Making Your Own Yogurt with the EuroCuisine Electric Yogurt Maker

One the best things I've done for myself, especially when I hit menopause, was cooking from scratch, using organic ingredients. Two of the symptoms that I have experienced have been brain fog and fatigue, among many others. It seemed that when I started eliminating processed foods and fast foods, these two symptoms, specifically, rarely rear their ugly head.

Even plain, I love yogurt. It can also be used in recipes, like creamy salad dressings.

It is my belief that part of this was due to my good gut health when I started making healthy changes in what I ate. I have found that homemade yogurt, homemade kefir, drinking raw milk, and eating fermented foods seem to have given me my life back in the way of energy and clearer thinking.

I started googling my symptoms in regard to gut health, and there appears to be a correlation. A gut microbiome, abundant in beneficial bacteria, can have a positive impact on brain function, mood, and energy levels. An unhealthy gut, with an imbalance of gut bacteria, can lead to chronic inflammation, which can contribute to brain fog and fatigue. And here's a bonus: A healthy gut enables your body to better absorb nutrients. Deficiencies in essential nutrients can lead to low energy and cognitive impairment. There is also some research that fermented foods, such as yogurt and kefir, may help alleviate depression in elderly individuals. Yogurt can also help contribute to a healthy immune system. I'll take all of that.

I use the EuroCuisine Electric Yogurt Maker, which is presently under $30 on Amazon. This yogurt maker comes with seven individual glass containers with lids for the yogurt that fit perfectly in the maker. I also purchased eight extra glass containers as well, for a little under $20. I've found that this yogurt maker is an easy way to keep the yogurt at the perfect temperature while it is fermenting. I also like the individual serving containers, especially because I tend to serve myself portions that are too large. I chose this maker because there were 6K+ favorable reviews.

The EuroCuisine Electric Yogurt Maker

You CAN make yogurt without a yogurt maker, but I happen to like the ease of using one. I did make yogurt once using a towel wrapped around the insert of a crockpot and a turned-off warm oven. For me, I found it tedious. My yogurt maker keeps the fermenting milk at the perfect temperature, without me worrying about the details of temperature.

You'll need these utensils: a small pitcher for pouring the mixture in the glass jars, a whisk, an instant read thermometer, and a container of small yogurt (as your starter culture).

You also can make yogurt using an Instant Pot that has a yogurt setting. Before I purchased my yogurt maker, I checked my Instant Pot and discovered that I do not have a yogurt setting on it. If my Instant Pot ever breaks down, I will be sure to buy one with the yogurt setting. I appreciate small appliances that have multiple uses. God knows, that small cabins don't have enough storage.

Here is some flexibility:

- You can use a yogurt starter that you purchase. I've purchased yogurt starters from Cultures for Health.

- You can use a small container of plain organic yogurt that you purchase as your yogurt starter. I think this is my preferred method because it seems the most cost-effective.

- Or you can use a container of the *last yogurt you made as a yogurt starter. (*But the instructions advise to use that batch only one time to have good results).

I love raw milk, and have switched almost completely to raw milk, even when making yogurt.

Once your yogurt is complete and has been chilled for at least three (3) hours, it is ready to eat. Here are some suggestions to flavor your yogurt at the time you eat it:

• Add a tablespoon of homemade jam;

• Add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup and a dash of vanilla; maybe some chai spice or pumpkin pie spice;

• Add a drop of organic lemon essential oil and some fresh blueberries;

• A bit of honey and berries, maybe a drop of organic orange essential oil;

• Some chopped apple and cinnamon or apple pie spice;

• Top with homemade granola

So, now let's make some gut-healthy homemade yogurt!

Instructions:

1. Prepare the following utensils: high-sided saucepan, small pitcher, whisk, instant read thermometer.

2. Ensure the utensils are clean and dry.

3. To make yogurt, pour 7 glass jars (equal to 1.3L or 42oz) of fresh milk. (I use Raw Whole Milk, without an issue.)

4. Heat the milk until it reaches 180F degrees (82C) or until you see the milk bubbling on the sides of the pan.

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the milk to cool to lukewarm (95F degrees or 37C).

6. Stir in one glass jar (equal to 170g or 6oz) full of plain yogurt with some of the milk in a separate bowl until the yogurt is dissolved and you have a smooth mixture. (The plain yogurt can either be purchased from a store or from a previous batch of homemade yogurt. If you use homemade yogurt, please repeat only one (1) time. Freeze-dried Yogurt Starter can be used instead of yogurt. Follow the directions on the Yogurt Starter package.)

7. Mix the room temperature milk very well with the smooth mixture as prepared above.

8. Pour the mixture into the seven jars that came with the yogurt maker.

9. Place the jars - without the lids - in the yogurt maker.

10. Cover the yogurt maker with its clear cover.

11. Your homemade yogurt is usually ready in 8 or so hours, when your yogurt is made with whole milk.