Customer Reviews

Easiyo Yogurt Maker with Lid Jar

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was eager to try making homemade yoghurt. However, I knew if it was not easy and cheap,then I would not keep up with it. This yoghurt maker has been the answer to both! Please see the recipe below for making yoghurt with this yoghurt maker without the manufacturer recommended (expensive packets).

1. It is SOOO easy to figure out. Easy directions, no strict time, no electricity.... Follow the directions enclosed, of course. There is no plugging in and no super strict time that you have to adhere to. Basically, you have yoghurt in 8 hours but if you forget, it is still good until up to 24 hours. It just gets tarter as time goes on...Also, you don't have to be worried about leaving the house with something plugged in because you don't plug it in. It uses no electricity. You could easily leave the house in the morning and have yoghurt ready to be refrigerated that night.

2. It is SOOO easy to make the yoghurt. There are two ways to use it to make yoghurt.

a. The first way is easy and yummy but too expensive for my big family if you use it according to the manufacturer with water and the powders that Easiyo sells. Yum, but expensive unless you live in the UK, Australia or New Zealand. So it is easy but not cheap for us in the USA.

b. However, there is an easy way to make yoghurt with this yoghurt maker and keep the cost to a minimum.

THE CHEAP AND EASY RECIPE FOR PLAIN YOGHURT (WITHOUT THE POWDER PACKETS AND ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS):

Ingredients:

4 CUPS OF MILK(organic, fat-free, full-fat, whatever)

1/2 CUP of POWDERED MILK (optional, use it if you like it thicker like Greek or Dannon yoghurt; if you like Yoplait or more European style, then leave it out...)

STARTER (use a tablespoon of organic plain yoghurt like Dannon Natural OR I read you can use a couple teaspoonfuls of the Easiyo packet of freeze dried powder they sell OR I read you can buy starter at your local natural food store, or ask a friend who makes yoghurt to give you a little from their batch so you can start your own...)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the milk in a microwave safe container and cover it loosely. Nuke it on high until it hits 180 degrees (each microwave it different but you'll find how long yours takes to do this) so that it is scalded or do this stove top. OR eyeball it and stop the microwave just before it boils. This breaks down the cells of the milk so it gets a smoother yoghurt in the end. I read about this online in reference to the chemistry of yoghurt.

2. Put the milk in the fridge until it is COLD (if you want exact, then around 40 degrees F)... Put half the milk in the Easiyo container with the starter and the powdered milk (if you want the thicker yoghurt). Put on the lid. Shake and then add the remaining milk and shake up again. Keep the container in the fridge so it stays super cold until you insert it into the thermos. IF YOUR MILK MIXTURE IS NOT SUPERCOLD, YOU WILL KILL THE GOOD BACTERIA (THAT IS IN THE STARTER)WHEN YOU PUT IT INTO THE THERMOS THAT CONTAINS THE BOILING WATER & YOUR YOGHURT WILL NOT TURN OUT RIGHT....

3. Boil the water stove top to pour into the thermos, and proceed as directed in instructions.

4. Then 8 to 12 hours later you take it out. Don't shake it, but put it into the fridge to completely chill. This helps further the growth of the good bacteria and gets it nice and thick. Yum! Be sure to save a few spoonfuls as starter for your next batch!

If you are a organic type, I have read nothing but great reviews on the probiotic organic yoghurt packet that Easiyo sells. Do your research, but you could use that Easiyo organic packet for your first batch and then use organic milk for subsequent batches... saving a little yoghurt to use as startern for the next batch each time...

I recommend getting another container and the lunch containers.

I recommend buying one or two packets of the Easiyo powder just to make your first batch. I keep saving a few tablespoons for the next batch. I read that you can do this about 6 months until you need to buy a fresh starter...

RECIPE FOR VANILLA OR COFFEE YOGHURT

If you would like vanilla yoghurt, don't use imitation vanilla as it prevents the yoghurt from thickening. Take one cup of your plain yoghurt, one TBS. sugar (or 1 packet artifical sweetener like Splenda or Tuvia) and a little vanilla, maybe some cinammon. Yum! I also add a little coffee to make coffee yoghurt sometimes... I am so addicted. I love Dannon Vanilla and Coffee Yoghurt so this is a treat for me!

I have a big family so I make a batch every morning and every evening just about.

I am saving about 1/2 the cost of vanilla dannon yoghurt I think, as it is just the cost of milk and optional powdered milk, some sugar, and some vanilla extract....

