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Easiyo Yoghurt Maker and Jar $11 (Was $22) @ Woolworths

1300

Half price for this very simple yoghurt maker.

The concept is to make yoghurt with water and their sachets, put it in boiling water bath for 6-12 hours, and the outcome is yoghurt.

I find their sachets to be overpriced and not very nice. So the real bargain is combining this with 1.5 cups of milk powder (from a $5 bag) and a "starter" yoghurt of your choice, I use Jalna, which even works from frozen. Then flavour as you wish or leave as is. Benefit is the vastly superior bacterial culture (healthier) and controlling additives. Plus each batch of ~1kg yoghurt costs me somewhere between 50c and $1.

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  • +3

    Thank you i have been keen to try making my own yogurt for a while.

    So with your method if I buy this and milk powder I should be good to go as I always have yogurt in the fridge to use as the starter.

    Cheers

    • +14

      Yes, but the starter yoghurt matters, it needs to be healthy enough to reproduce. Best is to buy fresh pot-set yoghurt. I found non-pot set yoghurts often don't work as the good bacteria has mostly died by the time its processed. Id recommend buying the little tiny jalna natural yoghurt(~$2) for your first time.

      • +1

        Hi OP, thanks a lot for posting this deal. As someone who's been buying a lot of yogurt lately to make lassi everyday to cure my daily hangovers, this is definitely a great deal. I'll be buying it today, along with woolworths milk powder. Hopefully they have it in stock.. But i'll be honest, I have no clue how yogurt works. Am I required to buy starter yogurt only for the first time? Can I use the left-over yogurt from my previous batch as a starter to make my next batch? Are you please able to post your step by step guide to how to make it? Thanks :)

        • Lassi when its this cold sounds fun…

          you can use a couple of spoons from a previous batch instead of the starter yogurt satchet. You can also replace milk powder + water with full cream milk.

          Basically, starter yogurt / yogurt from previous batch has enough bacteria for the next batch to set. All you then need is milk / milk powder + water at the right temp for a certain amount of time.

          You might not get it right the first time - but in a couple of tries you will get the right combination

          • @RM: Thanks! Will give this a go.

            • +2

              @anonymous01: Yep agree with RM, can use same multiple times. With store culture though I'd limit reuse of the same culture to a few times, otherwise the balance of different bacteria can be a bit off. I scrape the top layer off a fresh batch, freeze it and reuse, but no more than 3 times. Then I either start with a new fresh starter yoghurt, or grab a bit out of the freezer from when I first bought it.

      • +14

        I find Jalna Biodynamic (the one with the yellow cap) vastly superior in terms of consistency and thickness. It is a tad more expensive but it's only for your initial batch anyway.

        Also you don't actually need the flask. I use the following method:

        • Heat 2 litres of UHT milk (it works better than fresh milk) in a pot to around 40 degrees. If you don't want to bother with a thermometer just dip your pinky finger for a few seconds and see if you can barely stand it (it shouldn't burn). Works every time.

        • Put two tablespoons of fresh yoghurt (your previous batch, or a live culture supermarket yoghurt) in a coffee mug and top up with milk. Mix thoroughly with a spoon but do NOT beat it too much.

        • Mix yoghurt mixture to your warm milk and mix it thoroughly.

        • Close the lid of the pot and put it in an oven. You don't have to warm up the oven, it is simply for thermal insulation.

        • After 6 hours put the pot to the fridge, let it rest for a few hours.

        If you like it thicker, just heat it up to ~80 degrees before cooling it down so that some of the water evaporates, or just add powdered milk. If you are using raw (unpasteurised) milk, make sure that you heat it up to 80 degrees to kill any pathogens.

        • +1

          Thanks for the detailed reply :). Will give it a go tonight and see how I go.

        • Where do you get raw milk?

          • +1

            @ThePasserby: Coles/Woolies anything with work. Bottled,UHT. Not milk powder.

          • +1

            @ThePasserby: From a cow I suppose?

          • +1

            @ThePasserby: @ThePasserby: A lot of health food shops sell it, but not for human consumption. If you're in the northern suburbs of Melbourne la manna sells it

      • I've tried just regular greek yoghurt and it never turned out very thick. I thought this was because it low fat but will definitely try a small Jalna pot instead. Do you use the entire 170g as starter? And do the bacteria reactivate fine after coming out of the freezer?

