Yogurt Confusion

[Guest guest]

Ok, so, there's confusion about the temperature for the yogurt.

Yogurt does need to ferment between 100-110F. I usually set my dehydrator

a twitch past the 105F, and that gives me a perfect temperature, but each

dehydrator and its location may be different.

On page 155 (of the later editions of BTVC), Elaine says, after

instructing how to pasteurize the milk, " Cover and cool until it has

reached room temperature or below (may be placed in refrigerator to

hasten cooling). It is very important that you allow the temperature to

drop sufficiently or you will kill the bacterial culture you are now

ready to introduce. "

Where we get into a headache is, " What defines 'room

temperature'? "

Please note that nowhere in here does Elaine specify " 77F " or

anything similar. Just " room temperature. "

Apparently, " room temperature " in Canada is usually 77F or

lower! LOL! (I'd have an electric bill up the wazzoo if I kept this house

at 77F or lower in the summer!) So someone decided this was the optimum

temperature, and must have been what Elaine meant. Unlike those of us who

need thermometers, Elaine could touch the side of a cooling pan of milk

and KNOW if it was cool enough -- she'd been making yogurt for 40+

years!

Where the confusion comes about is that on Elaine's website, approved by

Elaine, is the statement " Allow the milk to cool to below 110'F(43C)

luke warm temperature (body temperature) or cooler. "

Even more confusing is that the original BTVC website, also approved by

Elaine, (now T's, since she gave over being webmaster when

non-SCD-related health issues got to her), says, " Turn the heat off

and allow to cool to between 108 and 112 degrees F. "

Please note that neither of these sites says to cool it TO the given

temperature. It says to cool it BELOW that temperature. T's site gives

the high end of the Yogurt Fairy Comfort Zone, but I've found that

temperature range on many yogurt making sites. On the other hand, body

temperature is (unless you have low thyroid or a fever) around

98.6F.

I take a great hulking chunk of ice out of the ice maker -- yogurt making

is so handy for clearing out old, dead ice from the ice maker! -- run the

coldest water I can get in the sink (which is usually around 85F in the

summer), stopper it, and add the ice. Then I set the milk pan on a rack

in the cold water.

Never yet had the milk go below 80F -- and I used to feel (since no one

had made the Ruling That It Must Be 77F Or Lower), based on what Elaine

said, that I was OK. In fact, I went through paroxysms of " Oh, NO!

Have I been using bad yogurt all this time?! " when I saw the higher

temps on the web site. Until I read what they were actually saying.

Problem is, too many people are so eager to get on with their yogurt

making that they add the starter AT that temperature, and this can be a

problem.

So what's the reason, other than needing a specific temperature for

people to shoot for, for specifying 77F? The feeling appears to be that

unless you activate the starter at a lower temperature and then gently

raise it to the incubation temperature, you will shock the yogurt

bacteria (aka Yogurt Fairies) and they will not do their thing.

I've made yogurt anywhere from 100F to 80F when I added the culture, and

it's always turned out fine. BUT, and this is the key point -- some very

sensitive people may do better with yogurt made by adding the starter at

the lower temperature, and then gently raising it to the fermenting zone.

It is NOT, however, a reason to panic if the temperature was 79F or even

90F. You may wish to snarl at yourself about the time and materials

wasted, or you may delight a family member by gifting them with some

lovely homemade yogurt if you're uncertain.

As for how long to ferment, well....

Part of the reason for adding the starter closer to the fermentation

point is that it takes less of your time waiting for the milk temperature

to come down after you just spent time raising it. You also don't have to

let it sit there for a couple of hours and then start timing it. I can

tell you that the 90-100F yogurt has usually occurred when I forgot to

put the milk on, and then it took longer to heat, and too <expletives

deleted> long to cool because I didn't have any ice> and I was

<bleep>ing tired and wanted to go to bed! (Every time, I resolve

not to forget to start the yogurt right after dinner....)

Let's assume that I wasn't running late getting in from water therapy,

that I didn't drop the chicken on the floor (where it was promptly eaten

by the Dachshund Duo) and that we didn't end up going out to eat, and

thus get back late....

To wit, it's only 7p or so, and the milk has cooled as good as it gets in

New Orleans, ie, 80F.

Well, then, I mix it up (and the milk cools a couple more degrees as I'm

pouring it from pan to yogurt container and mixing: I have quite a ritual

that I use, but hey, it produces great yogurt every time!), put the

container in the dehydrator, set the dehydrator for around 107F (which,

allowing for slight heat loss gets me a nice 105F: I tested it with a

thermometer and water).

Do I then sit around to take my yogurt's temperature at 9p to be sure

it's at optimum?

No... most likely, I'm in here at the computer typing about making

yogurt, or some other SCD thing.

What I do is figure that about 2 hours will get it up to speed, and

another 24 will see it properly fermented. So I stick a piece of masking

tape on the door of the dehydrator with Time + 2 hours (in this case,

9P), and leave the yogurt fairies to get on with it.

The following night, probably around 9:30, because I got busy at the

computer again, I go in, remove the container, and stick it in the

fridge.

Yogurt made.

Any more questions?

—

Marilyn

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund