I have a yogurt machine, but very often the yogurt flops - it doesn't come out tasting like yogurt, it has more of a bland taste.
When that happens, the consistency is also very loose, as opposed to when it comes out good, it's stiffer and has that delicious sour yogurt taste.
Sometimes it's the entire batch and sometimes only some jars (my machine comes with serving size glass jars).
I'm pretty exact with the temperature when cooking up the milk and cooking back down before adding the starter - I use a thermometer each time.
Sometimes I lay a towel on the machine for the first 12 hours if the room is very cold, but maybe that's the problem and it's too warm?
If this makes a difference, I use a freeze dried starter.
Any tips on how to get it right each time?
Yogurt
Moderator: rgross
Re: Yogurt
Things that can cause yogurt to spoil or cause inconsistencies:
spoiled yogurt starter
unclean jars/containers (may need sterilization)
inadequate or uneven heating (from yogurt maker or room)
tartness may be due to the cooling temperatures that you achieve before adding starter. how low do you cool after pasteurizatioon?
Since you have freeze-dried starter; check the expiry dates. Store freeze-dried starter in a fridge or freezer according to its label.
The tartness of your yogurt also depends on the bacterial strains in your yogurt . L. acidophilus makes for a tarter yogurt.
spoiled yogurt starter
unclean jars/containers (may need sterilization)
inadequate or uneven heating (from yogurt maker or room)
tartness may be due to the cooling temperatures that you achieve before adding starter. how low do you cool after pasteurizatioon?
Since you have freeze-dried starter; check the expiry dates. Store freeze-dried starter in a fridge or freezer according to its label.
The tartness of your yogurt also depends on the bacterial strains in your yogurt . L. acidophilus makes for a tarter yogurt.