5 homemade yogurt issues and easy solutions
Making yogurt at home has many benefits. Besides being healthier and more nutritious than the store bought, it is also easy to make if you have the right pot. Miriams Earthen Cookware’s (MEC) 100% non-toxic pure clay pots are the best yogurt makers, uniquely so because of their semi-porous surface that lets excess water out and make yogurt thick and creamy. Yet there are a few issues one might face while making yogurt at home that have easy solutions. Here we’ve discussed 5 such issues with solutions:
- My milk is burning on the bottom
Add little water to the pot, swish the water around the pot and let it sit for 5 minutes, pour water out, drain, and then pour milk to heat. The water forms a barrier between the pot’s walls and the milk and prevents sticking and scorching. Also, heat milk on medium-low heat setting. And stir once or twice, especially if making more than ½ gallon on milk/yogurt.
- I am at a higher altitude, and my yogurt is not setting to a thick consistency
Heat milk for longer to make your yogurt to a thicker consistency.
- My yogurt pot has some mildew on it, is that a problem, can I clean and use it again?
Yes, mold occurs when there is little to no ventilation and/or little to no sunlight because the pot doesn’t get a chance to dry completely between uses. But the good news is – it is easy to clean and avoid:
Wet the pot and scrub thoroughly with some vinegar and lemon juice (2 tbsp) then rinse with water and wipe with cotton towel to dry it out. Following this, dry it out on stove-top on low setting with lid off till the rim is warm to the touch. Let the pot cool down before putting it away. This should inhibit mold growth.
- My yogurt is not getting thick
Heat the milk for longer till it comes to a boil. This should result in thicker yogurt. Also, the final thickness of yogurt is realized not right after it’s taken out of the oven but after leaving in fridge for 1 hour or so. Subsequently, the longer the yogurt stays in the MEC pot, the thicker it becomes.
- How much culture to use?
If your culture is strong, the minimum required culture to yogurt ratio is 2 tbsp to 1/2 gallon of milk. If you are just beginning to make yogurt and are buying culture from store, usually the bacterium or culture is weaker, and you might need 1/2 cup culture to 1/2-gallon milk. But once you start making at home and your starter culture is from the prior batch of MEC yogurt, then 2 tbsp for every half gallon is adequate to make thick yogurt.