Well it is with conflicting emotion that I launch into this review.. I considered not doing one at all, but have decided to do so. Let me make it VERY CLEAR that I am writing this from a specific point of view.

If your idea of "good yogurt maker" is having extremely easy production of $5 a quart yogurt made entirely of water and powdered products in a $25 insulated jar, then skip immediately to the next reviewer.

Mine is not, and based on my careful reading of these reviews, neither is it the view of about 90% of those writing these reviews. If I were going to do this, I'd simply support my local establishments and buy the most expensive, totally organic gourmet yogurts (of all kinds.. goat, cow, soy etc and with most ANY flavoring). $5 a quart is about the MOST they would cost.

If instead your idea is to make excellent yogurt, customized as to source (cow, goat, soy, etc), consistency, flavoring.. and at extremely low cost ($0.75/qt or so), then you'd do better just buying IGLOO 11029 ELITE COOLER JUG 1 GAL - RED or even one of those $4 white STYROFOAM "ICE CHESTS" sold at the local grocery or gas station because that's all you need (and that's basically what this is) and they are MUCH more flexible than this device.

THIS IS NOT A "YOGURT MAKER" (largely the reason for a 1 star) nor as best as my extensive research shows, does anyone make one.. (perhaps there are some large, commercial ones). All of the "makers" I find are really just "temperature control and insulation" devices. Some integrate a timer or whatever, but nothing is actually controlled and you still have to do the initial prep work. (In fairness, it will make yogurt if you just stick milk in it, add starter and pour the hot water bath.. but it is very thin and runny.. if you like that, then fine.. but so will any other insulated, warmed space..its still not needed)

A VERY BRIEF tour of the internet will find several very competent sources for easy and creative methods of making yogurt and requiring no special equipment. Many of the sources are college or university sites. I mean after all yogurt making seems to be at least 3500 years old, and they only had fire pits and clay pots! :) Its very easy to make this a much harder task than it is, and I think ignorance is the major reason for it (I am guilty also.. I simply started with inadequate knowledge and perhaps the naivety that holds faith in the "magic fix").

I admire the creativity of those reviewers here trying to help by making the best out of a bad situation, but I'd suggest taking their "brewing advice" and leaving this "maker" for someone else to buy.

I HAVE used this since I have it, but as I learn more, I see the serious shortcomings of this. All this device does is the "culturing stage" of maintaining a relatively consistent warmed temperature over the time required (the exact temperature isn't critical.. lower is slower, higher faster unless you get up around 125F or so where the cultures start to be killed).

My prefered method is to use convenient clean containers such as empty peanut butter jars, etc. Put equal numbers of them filled with HOT (out of the tap.. not needed to be boiling.. about 120F) and the same number of containers filled with semi-cooled (105-115F) "yogurt mix" such as people suggest for culturing in these reviews.. typically scalded and partially cooled milk with a generous tablespoon of active yogurt starter per quart.

Place these containers into an insulated area (add a blanket or towels to help). Just as a side note, even using the Easiyo, it also works better if I wrap it after filling. The rest of the process is exactly the same as is required for this device, except you can make as little or as much as you want and can also simultaneously make multiple types at once.. for example fruit, plain and flavored, etc.

If needed, check after 3-4 hours (just by feel, to verify the heat.. warm and toasty.. and don't disturb the yogurt jars.. it interupts the culturing) and refill the hot water bottles if needed. If you like mild yogurt you can probably stop at 4 hours or so and just refrigerate it.. if you like more tart yogurt continue as much as 12 or more hours. If you like thicker yogurt either hold the "scalding" for longer.. up to 30 minutes.. or add powdered milk (about 1/4 cup per quart).. or both. If making fat-free you may have to add a bit of pectin or gelatin. I like THICK yogurt and holding the scald (180F or so) for 30 minutes works fine (if you get "skin" on it, pour through a strainer before adding starter...just DON'T BOIL IT) I simply use a double boiler with 1-2 inches of slowly simmering water.

After you do a couple of batches, experiment a bit (reading from the great internet sources) you will be brimming with confidence and cranking out fantastic yogurts where YOU are controlling the tartness, flavor, nutritional content, consistency, etc.. And knowing exactly what you are eating!!