        • You need to extract the liquid/whey to thicken the yogurt. Place a large sieve over a bowl, line the sieve with filter paper (I use oil filter paper from Daiso). Pour the yogurt into the sieve, put everything in the refrigerator and let the whey drip down for few hours.

        • +2

          True greek is strained. But I just use more milk powder. A more advanced tip is to use a few drops of calcium chloride (a few bucks off ebay), thickens it nicely.
          Edit - I add between 1-2 tbsp of the starter, then eat or freeze the rest. And yes, reactivates fine out of the freezer.

      • +11

        I just make one batch of plain, unflavoured Easiyo and then freeze it as ice cubes. Then I use those cubes as a starter to make yoghurt for the next six months.

        Then when I’m running out of cubes, I save a second-generation batch and freeze it, to get more cubes.

        After three or four generations, the taste changes. So I just make another batch from an Easiyo sachet. Usually I only need one sachet every couple of years.

        • That's a great tip!!!

        • +1

          Thanks for the advice. Just made a tray of my first ever easiyo. Ready for 12 months of yoghurt!

          • +1

            @Coastie: Some tips:

            I have two types of ice-cube trays. One with big cubes (around 12 per tray), and one with smaller cubes (20+ per tray). I need one cube of the former or two of the latter.

            I make the yoghurt by:
            - Get out a cube, put it in the tub, and let it melt (an hour or so is probably fine, but I just do it the night before and leave it out to make in the morning).
            - Add a tablespoon or two of milk powder to make extra-thick yoghurt.
            - Pour in UHT milk, shake it all up to mix and put it in the Easiyo maker.

            After 12 hours or so, it’s all good.

            It takes a bit of experimentation to get the consistency you desire, but after a bit of tinkering, I haven’t had a failed batch in years.

            • +1

              @[Deactivated]: That is so helpful, thanks! I made my first non-easiyo batch last night using a big scoop of fresh yoghurt (from the original easiyo I made) & milk powder. It tuerned out deliciously. I have frozen most of it in big cubes but wasnt sure about the temp, so your advice to defrost it first is golden. Thanks for all the awesome tips.

      • does Vaalia yoghurt work as a starter?

        • +1

          Never tried. It should if there's one without too many additives. I think lots of the flavours/sweeteners etc can stop reproduction without killing the culture. So less useful for this process.

      • +1

        Thank you for your advice on this. I purchased one on the weekend along a small jalna yogurt. I made it with 1 1/2 cups of powered milk and a big scoop of the jalna. Left it overnight and next morning it was done. Very happy with the result.

    • +6

      Just use full cream milk, boil it and then whilst it's cooling down, add starter yoghurt. Keep the storage container with lid on for 6-8 hours.

      • +2

        I've never tired this way, though have read about it. To me the powdered milk is cheaper and easier. Though if I had access to really nice cheap milk I'm sure this would be superior.

        • +4

          I've started out with the heated milk process, then switched to powder. Never looked back. So much less hassle.

          First: you don't actually want to boil the milk as that creates off-flavours. If I remember correctly the process reliably worked when heating to about 80 degrees and keeping it close to that temperature for 20 minutes. Then when cooling down you have to be careful, over 40 will kill some of the yoghurt bacteria, let it drop just a bit too low and it will take too long to set.

          This maker with milk powder is perfect. Only tricky bit is getting the water temperature just right. The instructions are to fill the thermos to the mark with boiling water, but that only works in winter for me. In summer I have to mix more and more cold water in. What you're aiming for is to get the yoghurt mix to peak at 38 degrees. Quickest bacterial growth without killing any strains. With the right temperature it takes just 4 hours.

          • @team teri: Which milk powder do you use? Also, do you use a thermometer? It took a while to perfect the boiling milk process but if the milk powder process is easier then I might switch too.

            • @stockastics: I use full cream powder from Woolies (mostly) or Coles. Only tried skim once and it did not set.

              I don't usually use a thermometer, but on the rare occasions it takes longer to set than it should I check to get an idea which direction I was off.

              Temperature too low is not a big problem, it just takes longer to set and tastes a tad more sour as a result.

              Too high hasn't happened to me in a long time, but did early on when I just followed the instructions (that say to use all boiling water in the thermos). Those batches stayed a bit runny, no matter how long I left them out. Best explanation: it killed one or two of the 4 bacteria strains from the starter.

