Salton YM9 1-Quart Yogurt Maker
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Our Price: $169.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Salton YM9 1-Quart Yogurt Maker
Customer Review: Works very well. Makes Great Lactose Free (SCD Safe) Yogurt too.
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't imagine a better one-quart yogurt maker. I just bought mine 3 weeks ago - and have made 3 batches. Perfect every time.
I am lactose intolerant - and so when I discovered a way to make home made yogurt that was lactose free, I had to try. Let me explain where I learned about this: There is a group that puts out a diet for those with stomach and intestinal problems - they have a healthy diet regimine called the SCD (or specific carbohydrate diet). Those folks can't tolerate lactose (I can't either) and so store-bought yogurt isn't tolerated by their (or my) bodies. The store-bought yogurt isn't fermented long enough to remove all of the lactose. If you ferment your milk with cultures for 24 hours however, you have lactose free yogurt. :) And it's very tasty.
Here's how I do it: I wash and dry all the utensils and yogurt container and lid in hot soapy water. Everything must be very clean - because you want your yogurt cultures to grow - but you do not want stray bacteria to grow. I measure 1 quart (4 cups) of whole cow milk - pour it into a sauce-pan. I clip a cheap candy thermometer to the side of the pan (hang it inside the milk - but don't let the thermometer tip quite touch the pan bottom) Bring cows milk to a boil. If the milk boils slightly you will have a slightly firmer yogurt product. (Note: goat milk shouldn't be boiled - but only brought up to 180 or 185 degrees instead). AFter reaching boiling point - I remove the pan from the stove and place the entire pan in a larger pan containing an inch or two of cold water. This cold water bath helps your milk cool faster (If I'm in a real hurry, I change the cold water several times as it warms up). Stir continuously as is it cools - and watch your thermometer reading drop. When the temperature drops to 112 - 108 degrees, I ladel out a small amount of milk in a small cup and stir in 1 packet of Yogourmet yogurt starter. (hotter temps will kill the starter). Carefully stir the starter into this small amount of milk - do not whisk it hard. When it looks well melted, then blend this all into your pan of milk. Blend everything carefully and thoroughly. For all of my stirring - I use the tiny ladel / spoon provided with the yogurt maker - it is small but works just fine and it harbours no bacteria since it is all one piece. Pour the pan of cultured milk into your 1-quart yogurt container and place that container into the yogurt maker. Plug in the maker - it's like a little crock pot - and leave it alone for 24 hours. Then remove quart container and refrigerate yogurt for 8 more hours. After that - enjoy! It's a little tart - but it is no more tart than sour cream - and is very easy to sweeten up with jams, jellies, fresh fruit, maple syrup, sugar etc. Very yummy - very nutritious and super easy! Great for those of us who love yogurt but can't tolerate the store-bought stuff due to lactose intolerance or other illness. Enjoy!!
Customer Review: Outstanding Incubator - doesn't get any simpler
Summary: 5 Stars
{update 10/27: I bought this item for $15 a cfew years ago. I don't know what someone is smoking to have a $200 price tag on it! That's insane.)
I love this yogurt maker. It's small, light-weight, simple to use (plug it in to incubate, unplug it to turn it off), inexpensive, and does a really great job! I was planning to make yogurt without an incubator, but all those other methods require trial and error, or constantly checking on the temperature to make sure it hasn't gotten too hot or too cold for the cultures. I don't have the time or inclination for that.
I just pour my milk into a 1 quart wide-mouth jar, heat it to about 190 degrees (I make yogurt for my infant, so I do scald the milk to kill the bacteria), let it cool to about 115, add about 4 tablespoons of yogurt saved from my last batch, stir gently, screw the lid on the jar, place it in the unit, set my own timer for about 5 hours and forget about it. No checking on it, no worrying about whether it's too hot or too cold. When the buzzer goes off I have really good yogurt. I just put in the fridge at that point and it keeps up to a week.
