Aroma AYM-606 8-Cup Digital Yogurt Maker

by Aroma

• Electric yogurt maker for making creamy, healthy yogurt at home
• User-friendly control panel with digital display and programmable timer
• 8 BPA-free plastic cups with leak-resistant lids included
• Automatic shut-off; dishwasher-safe lid and reusable cups
• Measures 13-2/5 by 11-2/7 by 6-2/3 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.4 x 11.4 inches ; 3.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0037Z4OES
• Item model number: AYM-606
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,039 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #16 in Kitchen & Dining > Small Appliances > Specialty Appliances > Yogurt Makers

Product Description

Enjoy making yogurt at home with easy-to-use digital controls. Makes over 5 cups of yogurt; enough for the whole family. 8 separate cups allow for different flavors to be made simultaneously- so everyone in the family can create their favorite! Fully customizable digital timer for a variety of yogurt recipes.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

167 of 172 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, An Affordable Yogurt Maker That Does It All! July 24, 2010

By John Yezeguielian

Amazon Verified Purchase

The Aroma AYM-606 8-cup Digital Yogurt Maker was delivered to my house this morning. I put it to work about 2 this afternoon, and am very pleased with the results. This being my first batch, I expect some adjustments will be necessary. I used whole milk, but did not heat it to 180 F as the instructions suggest, as I'd read in several other sources that such isn't necessary. I took the milk down to 110 F (the instructions said 115, but I heard that higher temps could kill the bacteria,) added a couple tablespoons of sugar to the milk, and then added 3 tablespoons of Greek Yogurt (sans gelatin, etc.) along with a couple tablespoons of cold milk (as the instructions suggest) and mixed the lot thoroughly. A ladle made quick work of putting the mix in the cups, and I felt certain that they would be well heated by the design of this unit.

The interface couldn't be easier. Power it up, the digital display comes on. Add hours and minutes desired, and press the Start button. The countdown begins, the unit keeping it at the right temperature, then shuts itself off when it's done. (This last is what is lacking in many other units under $50.) Next time, I'll set it for 10 hours instead of 9:15, to firm it up a bit more, and probably add vanilla extract to some of the cups.

That there are 8 cups is a pleasure. The tops screw on quite readily. I will probably want to get another set of cups so I can make a new batch before the old one is gone, but that's the case with any yogurt maker.

It's been a couple of months that I've been looking at the various models, wanting automatic shut-off and preferring some sort of active interface over the standard "oh, just push the power button and then come back to it when the time is out." This model has given me everything I wanted, and at $30 including shipping, I couldn't be more pleased. What's more, I'll now be enjoying natural, healthy yogurt, instead of the gelatin and extra "stuff" in commercial yogurt. The first batch was quite creamy and tasty. Seems pretty certain it'll just get better as I get better at it. Thanks, Amazon and Aroma!

P.S.

1) Cook for LESS time, not more, to set the yogurt up and have a smooth, less tart taste. So, using EuroCuisine's extra firm starter (and bringing the milk up to 180 this time, why not follow the directions) I got very thick, creamy yogurt in just 7 hours.

2) I phoned Aroma, got a woman who told me that the extra set of cups is backordered, and will be available in a month. That's just about now. They are $10 a set, from Aroma's office in the States.

3) The Full line can be exceeded successfully. Otherwise, use half a cup less milk so as not to waste it.

Still luvin' it!

EDIT: Aroma did eventually contact me and I ordered two extra sets of cups. (One would have been enough, but with consolidated shipping, I didn't mind.) The cups are BAPA-free, which makes me happy, and I woudn't want to risk not being able to get them again. It still works great, gives me thick, creamy yogurt with nothing in there that I didn't add myself. I've enjoyed experimenting, adding a bit of vanilla or coconut or almond extract as the last thing, after all else is done, before ladling it into the cups. I see the price has gone up a bit, but it's still worth every penny! 3-28-2011

134 of 141 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Well built and seemingly reliable, but impractical November 27, 2011

By William

Amazon Verified Purchase

This being my first yogurt maker, I've learned a couple of things that might be useful. This yogurt maker, as with most of the others I can see on Amazon, are really nothing more than a heating element that keeps the yogurt a constant temperature for the intended cooking (or "growing") period.

Lesson 1: These are not like bread machines where you add all the ingredients and walk away. You have to boil the milk (or at least heat it up), let it cool, mix in starter, and then put it in the maker to cook. In other words, you do most of the yogurt "making".

Lesson 2: Although the pictures of this yogurt maker make it look like you can make multiple flavors in one batch, that's not practical. Actually, whatever you add to the yogurt prior to or during the "cooking period" must not introduce other bacterial cultures. Consequently, adding fruit or other flavorings that have not been sterilized is not a good idea. Consequently, you effectively make 8 small cups of plain yogurt, and then add flavors as you consume it. There are exceptions (like vanilla flavoring or other basic changes), but fruit is, as far as I can tell, out of the question.

Lesson 3: Because I can't make multiple flavors anyway, why would I want to constantly mess with 8 smaller cups, instead of one 2-qt container? It's just simpler all around to get the 2 qt model, dish out small amounts, and flavor them as you consume them. Further compounding my problem, there are NO EXTRA CUPS available on the market for this Aroma model, which means I have to empty every cup before I can begin making the next batch. So, I end up combining them all into one container anyway, so I can then wash the containers and make more. 8 small cups is just painful.

I will say the build of this yogurt maker is clean and nice. Everything about the machine is well put together and seems durable enough. If you're sure you want a model that makes 8 smaller servings, this is a great choice. I'm just not partial to this design and I can't see how it would be practical to most users. Furthermore, I felt like the picture depicting multiple different flavors in the maker at once is deceptive at worst, and unlikely at best. The idea is appealing, but not realistic.

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Update - Dec 17: Having reviewed some of the other yogurt makers on Amazon and most of them cost more and don't offer a self-shutoff feature or timer like this one does. For that reason, I'm upping the rating by 1 star. Honestly, I still wish it made a single 2 quart container, but the Euroquisine and the Yogourmet both have less features and cost significantly more, so all around, I think this is one of the best options on the market.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners and so easy to do! September 12, 2010

By TheConstantConsumer

Amazon Verified Purchase

I decided to start trying new things with food so I started with making our own yogurt. This is a great purchase and I highly recommend anyone to buy this if they are interested in making their own yogurt. It comes with directions for making your own yogurt that is very simple and easy to follow. The very first batch I made turned out perfect! I would suggest buying plain yogurt as a starter instead of the powdered culture. Its much easier and its still cheaper. In the directions it says to heat to a certain temp then to cool to a certain temp. I dont even do that because Its too complicated for me. I just barely bring the milk to a boil while frequently stirring to prevent scalding. Then I pop it in the fridge and do a finger dip check to see if it has cooled enough. I basically make sure its cool enough to keep my finger tip in the milk for a few seconds with out hurting. I then mix in the starter culture slowly with a wisk, pour it in the containers and set the yogurt maker for 9 hours then you have an excellent batch of home made yogurt. You will not regret trying this new idea, the yogurt is delicious it has no added sugar and will save you a bit of money. You will love this!