        • +2

          Yon also buy the discounted milk that has 2 days before expiry.

          Usually it's $1 For 2 or 3 litres

        • Long life milk is the easiest. Tastes better than powdered milk, but doesn’t need to be heated in a saucepan.

          • @[Deactivated]: Do you mean you can make yoghurt from cold uht milk? No heating needed?

            • +3

              @kiitos: Yes. No worries at all. It’s already been heat treated and sealed.

              The heat treating that gives it its long life is the same thing you’re doing when you heat milk for yoghurt. Why do it twice?

      • agree - trick is to put starter when its just warm and then put the lid on. store it in any insulated container.

        • Or wrap it in a warm blanket and place it in a warm area

      • Just google "make yoguht in a slow cooker"…I use this method myself.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrX-dAPd5vY

        …. couldn't be easier…

      • +7

        I use full cream milk + a tonne of full cream milk powder. Makes it more better. It might be considered cheating but in my opinion it is better than any supermarket yogurt.

        Slowly heat the milk up, slowly stirring in milk powder as you go, trying to avoid clumping. For 4L of milk (might as well make a big batch if you are going to the effort), I might add two or three or more cups of milk powder. Stir constantly. (A magnetic heater-stirrer would be a good idea here - I don't have one but if you wanted to put money into yogurt making this might be a better idea than an Easiyo.) Once it reaches 85C, take it off the heat and cool the saucepan in a sink of water, stirring and monitoring the temperature (be super careful not to splash any water into the saucepan). As soon as it has dropped to about 45 C, add a teaspoon of yogurt and stir through. Pour it into containers - I use the pyrex ones with a blue plastic lid. For glass containers, you don't have to be crazy about sterilising them, as long as they have been washed in hot water with detergent, they will be fine. Put these in an esky overnight, in the morning move them to the fridge. You can then strain it through a cheesecloth if you want Greek yogurt.

  • +3

    That powdered milk concept is pretty clever.

  • Do you find the brand or variety of milk powder influence the outcome of your yoghurt?

    • +1

      I admit I have only really used woolworths/coles brand. The full cream seems to make thicker yoghurt than the low fat, but can be compensated for by adding more. I used A2 at one point as they were out of the cheaper stuff, didnt make a difference that I could tell (at triple the cost).

    • We use a slightly different recipe - fill half the container with milk powder then about 2 tablespoons of yoghurt start (any brand), and the rest water. From what we found Aldi milk powder doesn't work as well, but Coles and Woolies are fine. Follow the instructions to fill boiling water in the flask, then seal and wrap in a towel for added warmth. Leave it for 24hrs in the pantry, then transfer to the fridge to cool. Perfect.

  • +5

    We split an Easiyo sachet into 3 batches, and add full cream milk powder to make each batch approx 170-180g (or 210g for Greek IIRC). Works everytime.

    No issues with the flavour TBH, and it also means we have 1 or 2 ziplock bags in the freezer for when we couldn't be bothered blending from batch to batch (or new starter pot).

    Hint - add another 20g of milk powder to each batch, gets really creamy on your muesli in the morning with honey on top.

    • +2

      Used to do this too, but had it fail a few times (not many though). Probably through my own incompetence.

    • exactly what i do, except i always go to 210g because i prefer my yogurt thick. never failed.

    • +2

      Same, but I don't just split into 3 batches. I use 1 litre UHT milk (or full cream powder made up to 1 litre) plus 2 tablespoons Easiyo Greek style unsweetened powder. I add the extra milk powder to make it thick as well.

    • Used the easiyo split into 3 x 56g and top up with full cream powder to 200g method with success every time

  • +2

    UHT milk works well too.

    • Do you find it thick enough without adding more powdered milk? Haven't tried it.

      • It could be a bit thicker

      • +2

        UHT plus a tablespoon of powdered milk produces a super-creamy yoghurt.

  • +1

    Can you please give the recipe of your milk powder method?! :)

    • +13

      Sure!
      1.3 to 1.5 cups of powdered milk. Add approx 1 tbsp of fresh quality yoghurt. Fill halfway with water and shake like crazy. Fill to top with water. The just pop it in the easiyo with boiling water as per the instructions. Leave overnight or at least 6 hrs.
      It's ridiculously simple really.

