Yogurt temperature experiment with Yogourmet

[Guest guest]

I had so much gas last night that I couldn't sleep, so I had to call

in sick to work today. So that leaves me with not much energy to do

anything but think about the temperature of my currently fermenting

yogurt. My curiosity got the better of me so I did an experiment.

I checked the temp of the waterbath and it was 118 (this is with the

top lid off (not the lid of the yogurt, the loose lid on top of

that)). I realized that it was impossible for me to have my digital

thermometer touch the water only (it was touching the sides of the

plastic Yogoutmet) so I carefully took the yogurt container out of the

water and just tested the water now sitting at the bottom. It was

113. So perhaps there is some heat loss between the sides of the

container and the water itself (the Yogourmet has been on for 12

hours, so it's not that the water temperature isn't set).

I carefully put the yogurt back in the bath and took things one more

step. I boiled my thermometer for 10 minutes and then opened the lid

of the yogurt. I tested the yogurt in 5 different spots, right in the

middle and around the sides. I got 2 readings of 110, 2 readings of

110.5 and one reading of 111. So this makes me feel somewhat better.

So it seems to me that the temperature of the water is not a good

indicator of the temperature of the yogurt. Has anyone else actually

taken the temperature of the yogurt itself rather than the water? It

does seem to make sense that there would be some diffusion of heat

between the water and the yogurt itself. I mean, the air and plastic

must provide some resistance.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

Mike

>

> I¹m wondering if the issue with stable temps is because most of

these yogurt

> makers are made to make yogurt within 12 hours? Maybe the heat

builds up

> after that time? At the same time, reading through the archives, I

see that

> the air temp will be higher than the actual yogurt temp, because it

takes

> more to heat yogurt. I¹m still shopping around. I¹m hoping on our trip

> I¹ll walk into a thrift store and find an Excalibur 9 or yogurt

maker there

> waiting for me to purchase for $15!! It can happen!

>

> I am looking forward to getting back home and beginning my yogurt

making and

> to feeling normal in my tummy again.

>

> Thanks for this discussion, I¹m learning so much from you all.

>

> Blessings,

> Betty

>