My only complaints, and they are really minor, are the product description on this site and the "Time Out" Reminder Dial:
--The description on this site - whoever wrote it must have thought that an electric yogurt maker must mean a FROZEN yogurt maker because they put "Temperature controled - no need for rock salt and ice". Uh, okay, thanks. That actually threw me at first when I was shopping for my yogurt maker. I had to double check that this was not an ice-cream maker. Rest assured, it's not. But the description is correct I suppose... there is definitely no need for rock salt and ice!
--Now for the silly "Time Out" Reminder Dial. The top of the lid for the incubator has a dial with numbers 1 through 12. The instructions don't mention it at all, so I'm not sure if it's a 'feature' that was added after the instructions were written. I was trying to figure out how this "timer" worked. I finally realized what it is. It's just a manual dial that you dial to the hour you want your yogurt finished by. If you start it at noon and you want it to incubate for 5 hours, you dial the silly thing to "5". That's it. It's just a reminder for you. It doesn't buzz, it doesn't keep track of anything, and it doesn't stop incubation. As long as you set a timer you'll have absolutely no use for this dial.
As I said, those two complaints were really minor. Neither of them affects the functioning of the machine. It doesn't get simpler or less expensive than this yogurt maker. I can't think of a single other method for keeping the yogurt at the proper temperature while incubating that is easier or more efficient than this little machine. You can't go wrong.
Customer Review: Update: What is up with this new price?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an update to my older review. I bought this maker last year for....are you ready....$15. And now it is $149? Are they crazy? It's all plastic and nothing more than a heating pad with a lid. Give me a break. I thought some of the other products were expensive, now the $50 so-called fancy yogurt makers are beginning to look cheap.
Making your own yogurt folks is awesome. And you will probably never buy it from the store again. But this product probably cost Salton $2 to make. With this new price, you can find just as good of a maker for a lot less money.
Seriously, all this thing is is an incubator. You could probably just make your own. I bet a crock pot on low would do just as well.
I read almost every review before I bought this product, and as a result, I really learned how to make great yogurt. I came up with a few ideas on my own and I thought I would share them.
1. I also tossed the plastic container and now use a glass jar with lid. I boil the jar, lid, and any utensils I use. This is just an extra precaution - I want to make sure the right kind of bacteria is present in the yogurt.
2. I have tried almost every kind of plain yogurt on the market as a starter and I find that Stoneyfield Plain Organic works the best. It contains 6 different bacteria.
3. I also add 1/2 cup powdered milk, after the yogurt cools and before I add the starter yogurt.
4. I have tried almost every kind of milk available, whole, 2%, 1%, skim, organic and nonorganic. I have found that 2% organic does this trick. I have tried 2% nonorganic, and it is just a runny mess. If you want to be extra rich and don't care about calories, use whole organic and about 1 cup of heavy cream. Wow.
5. I like my yogurt THICK and so after sitting in the jar in the fridge, I strain it. BUT, I don't use expensive cheesecloth. I buy drainfitter material, found at any local hardware store. You can get of large roll for about $20. It does the same job as cheesecloth. Slip a colander in the sleeve (it is very elastic material), cut off the excess and sit the colander in a large bowl. Pour the yogurt in the colander (on top of the material) and sit the whole thing in the fridge, preferably overnight. The next day, all the liquid will be in the bowl and the remaining yogurt in the colander will be extremely thick.
5. For a super rich, almost dessert-like yogurt, add any thick jam and then whip it with the whip attachment of a hand-held mixer or immersion blender. Do you like Yoplait Whips yogurt? It will be thicker and more lush than that.
Overall, a great buy and it has spoiled me forever. No more supermarket yogurt for me.
Customer Review: Great yogurt maker. Not one-step but easy.
Summary: 4 Stars
For the price, I cannot complain one bit. There are better yogurt makers but you pay a lot more. And I can't imagine messing with a bunch of jars.
I recommend reading the other reviews for their ideas on making great yogurt. Here's mine.
I have made 4 batches of yogurt.
1st with Cuisipro culture packet from amazon. (kind of runny and not super smooth)
2nd and 3rd using that yogurt as the culture, but doubling the recommend amount (almost 1 cup) (not very runny and more smooth)
and 4th, using 1/2 cup of that yogurt plus about 1/2 c vanilla Activa yogurt. Wow. Yummy and smooth.