      • OP, really appreciate you tips on this one. I made a batch primarily based on this formula, although I adjusted it slightly based on others comments on here. 1.3 cup powdered milk, then 1/2 long life milk, 1/2 water. Just used the yogurt I had at hand which was Gippsland (I put 2 tbsp in just to give it a bit extra kick). It turned out slightly thicker than the original and tasted awesome (I tried them side-by-side). I never realised the store bought stuff had so much sugar in there !!!

        • I'm glad people have embraced it. Im going to try the longlife/powdered mix too next round.

  • +1

    I use oven on globe lighted on with aldi 2 L UHT milk. A globe provides enough heat. Using a starter over 3 year old now.

    • +2

      Yours might be an heirloom culture, which is possibly mesophilic (likes more moderate temps)? I wonder if the oven light would be hot enough for thermophilic cultures. Certainly I dont like reusing the commercial started yoghurt more than twice as it gets weird. Have been thinking about ordering a bulgarian culture, but this is a whole other level of thinking.

      • I run over on hot for 2 mins in cold weather.

        Try it. It is free to try. Before this I used an esky filled with heated gel packs.

  • +2

    Sounds good! I will try it :)
    Anyone got their fav flavouring method/s to share?

    • +2

      I like a squeeze of the vanilla bean paste and a little sugar. Lemon curd and jam are other easy options.

  • +2

    Are you really just paying $11 for the cup? You can make yoghurt from any pot set yoghurt and then make it in any jar.

    • How do you keep it warm enough?

      • container with lid in the cupboard is enough in australia

    • Its more the flask you're paying for.

      • Any type of flask would do. I don’t think this is anything special, apart the name

        • +4

          yes very true. a little esky would do too. I guess as an introduction the easiyo takes a few variables out of the equation. Worth it at $11, but probably not at $22.

      • +4

        100% it's the insulated flask and a jar that completely fits inside it. For $11 you won't find a cheaper combo.
        I make 6l of yoghurt at a time using a more complex method, but this is a good way to start.

        • +2

          Can you share the complex method?

      • yup i reuse the plastic yoghurt container i got from the indian store. Free.

  • got one from woolies 2 years ago, I replaced the plastic container with a glass jar instead. Safer to pour boiling water.

    • I’d prefer a glass jar too - any particular one you’re using?

      • nah not spending extra on it, just use the usual canned fruit or gherkins glass jar.

    • Are you sure about 'safer'? Unless you use tempered glass the risk is high it will crack when pouring boiling water.

      • Any food grade glass will do. Safer in sense no plastic + heat = bad, never had an issue with Glass breaking

        Though we also use Indian way of making yogurt.

        Recipe:

        Use metal pot with a narrow opening and cover over it, normal or UHT boiled milk and few spoons of Yogurt(cultures) and leave it any insulated container like casseroles or esky overnight. The container should not be disturbed whilst it is fermenting. Traditionally in India, they use earthen pots, very effective.

        • temperature is not an issue, you are using warm water in the glass jar anyway.
          At long as you are not going from ice cold to boiling water, the glass jar is totally fine.

  • I’ve been meaning to make my own yoghurt at home!
    Can you continue using your DIY yoghurt as a starter?

    • +2

      Yes. The mix of the cultures shifts a little over time, changing the flavour with it. I keep going for about 1 year before I use a bought one to start again.

      • Yeah me too. I have been able to use my home made yoghurt as a starter again. Some say it's only good for 6 more goes, but I've been doing this for a year now.

        Seems to be successful because I save the starter in the another container and get the saved portion out of the tub first up.

        I use UHT milk (the tetra carton ones - cheapest one will do). Saves having to boil the fresh milk. And then add 3 Tablespoons of milk powder to thicken.

  • Anyone tried doing non dairy yoghurt?

    • There are quite a few recipes online. My soy yogurt turned out quite well (you've got to use soy milk with as few additives as possible; I used Vitasoy Protein Plus but I'm sure there are others out there). It might be a bit trickier for coconut yogurt, I think you need to add some thickener or you'll end up with runny yogurt. Going to experiment with homemade almond milk next.

    • Havent myself but its very doable. Difference is probably that you want to buy a starter culture from somewhere like green living australia. I dont think the cultures survive the thickeners etc of commercially available non-dairy yoghurt.

