Chinese Yogurt Maker
I got a Chinese yogurt-making machine. Here is an example of what it looks like. I got the ACA VSN-15B but the 15A is almost the same and far more available (in Beijing). It cost about $20; the simpler VSN-15A costs about $10. You put 1000 ml of milk plus 50 ml yogurt starter (e.g., commercial yogurt) into a container and just start it. You can ferment it as long as you want. The instructions recommend 8-12 hours.
What interests me is (a) how easy it is and (b) the high quality of the result. I’ve made yogurt dozens of times without a special machine. It’s not hard, exactly, but it isn’t easy, either. You need to preheat the milk to denature the proteins, then let it cool before adding the starter. The denaturing phase takes a few hours and a different heating system (microwave oven) than the fermentation phase (ordinary oven). The final result isn’t as thick as I like unless I add milk powder — another not-quite-easy step. (Given problems with Chinese milk, I would never use Chinese milk powder.) Using the yogurt machine the texture is excellent (thick and creamy) without adding any milk powder. I suspect the final product is so much better because the proteins are more completely denatured. Maybe 2 hours at 150 degrees denatures a much larger fraction of the protein than 180 degrees for 5 minutes, for example. Another possibility is that I was using too much starter and that less starter produces better results. (How could that be? Perhaps with less starter you get more genetic diversity as it grows, which allows it to becomes better adapted to the particular milk and temperature you are using.) Perhaps a steadier temperature allows better adaptation to the temperature. You add hot water around the container to help steady the temperature.
I still need to experiment to get it as sour as I like but I can get it as thick as I want just by draining it. It’s not exactly the universal condiment but it’s close; tonight I had it on leftover dumplings.
All in all, a ten-fold improvement over what I’d done before. The big improvements: 1. So easy I can do smaller more frequent batches (in Berkeley I did at least 2 quarts at once), thus need less storage space. I also suspect the bacteria are more active soon after fermentation, so more frequent is better. 2. Requires much less attention. The mental cost of each batch is less. 3. Produces much better yogurt. 4. No more milk powder. 5. More energy efficient. (Using the microwave, I nearly boiled the milk, then heated an entire oven just to keep the yogurt warm while fermenting.)
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:14 am
For your next business venture … importing a few of these babies back to the Bay Area? (Hint, hint.)
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:33 am
I see a half dozen different model available here in the US.
http://google.com/search?q=yogurt+maker
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:52 am
Interesting. I doubt I would ever have gone to the trouble of making yogurt the manual way you describe, the the machine sounds pretty easy. I notice they have them at Amazon for $30-$40: http://www.amazon.com/EuroCuisine-YM80-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B000Q4Y8OY/ref=acc_glance_ktch_ai_-1_3_tit
David
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
is there a comparable American model– can i buy the Chinese one in the US? websites?
thanks for interesting post!
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I haven’t been able to find a comparable American model. Nor any way to buy the Chinese one in America. If you buy it in China the current is wrong.
David, the amazon products you link to are different. They use small cups to hold the milk/starter mixture. That means they use space less efficiently, require two more steps (mix starter and milk in separate dish, wash separate dish), and may not heat as evenly. Because of it’s one-big-container design, the Chinese machine can use hot water to improve temperature constancy. That might be important.
Ashish, the Chinese model is designed for Chinese house current, which differs from American current. I will however see if it works with American current.
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
How about this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine-2qt-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B002KBFO6C/
It showed up in the ad bar on the right side of this post.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 am
David, that has the single container, yes, but everything else is worse. It weighs 4 pounds; mine weighs one pound. It’s much bigger. The capacity is needlessly large, at least for my purposes. How the thermometer tells you when it’s done isn’t clear.
October 3rd, 2009 at 4:49 am
Not to change the subject, but I’m drinking Kombucha from my first batch of homebrew. I got the scoby from a neighbor. It tastes good! Now I need to experiment and learn to add flavors (citrus, ginger, fruit, etc). I drink 16oz / day and it was getting expensive.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:23 am
It’s easy to get the scoby (starter culture) needed for kombucha. Just buy a bottle of unpasteurized kombucha, open it, and let it sit at room temperature, covered with a paper towel, for a week or so. A scoby will form at the top.
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:50 am
seth– i noticed the difference in the little cups right away! if for any reason you ever see a comparable model in america– please post it!
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:15 am
btw– this is an interesting one:
http://www.healthytraders.com/miracle-exclusives-newest-electric-yogurt-maker-model-me72-p-2055.html
can’t beat the ease of use here–
October 4th, 2009 at 10:14 am
has anyone figured out how to order a yogurt maker like that in or with shipping to the US?
October 4th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Kefir seems easier to make. No machines. No heating anything. Is yogurt better than kefir or just different?
October 5th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Amazon reviews are instructive. The point about the small cups is that many people feel that cooking/storing in glass is preferable to cooking/storing in cheap plastic.
Time to do some retail therapy …
October 5th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Yogurt is easier to make than kefir, in my experience.
Ashish, yeah, I agree that glass is better than plastic for cooking and storing. Good point.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:41 am
[...] I’ve been steadily using my new yogurt maker. It’s like a microscope: I can see things I never saw before. I started with the recommended fermentation time: 12 hours. Then I did batches at 16, 20, 24, and 28 hours. The yogurt grew steadily more sour. The increase was remarkably clear. I am unable to find this crucial info anywhere on the web — that 28 hours produces more sour yogurt than 24 hours, etc. By making my yogurt much more sour than commercial yogurt I’m getting a lot more of the crucial ingredient (bacteria). [...]
October 13th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I don’t like preheating the milk for making yogurt. Even though I use a makeshift double-boiler to heat the milk to 180 degrees F the saucepan gets scalded. For the last two batches, I just made the yogurt without preheating the milk. It’s a little runnier, but still tasty and I like it better runny anyway. I wonder if the bacteria count is reduced when I make yogurt without preheating the milk.
September 6th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I’m planning to setup a yogurt. Where can I purchase a commercial yogurt maker?