I killed my first batch of yogurt. I actually killed it while re-hydrating the starter. Special, huh? Apparently, they aren't kidding then they say that your mesophilic yogurt will die if you let it get above 78 degrees F on your counter. It's true. Mine turned into curds and whey, not yogurt. (Although it was in my oven with the oven light turned on. Dang thing got to like 84 degrees in there! Crazy!!)
Sad day.
So, I have the second half of my starter re-hydrating on top of the fridge. When I woke up at 7:45 this morning, my little thermometer said it was 70 degrees in my kitchen. Hopefully it didn't get too cold there last night. Hoping that the heat from the fridge keeps it warm, but not too warm!
Sigh. Counter-top yogurt might be harder than I thought if my counter tops won't cooperate by being a steady temperature.
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2 comments:
What are the advantages of countertop yogurt vs. warming on the stove and then leaving in the fridge? More stuff gets killed on the stove? (I haven't made yogurt in a while - we got on a kick a year ago of having it constantly, but it seems like the temperature to warm it up was low enough to not kill everything, though maybe "everything" vs. "anything" is the issue)
I honestly don't know. I don't imagine it'd be all that different, because you still have to use pasteurized milk, or heat up your raw milk to 180 degrees before you mix in your cultures. I think the only difference with mine is that I purposely bought a strain of yogurt culture that was a mesophilic strain, so I wouldn't have to worry about incubating it in a cooler with a pan of boiling water or a yogurt maker.
BUT, the way mine is turning out, I think it might be easier, especially in the summer, just to leave it a cooler with boiling water. At least you know the temp is constant!
My current batch is doing ok....so we'll see! It should set in about the next 12-24 hours and then I can make some yogurt!
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