I have learned how to make yogurt in the crockpot! It’s so cool–easy (just three steps), cheap (at $1.99/gal of milk, I can make a batch of yogurt for a dollar!), and really good. We eat a lot of yogurt here, and I feel very housewifey when I do it. I’ve had a couple flops where I forgot to turn off the crockpot at the right time and ended up with half a gallon of yogurt-tasting milk, but I’ve discovered that the kids will drink it cheerfully, so there’s no waste. But I’m getting better at remembering–and this week I even made a batch with 2%. (The lower the fat content, the more likely it is to be runny, but I’ve discovered that you can separate off the whey by lining a colander with coffee filters and letting the yogurt sit in there until the whey drips off and the remaining yogurt is denser, like Greek yogurt. Have not tried this with storebought, but I think it’s the same principle. I used the whey in place of buttermilk in waffles, and they were super!)
I tried to make my bowl of yogurt look appetizing, but the strawberries didn’t really add to it like I wanted. We’ve been eating it unsweetened since it actually doesn’t have the tang of storebought yogurt. But sometimes it’s fun to stir in fruit or applesauce to make flavored yogurt!
And maybe all this yogurt was what our Little One needed to get her crawling–she’s all over the place now!
yay for yogurt and yay for crawling… how is it having two mobile children? I think I am getting nervous about being the mommy of two. eeeeekkkkk….
Emily, we just recently started making our own yogurt, too — not in the crockpot, but that’s a way cool idea! Maybe I’ll try it for our next batch, although C and I enjoy that “tang,” so we’ll see! With the recipe we’re using now, we can keep it mild or really develop that extra bite depending on how long we let it incubate. I’ll have to take a look at your method and give it a try!
ps. It was SO great seeing you on Friday — thanks again for stopping by for a visit!
I will definitely have to try that! What a cool way to make yogurt…I never would have thought to use the crock pot!