I ordered a Yogotherm from New England Cheesemaking a few weeks ago and today I made yogurt with it for the first time. A Yogotherm is an insulated container to keep the milk warm while the culture does its magic. I used the culture that came with the Yogotherm but want to try some from one of my favorite store bought yogurts: Fage.
This process was very easy except that I think my cheesemaking thermometer may be incorrect. I pulled out my inexpensive digital and my husband’s fancy surface temperature reader to test and compare the results. My digital and the surface thermometer agreed and the other was off by about ten degrees. That could explain why my last batch of mozzarella was a little off – I might have overheated the milk due to a faulty thermometer.
Anyway, yogurt making: heat a quart of milk to 180° (you can add about 1/4 cup of dried milk if you want a little thicker end product) and then cool it to 116° and add the culture or a couple of tablespoons of a yogurt with active cultures in it. Keep this mixture warm for 5-7 hours (this is where my handy Yogotherm comes in) and then chill. Simple and good as a dip for a cucumber from the garden!
I am looking forward to using this for other soft cheeses that need a slow, low heat. Yum!