Thanks Grainlady! Everything you mentioned is true. I really appreciate your explanation. I too use kefir grains to make milk kefir. Little man and I love kefir but my husband won't touch it. That's why I still make the regular yogurt. I do pay a lot of attention to temperatures when making yogurt at home. Use a thermometer in the milk while heating and cooling. I always let it cool to 118F, remove from heat before getting the yogurt cultures ready. I usually use 2 - 4 tablespoons of room temperature yogurt from the last batch. You're right, as time goes on the cultures tend to become weaker so I do use fresh cultures (judged by the flavor of the last batch) from time to time. By the time I add a couple of ladles of warm milk into the cultures, the temperature will be between 110 and 115F. I always clean and warm the jars and keep them warm in the incubator that I built until the milk is ready. Once the jars are filled, they go into the incubator immediately. Once again, I keep another thermometer in the incubator to ensure proper temperatures. If the temperature seems not high enough, I throw a large towel over the box. When the thermometer indicates too warm I take off the towel. If everything goes well, the yogurt will set in a bit over 4 hours. If not, I let it sit up to 8 hours before calling it quit. Since the jars are in an incubator that locates in the corner of the kitchen, nobody ever bumped into it. No animals at home so it's a very safe place for making yogurt. I use only milk (sometimes add 1/4 C of powdered milk if 2% or less fat milk is used) and cultures in my yogurt. A year ago when I was the yogurt diva with yogurt turned out like the Old Faithful, I used a can of coconut milk in with 5 cups of cows milk. These days, I am happy as long as I get yogurt instead of milk. I will play with flavors again once I get the consistency back under control. I have a feeling that it's the heating pad that I use in the incubator. It's pretty old. Only the low heat setting works; both med and high are toasted. I have been using the low setting for a couple of years and didn't have problems until last year. I guess I need a new heating pad! LOL Once again, thank you for your advice. Your expertise is definitely a gem to the forum. Al

The following lemon curd recipe is part of Sol's recipe for meringue daisies. It is tart and very good. It is different from the ones above in that it uses only the egg yolk which is convenient when making it to go with meringues or an egg white based cake. Lemon Curd 4 large egg yolks ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar 3 fluid ounces lemon juice 4 tbsp (2 oz) unsalted butter, softened Pinch of salt 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest In a heavy noncorrodible saucepan, beat the yolks and sugar until blended. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, but still liquid enough to pour. DonÂt allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle. When the curd has thickened, pour through a strainer. Cool, and store in airtight container in the fridge. The curd will continue to thicken in the refrigerator.

I've made yogurt since the mid-1970's before switching almost exclusively to kefir about 5-years ago. Here are some hints and tips I learned along the way: 1. You can control the "taste" with the temperature of your milk. There is a window of temperatures when you can add the starter - usually somewhere around 110F to 120°F. If you add the starter on the warm side of that temperature window, you'll get a more tangy yogurt. Add starter on the cool side of the temperature window and you will make a more mild-flavored yogurt. I like tart yogurt when I make it into yogurt cheese and use it for a cheese-ball, but like mild-flavored yogurt when I eat it with granola for breakfast. Use an instant-read thermometer for accuracy. As you already found out, the length of incubation will also influence the taste - short incubation produces sweet yogurt. Yogurt also becomes more tart the longer it is stored in the refrigerator. 2. Once you have your yogurt maker filled and running, DO NOT move it or giggle it during fermentation. That can cause a breakdown in the curd and watery yogurt. Once the curd is broken, it will not set up again. Just as when you mix yogurt with a spoon to liquify it for use in a recipe, the curd is destroyed and will not resolidify. This is more evident in homemade yogurt than commercial yogurt. 3. I incubate it for 3 hours and then check to see if it's set. If it's not set, then I incubate it another hour. As soon as it's set I refrigerate it at least 6-8-hours before using it. It needs to "cure" (set-up) before use. 4. When I can find it (usually at a store 2-hours away and I bring it home in a cooler) I like to use Stonyfield Farm Yogurt for a starter. There are two bacteria common to all yogurts, but Stonyfield Farm adds other bacteria, so I think you get more bang-for-the-buck in the bacteria found in Stonyfield Farm Yogurt when you use it as a starter. They also have a GREAT cookbook, "Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Cookbook". I freeze the Stonyfield Yogurt in amounts I need for one batch of yogurt. When I need a new starter, I thaw the yogurt in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature before using it for making yogurt. 5. After using from the previous batch of yogurt for your starter for a period of time, the bacteria will become inactive and you'll need a new starter. This generally happens when you have a batch that doesn't thicken, or you notice it's not getting as thick as previous batches. That's the key difference between yogurt and kefir. Yogurt cultures eventually die and must be renewed, but when you use real kefir grains, they last forever, are living, renew and grow over time to make more kefir grains. Kefir is also made with cold milk out of the refrigerator and incubated at room temperature; rather than all the fussing with heating the milk, cooling the milk, temperature of the milk when you add the starter, etc.... 6. Adding non-fat dry milk powder will aid in thickening, and is especially important to add if you use low-fat or non-fat milk. Whole milk contains the most solids and produces a thick, rich and creamy yogurt. When you use 2% milk or less, adding non-fat dry milk will help replace those solids found in whole milk, or high-fat milk products like half-and-half and whipping cream. When I use fresh goat's milk, I treat it as I would skim milk. To produce an even thicker yogurt, add a package (1-tablespoon) of unflavored gelatin. Mix the gelatin with a little milk until it's dissolved, then add it to your cold milk. You can also use a combination of gelatin and non-fat dry milk powder. I use different combinations of ingredients for soft, firm, or very firm yogurt - rather than using an extended incubation time. Making yogurt with at least 50% half-and-half will also make a beautiful curd. Great for malts, shakes, and other beverages. Using a percentage of whipping cream is great when you serve the yogurt as a dessert with fresh fruit, or use it in a dessert recipe. I've also used recipes that include cornstarch in the recipe, which makes a smoother and creamier yogurt. Sweetened condensed milk for sweet yogurt. Your user's manual will probably have a trouble-shooting section to help you out, as well as suggested recipes for your yogurt maker. Happy yogurt making...... -Grainlady

I haven't tried yogurt yet, but am planning to try it in a few weeks. then down the road, cottage cheese and a cheesecake. don't have the right pan for the cheesecake yet. Besides I have other things I want to try in it first. like the potatoes for potato salad. I haven't made that for decades. I've made 2 roasts, meatloaf, dressing (at Christmas), mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, eggs, rice, chicken, barley soup, spaghetti soup, macaroni and refried beans. I think that's it so far. but that's a lot for me! Rusty - you'd love an IP. I have the 3 qt duo plus, bought it last TG day for 56.00 and I love it. Size depends on how much you make at one time and how many you cook for. I make enough to feed me for a few days with some left over to freeze. I finished off my meatloaf and dressing in the AF. they both turned out wonderful that way. I've also made steak in my AF, chicken, half the recipe for the green bean casserole and meatloaf in it. I love both the AF and the IP.