This EASIYO device is largely designed to sell the "convenience packs" that Easiyo makes, and not to be a "yogurt maker" in any standard sense. In fact I was surprised that the booklet doesn't even give a hint for making real yogurt (other than from their powders). I am in no way denegrating their product.. it seems to be decent quality, food safe, and satisfying for the market they are targeting. I also credit it with using no electric in doing so :). For that market I would rate this maybe a 4 star (overpriced for what it is). edit: I have concluded that there is a design flaw.. the insert to hold the yogurt traps air and has to be "burped" to use it.. a couple of holes in the insert would have solved this problem at no extra cost.

EDIT: For those who feel they MUST HAVE a heater/culturer, I've come across one I recommend.. Tribest Yolife Yogurt Maker - YL-210 only because it DOES come with instructions for making real yogurt and it allows making of LARGE AMOUNTS at once. up to 80 oz or more if desired.. (web search should get it for about $35 with free shipping) Since the major effort in yogurt making is the PREP TIME, this allows larger batches to be conveniently made.. I STILL feel that no special equipment is required :) Yogurt keeps for 2-3 weeks after making.

This is a wonderful device, and it makes fabulous yoghurt! I made my first batch the same day the Easiyo arrived. Took all of 3 minutes. I can hardly wait to get some extra "jars" so I can keep a batch going all the time. If you love yoghurt but hate all the fuss and bother of boiling or heating the milk then using all those little glass jars and have yet another appliance taking up space on your kitchen counters, the Easiyo is for you. I look forward to trying various starters and tasting the results. All you really need though is fresh organic milk, a yummy French-style yoghurt, and you are good to go. You won't be disappointed by the Easiyo.

FYI: S. Lowry (above) apparently had some trouble making yogurt from ready-made yogurt. I have had supreme success using fresh locally produced yogurt that we buy at the Farmers' Market. I use the age-old fail-safe recipe of one heaping tablespoon of this yogurt per cup of fresh organic milk. Even with 2% milk my yogurt comes out thick and creamy. I advise that if you have a batch that does not turn out, to simply try again with a different yogurt. It is not really necessary to use a powdered starter. I would not, however, use a supermarket yogurt as much of the good bacteria will likely be damaged or killed by the thickeners and fillers commercial production often involves.

ADDENDUM:

Well, it is March 31, 2010 and ,I have had the Easiyo for over 18 months at this point. I have used it constantly. I have learned that I need only 1 heaping tablespoon of yoghurt per QUART of milk to start a new batch. I found some glass jars that work just fine and use them now instead of the plastic jars the company sells. I get the jars 2 per pack at Costco. They contain artichoke hearts, and the brand is Cynara. The plastic jars were fine, but I just have a preference for glass. I put in my 1 TBL of yoghurt, fill the jar to 1/2 inch or so from the top, put on the lid, and shake it 3 or 4 times, no more. Then I put the boiling water into the Easiyo, put the milk-filled jar inside, and screw on the Easiyo lid. 10 or 12 hours later, I put the yoghurt into the fridge for the final set, and a couple of hours later, I crack the jar and Voila! perfect yoghurt. I've made yoghurt for most of my 61 years using every method ever recorded, and this one is the best and provides the most consistent results with the least effort. A great labor saving product if you like home-made yoghurt.

this is the best yogurt maker i have ever used and it is non electric and

no batteries - i have used different cultures in it and everyone came out

different - there also was no whey in the container - milk is put in cold

with culture, then boiling water is poured into the thermal container and

then it is sealed - set first batch for 10 hours - got yoplait like yogurt

absolutely delicious! this is by far the best yogurt maker you can buy.

the booklet also has many products the manufacturer sells - and this

method, by the way, produces more different cultures than any other yogurt

maker.

Ok. . .I haven't done a review for a long time but I needed to put my 2 cents worth in on the Easiyo. My first batch came out wonderful! Very tasty! I was a bit disappointed that there was no starter packet included but I quickly got over that. They may sell more if they had included it to try, but that is probably a different package for more money. I actually will save a lot of money in the future by using store bought yogurt if I need a starter as I never intend to buy the packets. Store bought yogurt makes it very simple & more convenient. Also, the expense of the packets seems to be an issue with many reviewers.

