Yogurt maker on points

[Tabitha]

My consumeritis comes out in wanting kitchen appliances. Resistence is strengthened because I have a very small kitchen and already use a basement pantry, but still. 

I wanted a panini maker. I hoped I'd get tired of it, or prove that I wouldn't use it much, so I borrowed one from a friend. Sure enough, once the first flush was over, I was happy to return it.

I wanted to replace my electric frypan with the worn out lining. I use it a lot, and was starting to have to add more oil than I want to keep using this one. I researched models and features and durability and prices and availability. And last month, just about the time I was ready to actually buy it, I found the same model I currently own (but in much better shape) in the thrift store for $7.

I wanted to buy a yogurt maker. I tried making yogurt in my crockpot with indifferent success (didn't really thicken up and I think my house is too cool for the amount of towels I can provide for insulation.) I tried to borrow one, but no one admits to having one (or having to lend ;) I researched models and features and durability and prices and availability. There was none to be had in the thrift store, and I was not at all impressed at the prices available for the models that interest me. 

I belong to a few loyalty points programs, so I started combing their catalogs. I was happy to find one of the models that interest me was available in the catalog. The points are tradeable for gift cards for a few dept stores, including Best Buy, or for merchandise. After confirming that the maker would cost half the points from merchandise than it would by using points to buy the gift certificate first, I have now ordered my new yogurt maker. I have to wait an extra week for slow free shipping, but I'm happily anticipating my free to me yogurt maker and delicious homemade yogurt.

[Dicey]

Not sure why you're posting here??

I make yogurt and I buy yogurt, depending on the circumstances. I can make yogurt in a crock-pot and I can make yogurt using an insulated cooler. Heck, I can even make it in a thermos. It's mostly a knack, not high-level skills or equipment. You just have to get a couple of steps right. I learned how from a library book and The Frugal Girl. And practice.

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2008/07/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt/

I wish you all the best with your new shiny thing, and I offer the link above for anyone else teetering on the brink of such a purchase. Sure, the equipment is fine if you want it, but it really isn't needed to achieve awesome homemade yogurt.

[NotJen]

I'm very happy using my oven to make yogurt. Heat milk in a pot on the stove top, cool and mix in starter, wrap pot in towel and put in the oven with light on for 8-10 hours. Works like a charm. In the winter, I preheat it a bit.

I prefer having only one pot to clean, which is what has kept me from trying a yogurt maker. I've been making yogurt for about a year now, and will never go back to store-bought.

Hope you enjoy your yogurt just as much!

[Ebrat]

I didn't have any luck with the crockpot on my first try last weekend for the same reason (and I don't think the milk got warm enough in the first place).  I bought a thermometer and tried again, putting the wrapped crock in the oven with the light on overnight.  Success!  I think the yogurt maker basically just automates the heating and cooling of the milk.  I've been tempted to get a yogurt maker for a while, but after realizing how easy it is, I don't think the yogurt maker is worth it.

I feel like I'm raining on your parade.  But I hope you enjoy your yogurt maker!

[Dicey]

I feel like I'm raining on your parade.  But I hope you enjoy your yogurt maker!

Yeah, I did too, a bit. Then I snapped out of it when I realized where I was.

[mfseattle]

You can have fresh yogurt in about 5 hours (plus chilling time) No yogurt maker, no crock pot, no 10 hour culture!


1) Heat milk to 180 degrees over medium heat. Stir every 5-10 mins as needed to prevent scorching.(I make 1 gallon in an 8 qt stainless stock pot)

2) Cool milk to 115 degrees. This can be done in a water bath in about 10 minutes. Remove pot to maintain temp.

3) Stir in 2 tbsp of live culture yogurt per qt (1/2 cup for 1 gallon of milk). It helps to thin premade yogurt with a bit of the warmed milk.

4) Place pot with lid on in oven, draped with a junk towel. Turn on oven light.

5) Remove pot from oven after 4hours . Chill as desired.

You don't need to culture for 8-10 hours or overnight as frequently seen in recipes. This is overkill, and only increases the likelihood of separation (whey).

Enjoy!

[Tabitha]

Not sure why you're posting here??

I wasn't as clear as I might have been.  I was pleased that I successfully found a way to acquire the item without spending any money. Mining the points could be transferable to any item; it happens that in my case it was a kitchen appliance.

I used about 20% of the accumulated points. The points didn't cost me any money as they've been accumulating on reimbursable work related spending and I've not been interested in the front page offerings. It's not my primary card. I use the points on that one for grocery gift cards.

