Those ones with the little jars are a pain. The jars are only 160mls and fiddly to wash and sterilise. Well, too fiddly for me anyway
Have you had a look at a Kambrook model Rusty? I know that brand used to be recommended on a down-under SCD support group. I haven't had a look myself...but assume they'd have a glass jar inside?
I heat the milk on the stove ONLY at a time when I have to be standing up there doing something else anyway Rusty. Then I place the pan away somewhere for the milk to come down close to room temperature or a little above. Then, again, when it suits me I sterilise the jars, add the milk and starters and pop them in the cupboard.
.....Then there's the whole 3am thing of course...that's inconvenient! But I always do that like a zombie and pretend it never happened....
I want to make Natto (to grow bacillus subtilis, and for the enzymes and Vit K) and I'm going to use a chilly bin/esky. It has a bung, into which we've put a cork with a mercury thermometer running through so I can read the inside temperature without opening it. I'm going to use 2 hot water bottles wrapped in towels as my heat source. If it seems to hold enough heat through the night I might make my yogurt in it too. Making natto is a once a month job so hopefully it won't be too much drama.
Another heat source I've been using is my slowcooker. I suspended a wire basket from a shelf above it and popped a polystyrene box over the top and sides of the basket and found the temperature in the basket was exactly right for yogurt. But it's only once a week or so I use the slowcooker for a full 24 hour stretch. Theres no way it would be worth running it especially to make yogurt.
People often use their ovens with a light inside...either a reading lamp sitting in there and left on with the door open, or I think in some ovens you can switch the oven light bulb for a stronger one and use that as your heat source. But, I'm not sure I'd sleep so well at night with either of those options...may as well be getting up to fill hot water bottles!!
I hope you find something that suits Rusty. An alternative to heating the milk might be to use UHT milk straight from the box in an electic maker. I think that's a pretty reliable method.
Best, Anne.
Hi Adster. Lost the bid. Lost a bid on another machine also. Giving up on ebay. Will only buy at full price. Now looking at getting something with single jar now, maybe 2ltr/qrt, rather than the little jars. Maybe a breville (only 1ltr) locally and replace the plastic jar with a canning jar. None of them have thermostats and there are bad reviews about temperature control.
I want a large capacity jar, ultimately glass (can always buy glass jar separately) with good temp control. Anyone got any ideas on a suitable yoghurt maker?
I still think the first problem is that I am not sterilizing the milk. So before I lash out buying another kitchen appliance which sits gathering dust, I should boil up some batches to see if I will stick to it.
I find that I have to make things as easy and as simple as possible otherwise I will not keep at it.