I started with 3 cups of organic whole milk & 3 Tablespoons of Fage Total All Natural Greek Strained Yogurt & 1/4 cup of nonfat dry milk. Brought the milk to a very slow rolling boiling, stirring continuously. Didn't even use a double boiler! (I want this to be as easy as possible.) I let it cool to 115 degrees F then added the yogurt & dry milk. Stirred with a whisk & poured it into the Easiyo inner container. Then put the lid on & it went into the prepared Easiyo outer container (prepared with heated water in the chamber). I left it on the counter overnight, put the inner container into the fridge in the morning. Let cool & had wonderful, fresh yogurt!!! It is so easy & great for an RV where electricity may be an issue.

I want to adventure into using raw, fresh milk & also rice milk. There is a lot of info on the net regarding this. I believe the rice milk will need a thickener like pectin in order to work. But, trial & error . . . fresh yogurt is the best!!!

When I purchased this yogurt maker I was looking for a nonelectric maker similar to one I had several years ago that worked great. From the description as well as the reviews I assumed I could use it to make yogurt from milk and culture rather than using the packets which are expensive especially when postage is factored in. Unfortunately that turned out not to be the case. The maker works great if you use the packets - nice thick yogurt. But when I used milk and yogurt culture (I tried both active yogurt and powdered culture I purchased at the health food store I work in) the result was a drinkable product that is not what I wanted. I especially wanted to be able to make yogurt cheese but the liquid simply poured right through the screening even when I added cheesecloth. So if you want to have to buy packets that cost more than premium quality organic yogurt when shipping is factored in or if you want a yogurt drink, this may be fine for you. But if you want a product that resembles conventional yogurt and that you can make cheese with, opt for another product.

I love this yogurt maker, and I especially like that it's non-electric. The Easiyo mixes I tried Easiyo Greek Style Yogurt Base and Culture, 6-Ounce

Easiyo Natural Yogurt Base and Culture, 5-Ounce are just yummy. They're expensive, however, although keep in mind that you don't need milk and they're on 4-for-3 here at Amazon.

I've also used premium Greek style yogurt from the supermarket and regular milk, and the results are almost as good. I heat the milk at 180 degrees for 10-15 mins., chill it, and stir in a generous helping of the starter. Good! But the starter sold here on Amazon Yogurt Culture 2-Packs of 5-Gram Each doesn't work--I tried it 3-4 times. It came out very watery even with a long culture time.

You need to experiment with this yogurt maker--it's not quite as foolproof as the electric ones. But I like being green as I make my organic yogurt!

I'm delighted with this yogurt maker. I originally bought it as part of the Easiyo Starter Pack, which included two packages each of strawberry and peach yogurt base and culture. These were super easy to use (just add water, shake, and incubate), but I found the resulting yogurt too sweet.

I then tried making a more traditional yogurt, using as a starter two tablespoons of goat's milk yogurt I'd gotten at Whole Foods and heating the milk as described below. I still didn't get the desired result.

My third attempt was a huge success, and my family and I were hooked. I used powdered yogurt culture from leeners.com (there are many similar products offered online), heated whole milk in a double-boiler to 180 degrees, cooled it to 105-110 degrees, stirred in the culture, filled the insert, and put it in the incubator (which you fill partway with boiling water) for 24 hours. The result was a creamy yogurt with a delicious tang. Once, in a moment of distraction, I forgot to put the boiling water into the incubator (had heated and cooled the milk as usual and stirred in the starter). Surprisingly, I still had good yogurt, milder at first than other batches but of good consistency. After a few days in the fridge, it developed the same delicious tang of the other batches.

The folks at leeners.com say you can use the yogurt from one batch as the starter for the next few batches, but I've had better luck using the powdered starter each time, usually mixing it with a tablespoon or two of yogurt from a previous batch for ease of stirring into the heated milk. (Update: I've found that doing this--mixing the powder with yogurt from a previous batch--over too long a period results in a steady decrease in the creaminess of the new yogurt. So now I use just the powder. You need only 1/8 teaspoon each time, and that can be stretched by mixing one part starter with 3 parts dried milk and still using only 1/8 teaspoon of the resulting mixture.) I've also tried making yogurt using 2% milk, and that was equally tasty and creamy. I believe you can also use 1% or skim milk.

I've since bought three sets of the Easiyo jars and lunchtakers so that we can always have enough yogurt on hand. Based on another reviewer's concern about the safety of the plastic containers, I've tried using glass jars similar in size to the plastic; the resulting yogurt is equally tangy and of the same wonderful consistency.

What I love about the Easiyo:

1. You can make yogurt with very little energy use. You'll need to boil approximately 2 cups (half a liter) of water, and that's your total energy expenditure.

