Random musings

[shalora]

So my doctor wants me to be consuming large amounts of probiotics for a while (ie several months) - see if my colonies are just low and maybe that's why I have all these random skin fungal infections. Makes perfect sense, don't know why it never occurred to me before

Comments

[arethinn]

Read this nifty idea where you get a quart of plain yogurt and split it up into an ice cube tray or two and freeze it, then pop the cubes into a ziploc in the freezer. Then when you need to make some more, you thaw one into your milk and you don't need to buy an entire new quart every time.

I've never managed to actually make yogurt by the "stir some existing yogurt into warm milk and wait" technique. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?

you can't get plain yogurt in a small pot

Huh? I buy 8-oz containers of it all the time.

[shalora]

Might be a location thing, but the 8-oz containers here only come in heavily-sugared fruit flavors. The plain only comes in quarts.

I use a yogurt maker. I have never achieved yogurt at room temperature. It needs to be maintained at roughly 90 degrees for 4-8 hours (depending on the strength of the culture, how thick you like it, how sour you like it, etc). If you don't have a yogurt maker, they say you can stand it on a heating pad with a bowl over it to keep the heat in, in the oven with the pilot light on, or in an ice chest with jars of hot water in there to make it warm. Since I don't have an oven with a pilot light, an ice chest, or a heating pad, it made as much sense to just buy an actual yogurt maker.

[shyfoxling]

Might be a location thing

I guess, although I don't think it's really that much of a specialty item. I buy it at Whole Foods. In fact they carry several brands of small-size plain yogurt (although some of them really are specialty items -- artisanal yogurt and stuff). Dunno about regular grocery stores around here because I don't often go to them.

I have never achieved yogurt at room temperature.

I was trying it in the oven (electric though). Guess I didn't keep it warm enough long enough.

[shalora]

Or had it too hot. Most ovens don't go below about 200 degrees, and anything much over 100 will kill the culture. They just go dormant when frozen, but they die very quickly when overheated.

I can't afford to shop at Whole PaycheckFoods. WinCo definitely only carries fruit flavors in the small containers, and that's all I've noticed (though I haven't looked quite as thoroughly) when they've had sales at Albertson's or Safeway.

Besides, much easier to make my own whenever I need it and not have to run to the store just to get a starter. :)