you like it.

[ambersrose]

Originally Posted by ginnybee

I've been making yogurt for years in a 6-pack size picnic cooler. I pour it into quart sized glass jars and fill the remaining space with jars of hot water. I wouldn't let the temperature get out of the 105-115 range, though. The hot water I use is hotter than the culture/milk. Anyhoo, this method is really low-tech and has always worked for me. Takes 4-12 hours depending on how sour/firm you like it.

I like this...now must hunt for the small cooler on my weekly thrift store trip

[TanyaS]

Originally Posted by forestrymom

How does the yogotherm work? I'm intrigued, but wondered how it stayed warm for that long. Dh's thermos probably stays warm that long, but he takes it with him every day and it would be a pain to clean.

The yogotherm is a BPA-free plastic bucket and lid that fits inside another container with a thick styrofoam layer and an insulated lid. Temp stays up and you don't have to check it or anything.

I also make keifer and sour cream in it. There are a ton of dairy products you can make with it.

[townelin]

Check it out:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008...-crockpot.html

[grooks]

Originally Posted by townelin

Check it out:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008...-crockpot.html

My husband used this recipe just this week and it turned out perfectly. I don't know wha the temp of our crockpot is, though. I hope to have a thermometer this week to check that.

I've switched the commercial *junk* yogurts we've been using for years to this in my kid's smoothies and they haven't noticed.

Good luck!

[my_baby_love]

If I didn't already have a yogurt maker, I may have to try this crock pot thing. I love using my crock pot, and that method would make way more yogurt than my yogurt maker will make at once. Thanks for sharing that link!