[Tabitha]

I didn't have any luck with the crockpot on my first try last weekend for the same reason (and I don't think the milk got warm enough in the first place).  I bought a thermometer and tried again, putting the wrapped crock in the oven with the light on overnight.
...
I feel like I'm raining on your parade.  But I hope you enjoy your yogurt maker!

Please don't worry about harshing my mellow. I really do want to optimize.

We keep the house thermostat at 62. In practice that means ambient temperature on the main floor fluctuates from 60 to 63 depending on where the wind is blowing from. (Older house no wall insulation, 12 minute walk to work - trade-offs.)

In previous experiments the wrapped crock pot on off didn't stay warm enough. The crockpot on keep warm didn't make recognizable yogurt. Since we go through ~2 qts/week for both lunches and cooking and could easily use more, I'd actually like to be able to make bulkier quantities.

I'd not heard of using the oven light, so I tried an experiment last night before bed, using hot water in the stoneware crock, wrapped, in the oven, with the light on, with the lead to the digital meat thermometer coming up to the stove top (so I didn't disturb the experiment to get temp readings.) the temp had dropped from 130f to 94F in the 2.5 hours before I went to bed.  In your (collective) experience, is that warm enough to ferment the yogurt?  (I could still use the unopened yogurt maker as a gift in my circle.)

[MgoSam]

I've heard some people on here talking about getting an Instant Pot. I looked it up, and it sounds interesting as it's an electric pressure cooker, rice maker, slow cooker, sautees, and is a yogurt maker, all in one. The reviews I've seen are fantastic and I think that if I ever need a new slow cooker, I'll likely get this instead. I don't know that i would necessarily need a pressure cooker, but they can come in handy when needing to whip up a quick meal with cheap cuts of meat that would take a long time in a crockpot.

[NotJen]

I'd not heard of using the oven light, so I tried an experiment last night before bed, using hot water in the stoneware crock, wrapped, in the oven, with the light on, with the lead to the digital meat thermometer coming up to the stove top (so I didn't disturb the experiment to get temp readings.) the temp had dropped from 130f to 94F in the 2.5 hours before I went to bed.  In your (collective) experience, is that warm enough to ferment the yogurt?  (I could still use the unopened yogurt maker as a gift in my circle.)

I've never tested the temperature of my yogurt once it goes into the oven (or after I take it out), so I'm not sure how much the temperature drops over time when I make it.  Why not try it and see what happens?  I've never had a yogurt fail using my oven method.  Mine is a little runny right out of the oven, but firms up after being chilled.  I always strain mine (a nut milk bag works great for this) and have never used any thickening agents I've seen mentioned.

5) Remove pot from oven after 4hours . Chill as desired.

You don't need to culture for 8-10 hours or overnight as frequently seen in recipes. This is overkill, and only increases the likelihood of separation (whey).

I'll have to try doing it for less sometime - I usually do 8 because I leave it in overnight while I'm asleep.

[Dicey]

Totally forgot about heating pads! If you have one hanging around your otherwise frigid house, it's another option for keeping the pot warm. Just be sure to set it on low and use towels for insulation between the pad and the pot so the yogurt doesn't get too hot.

BTW, I understand that it doesn't always take 8 hours. I think a lot of directions say that because making it overnight is pretty darn convenient. Not getting up in the wee hours to check on a pot of yogurt, lol!

BTW 2, There are plenty of uses for yogurt that doesn't set if your first attempts do not meet with success. Baking, pancakes, oatmeal and smoothies are just a few options.

[Tabitha]

Totally forgot about heating pads! If you have one hanging around your otherwise frigid house, it's another option for keeping the pot warm. Just be sure to set it on low and use towels for insulation between the pad and the pot so the yogurt doesn't get too hot.

BTW 2, There are plenty of uses for yogurt that doesn't set if your first attempts do not meet with success. Baking, pancakes, oatmeal and smoothies are just a few options.

Alas no heating pad. We use rice pads heated in the microwave for 3 minutes as bed warmers and general hot water bottle substitutes.

Thank you for BTW2. I've used up my noble failures in various cooking/baking, but it's a useful reminder that it's not really wasteful to keep experimenting instead of giving up early.