  • +1

    I use 15g of Easiyo powder and 155g of normal milk powder. Produces a lovely creamy yogurt.

    • You get one kilo of yoghurt with this?

  • I have this too, perfect with reduced to clear yoghurt as starter and reduced to clear milk/milk powder for some dirt cheap yet pretty nice yoghurt.

    • Does making yogurt from short-dated milk extend the expiry date?

  • I like the idea of this, does it taste similar to the starter culture?

    • +1

      Yes and no. Different strains/starters can result in different tanginess, as can how long you culture it for. But overall, it is usually very similar.

  • +1

    Thanks OP. Got one just now. I had Jalna "sweet and creamy" yogurt at home so added a tablespoon of that along with 1.5 cups of powdered milk. I hope the Jalna "sweet and creamy" would work?

    • It should as long as no artificial sweeteners and its relatively fresh. Good luck!

      • +1

        Thanks. i will update tomorrow to confirm if it worked.

        • +1

          How'd it go?

  • +1

    been making my own yoghurt for the past month. here is how to do it.

    buy good quality yoghurt (1 or 2l) from an indian store. The containers are pretty good to reuse as well. keep some yoghurt aside (2 spoons worth in a small container) Once you are done with the yoghurt clean the 1l or 2l container.

    Heat milk to the point where it is just warm. Put the milk in the yoghurt container and add two spoons of yoghurt and mix with sppon. cover it with the lid, put it in the cupboard. next morning it will be ready. first time it may not be ready. if so then reheat in the microwave for two minutes in the morning. 8-10 hours yoghurt is usually ready. you can resuse this yoghurt to make the next batch.

    No need to buy yoghurt anymore. Forget all this yoghurt maker stuff. do it the authentic way.

  • +1

    Another option is to buy powdered yogurt culture. I only make yogurt once in a while so not always have fresh starter yogurt handy. While the seller says the culture last for 1 year, I've had mine since 2014 and it still gives me perfect yogurt. Bought mine from Green Living Australia but surely there are others out there.

  • In case this helps someone… I used to use something like this but have gotten much better results with better control of temperature. I put the jars of mixture in a slow cooker with just enough water to cover the side of the jars without them floating or tipping. The slow cooker is plugged into a temperature controller (specifically Inkbird ITC308) set to 45 C. Leave for about 10 hours. Alternatively you could use a sous vide heater for the water bath.

  • +2

    I had one of these for a while, worked well. I used to split a satchet in half and replace the weight with normal milk powder. It's the same.

    Now I use a glass jar and my Anova sous vide (set to ~43 degrees) instead of the easiyo. I also now use powdered yoghurt starter which I got from green living. Never had a fail. I still use milk powder, but I'm going to experiment with UHT and normal milk (which I'll have to heat up first to denature the proteins) to see if there is much of a difference in flavour.

    • Also, for those going down the powdered milk and powdered starter route, my current recipe is 17.5% of milk powder by weight. So I normally make 2kg of yoghurt, which is 350g of powder and 1650g of water.

      Also, if you buy the green living powdered starter, it's enough for 100kg of yoghurt but the amount is SO small that it is very difficult to measure out 1/100 of. So what I do is mix the starter powder with 100g of milk powder, and then measure out 1g of my mix per kg of yoghurt. Simples.

      • Thats clever with adding the milk powder to the culture. How do you store it, in the freezer?
        And whats the green living culture taste like?

        • +1

          Yep, freezer. I have most of the powder in a separate container so I don't open it as frequently, and I put a smaller amount into a smaller container that is opened more frequently.

          I have tried both the mild and the tangy culture, and they are both fine. Taste like "normal" yoghurt.

          I prefer the mild culture because I tend to eat it as a snack and I find the tangy needs more sweetener (like honey etc) to be nice, and I'd prefer less sugar.

          Also my 15m old son freaking loves the mild yoghurt. He eats probably 1kg a week just by himself.

      • I notice green living also sells ABC probiotic powder with their yoghurt culture. Is it needed? Doesn't yoghurt have these probiotics anyway? Is it also included to boost the numbers?

        • +1

          Different cultures. The cultures that make yoghurt are two specific strands, but you can add probiotic ones for your gut health if you so choose.

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