I added more than recommended because I didn't add powdered milk.
This 4th batch was mildly sweet and I put it in the Cuisipro Donvier Yogurt Cheese Maker and it was just heavenly. A cross between sour cream and cream cheese. I made it into dip and I hope to make it a lot more! Seriously, put some in a graham crust and add topping and it'll pass for cheesecake lovers.
I *HIGHLY* recommend the cheese maker. You can use this for anything you need to strain and regular siever/strainers are too open. Where have you been all my life?
There are various recipes for yogurt everywhere. Mine is based off the booklet it comes with:
1 quart (4 cups) milk, and almost boil it. (take it off when you see any rumblings or it feels quite hot to the touch) 5 minutes.
then put the pan in cold water in the sink to cool. Another 5 minutes.
I do both these while cleaning the kitchen, so I really have only spent a couple of minutes work time on the yogurt.
Stir in whatever you're using as culture (starter, yogurt plus powd. milk, just yogurt, someone used probiotic tablets)
Then put it in the yogurt maker and make a mental note of the time you put it in. 4-5 hours is best if you want less tart.
Then I take it out and let it set until I can get to it. Then separate out 1/2-1 cup for the next batch, put some in the cheese maker and forget about it. Eat some right away. It's all good! You can put it in the cheesemaker for just a few minutes, just to thicken it a little or longer if you want sour cream thickness.
If you want an even easier yogurt maker, Miracle Milk Carton Yogurt Maker - (ME72) looks sooo easy. The Salton's lid comes off too easily for me, too. The stirring spoon seems pretty unnecessary.
Give homemade yogurt a try! It's really not hard and it's a lot of fun.
Customer Review: Very easy, great gadget!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Salton is easy to manage and easy to clean. There is an exterior, electric warming container, an interior plastic tub, an inner cover and an over-cover. The covers fit on rather loosely, but that doesn't affect the "yoging" of the yogurt. (It also comes with a plastic spatula that fits into the inner cover. That doesn't have much use, except it can be used upside down, to tip the outer cover up a bit, if you want more air to get to whatever you're culturing.) There is no on/off switch; just plug it in.
I made several unsuccessful attempts at making yogurt with little jars in an electric base, insulated bottles and thermoses, etc. Keeping the temperature constant is much harder than most recipes imply. Heating pads and buffet warmers are way too hot, the oven is hard to control, blankets and towels lose heat too fast. I finally decided to bite the bullet and splurge on a Salton. The Salton maintains a steady 105 degrees. (I also bought a Pyrex long-cord thermometer, and the prong fits through the slot in the Salton inner cover.)
First effort was a little weak. Second one was just fine. It seems to make a difference how old the starter-yogurt is, and how much you use. Most recipes tell you to use 2 tablespoons of starter yogurt, but unless it's very fresh, that's probably not enough. The second time, I used half a 6oz. container of plain yogurt to culture a quart of milk and the results were very good -- although not totally solid yogurt. There were blocks of yogurt and a fair amount of whey. The whey is good to drink, though, or you can save it to make other things, like sauerkraut. (Exercise buffs are paying a lot of money nowadays for dried whey!) Any kind of milk (whole fat, nonfat, instant, goat) is fine, and you can also add powdered instant milk to thicken it more. Tinker with it until you get it the way you like.
Now I'm using powdered starter. I don't even bother to scald the milk, just reconstitute instant nonfat milk with warm tap water. I'm also now experimenting with other cultures. Yesterday I made natto in the Salton, using okara, which is the mush left over when you make soy milk.
If you like making yogurt, and you want to make it with soymilk (I haven't tried that yet), or if your family just drinks a lot of soymilk, you might want to buy your own soymilk machine. It's really easy and incredibly cheap to make delicious soymilk at home in 15 minutes (you have to soak the half-cup of beans overnight first). I love my Sanlinx SoyaPower ($130), which I use about once a week to make 45 oz. of soymilk for 20 cents!