[Miss Prim]

I know what you mean about being happy to get something using rewards from credit cards, ect!  My discover card points can be used at Amazon and I have gotten a lot of stuff that I really wanted for either nothing or next to nothing.  I do a lot of canning and I really wanted a tomato mill because boiling and peeling tomatoes manually was an immense pain and very time consuming.  Well, I used the heck out of that almost free tomato mill and made anything you can imagine from tomatoes like sauce, juice, diced, salsa, etc.  Saves me a lot of money. 

I bought an instant pot on Amazon when they ran the Christmas special.  I only bought it because my slow-cooker died and it is wonderful!  I haven't tried the yogurt setting yet, but it took the place of a slow cooker, rice cooker and I can use it as another pot for water bath canning.  Best purchase yet!

                                                                                     Miss Prim

[Ebrat]

I didn't have any luck with the crockpot on my first try last weekend for the same reason (and I don't think the milk got warm enough in the first place).  I bought a thermometer and tried again, putting the wrapped crock in the oven with the light on overnight.
...
I feel like I'm raining on your parade.  But I hope you enjoy your yogurt maker!

Please don't worry about harshing my mellow. I really do want to optimize.

We keep the house thermostat at 62. In practice that means ambient temperature on the main floor fluctuates from 60 to 63 depending on where the wind is blowing from. (Older house no wall insulation, 12 minute walk to work - trade-offs.)

In previous experiments the wrapped crock pot on off didn't stay warm enough. The crockpot on keep warm didn't make recognizable yogurt. Since we go through ~2 qts/week for both lunches and cooking and could easily use more, I'd actually like to be able to make bulkier quantities.

I'd not heard of using the oven light, so I tried an experiment last night before bed, using hot water in the stoneware crock, wrapped, in the oven, with the light on, with the lead to the digital meat thermometer coming up to the stove top (so I didn't disturb the experiment to get temp readings.) the temp had dropped from 130f to 94F in the 2.5 hours before I went to bed.  In your (collective) experience, is that warm enough to ferment the yogurt?  (I could still use the unopened yogurt maker as a gift in my circle.)

We have our thermostat at 63 at night, which is why I tried the oven.  It worked great for me.  I'm not sure what temp it ended up at though.  It felt slightly warm in the oven when I took it out in the morning.

[ABC123]

I know what you mean about being happy to get something using rewards from credit cards, ect!  My discover card points can be used at Amazon and I have gotten a lot of stuff that I really wanted for either nothing or next to nothing.  I do a lot of canning and I really wanted a tomato mill because boiling and peeling tomatoes manually was an immense pain and very time consuming.  Well, I used the heck out of that almost free tomato mill and made anything you can imagine from tomatoes like sauce, juice, diced, salsa, etc.  Saves me a lot of money. 

I bought an instant pot on Amazon when they ran the Christmas special.  I only bought it because my slow-cooker died and it is wonderful!  I haven't tried the yogurt setting yet, but it took the place of a slow cooker, rice cooker and I can use it as another pot for water bath canning.  Best purchase yet!

                                                                                     Miss Prim

Better use for your credit card points would be to apply them to your card balance, rather than using on Amazon.  Use your Discover card to make the Amazon purchase (thereby earning more rewards points), then apply the rewards points to the balance  on the card instead.  The Amazon purchase is still covered by the points, plus you get a few extra points as well.

[jda85]

I make yogurt following this guy's method. http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com
I don't bother with setting up a double boiler, I just use a single pot on the stove stirring almost constantly.

[thingamabobs]

Not sure why you're posting here??

I wasn't as clear as I might have been.  I was pleased that I successfully found a way to acquire the item without spending any money. Mining the points could be transferable to any item; it happens that in my case it was a kitchen appliance.

I used about 20% of the accumulated points. The points didn't cost me any money as they've been accumulating on reimbursable work related spending and I've not been interested in the front page offerings. It's not my primary card. I use the points on that one for grocery gift cards.

OP I think that was a good deal and glad you held out until you found something that worked for you!

[earthshine]

Agree! It is nice

[Rosy]

Great job on getting what you wanted via the free points. Better yet, persistently checking on thrift store deals and even borrowing an appliance to see whether you would really use it.
 
Our turkish friends made yoghurt by setting a bowl of milk with that enzyme stuff up ontop their refrigerater wrapped in towels. Works just fine - I guess it is the constant warmth on top of the fridge.

I'm really eyeing one of those instant pots everyone is talking about. I could get rid of my two slow cookers. I want the one which allows you to can and you can buy a separate stainless steel insert, which lasts forever. I don't care for those coated pan bottoms.