Yogurt Tips

Yogurt making is an art. Although it is simply combining heated milk with bacterial cultures and letting them ferment, with the wrong technique, one can easily end up with a watery and grainy mess that refuses to set. Here are some tips to ensure your yogurt comes out creamy and smooth.

1. Heat milk up to boil
   • This is to encourage the bonding of proteins in the milk as well as to reduce the milk a bit, leading to a thicker yogurt
   • However, don’t cook it too long or else it will lose the taste of fresh milk
2. Use whole milk
   • Sorry low fat folks, no matter how good your technique is, low fat milks will result in thinner yogurts. However, if that’s what you like (my mom actually hates thick yogurt) by all means use it.
3. Add yogurt stater at a low temperature
   • If you add it at the higher end of the acceptable temperature range ( around 115F), your yogurt has a higher chance of culturing into a watery mess. Add your culture when it is around body temperature or ever so slightly warmer (around 105F)
   • DON’T ADD THE YOGURT STARTER WHEN IT IS STILL HOT IT WILL KILL THE CULTURES
4. Culture at a low temperature
   • Same reason as above, when culturing at a high temperature, the yogurt will come out grainy and easier to separate (body temperature is the ideal temperature)

Here are all my tips, good luck on yogurt making!