Comments on: Yogurt Culture

By: culture

culture — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:56:42 +0000

culture…

[...]Yogurt Culture » Not Eating Out in New York[...]…

By: Tynki

Tynki — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 12:05:21 +0000

Oh man, Dots are one of my favorite candies. To the Walgreens, Candy-mobile!

By: Roboto

Roboto — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:37:04 +0000

Sorry, mistake on assuming it was soy milk, and I re read and saw why it’s yellow. You can also try adding honey for sweetness.

By: Roboto

Roboto — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:29:17 +0000

Talk about being late (2010), lol. My mom has a small batch of these guys. She’s had them for over 15 years, tho I’m pretty sure they’re the offspring of the offspring of the original now.
Anyway, ours give a yogurt that is also acidy, but not too bad and can definitely be sweetened just by blending with fruit. It also looks white and creamy, yours looks kind of yellow tho I don’t know if maybe it’s the camera or something.. but ours is pretty runny too. Also my mom washes/changes their milk every other day, and tries to make sure the milk isn’t too cold or hot, as well ad the water she rinses them with. We’ve neglected ours a bit recently too, tho if you care for them again they seem to get ‘healthier’.
I don’t know if there’s something wrong with your little guys (if you still have them) but I do know different conditions will give you diff results. Like when we used to give them whole fat milk they were big lumps, now with low fat they’ve gotten quite skinny. Maybe using soy milk is why you get more acidy yogurt?

By: Ken Appelt

Ken Appelt — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:46:06 +0000

I work for a company that makes half the yogurt starter bacteria in the world. After reading your essay on preserving this personalized colony, I can only say that God only knows what strains you have in that container. You’d have to send it to a University Lab to find out.

These are live bacteria and they eat, live, die and produce lactic acid which produces the yogurty, acidic taste. Different strains will “compete” with each other and give out different tastes. Not only that, but when exposed to air, other bacteria may grow and thrive in there. There is also a very good possibility that your colony has “phaged out” as we say in the yogurt business, which means that a virus has entered and killed off you primary colonies.

Start over with a basic Kefir or Yogurt “starter” or “acidifier”, or easier yet, buy a commericial product you like. That’s my advice…I hope no-one gets ill!

By: Alexandra

Alexandra — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:54:25 +0000

Very late weighing in, but I also want to add that it is probably kefir. Homemade kefir is definitely an acquired taste. I got hooked on it while on a homestay in Russia, where my hostmother would force feed it to me every morning, but… yeah. Doesn’t taste like yoghurt.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:42:24 +0000

This is definitely a Kefir culture.

I refrigerate mine with milk, covering it with cheesecloth and harvest every 5 days or so. If kept refrigerated, it slows down the fermentation rate so you don’t have to go through the trouble preparing it everyday if you aren’t going to consume it.

I usually use the kefir milk i harvested and blend it with soy or almond milk and fresh fruit to make a delicious smoothie. It tastes great blended up (in my opinion). Try this out, and maybe you won’t regret taking over these cultures.

Hopefully you haven’t given up on these cultures!

By: michael

michael — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:32:19 +0000

There is an easier way. Indian cuisine has many uses for yogurt and I found the following recipe in my ‘Real Indian Cookery’ book by Veena Chopra:

Milk, boiled then cooled to luke warm 1 Pt.

Culture from a thick natural yogurt, 1 Tbsp.
mixed with a little milk until smooth

- Bring milk to boil then cool to lukewarm.
- Whisk yogurt/milk mixture into lukewarm milk.
- Pour into airtight containers and place in cupboard above fridge or stove (goggle warming cupboard)for approximately 8 hours.
- After yogurt has set (check it) place in fridge for 3-4 hours before consuming.

A simple and delicious method which has been used for centuries in other countries and recently in my own home. I use 2% milk and Old Home yogurt though you could use whichever brands you prefer. The resulting yogurt is smooth, rich, and not quite so tart as some of the commercially prepared ones. Hope you enjoy.

michael

Hope this works as well for you as it does for me.

By: brooklynbee

brooklynbee — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:25:27 +0000

I love kombucha. I wish I could make my own at home but I have an incredibly tiny kitchen and I have no room for it.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:02:59 +0000

You know – I can’t see completely, but that sounds a lot more like she gave you a Kefir culture than a yogurt culture…it looks like grainy cauliflower, and makes a very tart (and if you let it sit afterwards) mildly alcoholic and fizzy probiotic drink. It’s very strong though, and not for everyone – but that’s why it’s so runny, if you’re wondering.