MAKING YOGURT

Last week I was browsing in the local thrift shop, and saw a Salton yogurt maker. It had been quite a while since I’d seen one—in fact, since I donated my old one to another thrift shop—and it brought back many memories. Back in the day, yogurt-making was very popular, along with tie-dyed clothing, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. I found directions for making yogurt in The New York Times and used the recipe for years, then included a modified version in my own book Cooking without Sugar.

In recent years I have continued to eat yogurt, but because of general sloth have bought ready-made yogurt at Safeway. Their yogurt is dependably good, and is less expensive than it used to be. When I saw the yogurt maker, though, I couldn’t resist making it myself again. I invested $3 and took the machine home.

It worked perfectly, and the next day I had five cups of yogurt. The quality was similar to Safeway’s. I could have bought a Safeway quart carton for only about 50 cents more, so why should I bother making it myself? The main reason is that I no longer will accumulate those nonrecyclable yogurt cartons! Also, as a onetime bacteriologist I like the idea of working with living organisms (the bacteria that digest lactose and turn liquid milk into semisolid yogurt).  Finally, I will have a reliable supply of sugar-free, preservative-free yogurt that can be mixed with fresh fruit. Too often the yogurt in stores is made only with fruit syrups that I find almost nauseating, and that add many calories.

Because my RV is rather small, and we often have no electricity available, I may not take the yogurt maker when we travel. It will depend on what kind of trip we are planning and how long we will be gone. From now on, though, I will be making my own yogurt again whenever possible.

Here’s my recipe, if you’d like to try it:

Pour 1 qt whole or 2% milk into a metal (not enamel) saucepan. Add:

1/2 C instant nonfat dry milk

Bring to a boil and then remove from the stove. Cool until the milk is lukewarm (about 1 h). Whisk about 1/4 C into:

1/4 C plain Dannon yogurt (whatever brand you use, it must be a live culture)

Add the yogurt to the milk and stir.

Perhaps you have a yogurt maker; if so, pour the mixture into the cups, add the covers, and let it ferment overnight. Otherwise, leave the pan, uncovered, in a gas oven (having a pilot light) overnight. Or, put some water in an electric frying pan, set it at 110˚, and place the pan in the warm water for 3–4 h. (Back in the sixties I knew a flower child who carried out the fermentation by leaving the pan on her radio (with its warm tubes) overnight.)

When the yogurt has solidified, you can add fresh fruit and Splenda to create a dessert. It can also be used plain as an ingredient in other recipes. Be sure to save some for starting the next batch.