2. It only takes 6 to 8 hours to make a batch.

3. The device is almost absurdly simple to assemble, use, disassemble, and clean.

Things about the Easiyo that disappointed me:

1. The container that the yogurt is fermented in is made of plastic, but the product documentation does not indicate what kind of plastic, nor is there a recycling symbol on the container. If you are concerned about bisphenol-A, this is a drawback. I am planning to try my next batch using a glass 1-quart widemouth Mason jar, which should fit in the device. But since glass insulates differently than plastic, I'm wondering if this will affect the fermentation time or quality.

2. The usage instructions ONLY provide instructions for using Easiyo's powdered yogurt mix, not for liquid milk plus yogurt culture. (The fact is, I got great yogurt using cold liquid milk plus about 4 tablespoons of commercial yogurt. For the next batch, of course, I will use a bit of yogurt from the previous batch.) There are a number of health, environmental, and cost reasons why using the Easiyo powder could be a problem:

a. The powdered mix costs about $4.50 to $5.00, depending on variety, and makes a liter. You can buy a half gallon (nearly two liters) of liquid milk in the U.S. for less than that, even if you buy superpremium organic brands. Some of the Easiyo mixes also contain a fruit flavor, but you can still make a liter of, say, strawberry yogurt using real berries for less than $5.00 if you use liquid milk.

b. Some health authorities think that regular consumption of powdered milk products is dangerous, since powdered milk contains residues of oxidized cholesterol (the kind that builds up in the arteries).

c. If you use the flavored Easiyo mixes, you cannot control the amount of sugar in your yogurt.

d. The powdered product is produced in New Zealand. If you are in favor of buying local, this is a problem. Furthermore, although Easiyo claims that there is no melamine in its mixes, I'd be wary of consuming milk products from New Zealand given how much NZ milk actually comes from China, where melamine is a problem.

Still, despite these reservations, it's a great product. Just do yourself a favor - use liquid milk from a local source instead of Easiyo's powdered mixes.

I really resisted buying one of these, thinking if I was going to make yoghurt from scratch I could surely do it really from scatch just as easily. Well, after three years of this, someone lent me one, and I will never go back to wasting money on shop bought yoghurt.

Do I use the packets? Occasionally. There are a few flavours my kids love that it is just easier that way, and they are convenient to have in the cupboard. But, since I found out how to make yoghurt from scratch in the Easiyo with powered milk, I usually just do that. It is just as easy, far cheaper, and you know exactly what is going in. Now, you can use fresh milk and that is fine, and there are reviews on here for how to do that, but with powered milk you save a lot of time on heating and then having to cool down the milk.

Here's what you do.

1. Fill the kettle with water and set it to boil.

2. Half fill your 1 litre Easiyo Yogurt Jar and 2 Lunchtakers with Red Lids with cold tap water. (One container comes with the yoghurt maker, but you might need some more if you go through yoghurt the way we do!)

3. Measure out 1 & 1/3 cups of milk powder (you can mix skim can full cream to get the level of creaminess you want) and add it to the container.

4. Put the lid on tightly and shake until it is all disolved.

5. Add a tablespoon or two of yoghurt from your last batch, or if you ran out, use a tsp of one of the Easiyo packets (I have used flavoured yoghurt for this, BTW, and it is fine but it does add a slight flavour, so not ideal if you are making natural yoghurt) and shake or mix until disolved (some people take out a little of their mixed milk/water to mix this in instead of putting it in the jar and shaking, but this has worked fine for me).

6. Fill the container the rest of the way with cold water, put the lid back on, and shake some more.

7. Pour boiling water into the Easiyo thermos up to the top of the baffle (just like for an easiyo packet) and place your 1 litre container in it - the water should come about half way up the side.

8. Leave it for 8-12 hours and not longer than 24 hours. The longer you leave it the tangier it gets. My kids like it best after about 9-10 hours. Check to make sure it is set.

9. Take the container out of the thermos and place it in the fridge to chill and finish setting. It will be firmer once it is chilled.

This is basically exactly the same as using an easiyo mix except you have to measure out the milk power and add a little yoghurt.

This is for making natural yoghurt. You can experiment with flavouring it either before or after setting. I add about 2 tbsp sugar and a tsp of vanilla to one litre of milk to make vanilla yoghurt. You can also stir in maple syrup or honey afterwards if people have different levels of sweet tooth!