Customer Reviews

Salton YM9 1-Quart Yogurt Maker

5 star:		(414)
4 star:		(107)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Look...making yogurt isn't that compicated. All you need is a good starter culture, a stable and appropriate temperature and clean equipment so you get the proper cultures growing. The Salton 1-quart does a beautiful job and you can't beat the price. If you've never made your own yogurt before, this is the unit to buy. Don't spend tons of money on a piece of equipment that does nothing more than keep the milk warm for a few hours. Realize, it is much easier to just buy yogurt at the supermarket. But if you don't like keep buying little plastic containers, and if you don't mind going to just a little effort to make your own foods, you'll enjoy making yogurt. I like to use milk straight from the bulk tank at a local dairy farm and either organic Stonyfield (NH)or organic Butterworks (VT) yogurt as a starter. Homemade yogurt doesn't always have the homogenous and solid consistency of store-bought, but I've had very good results (quite comparable with commercial yogurts) with the Salton, plus I can use whatever flavorings I want from real maple syrup to my favorite jams. I even use the yogurt in place of sour cream. The possibilities with home-made yogurt are almost unlimited!

Why pay up to $0.80 for a cup of yogurt when you can make your own easily? All you need is skim milk, a cup of plain yogurt or powdered starter (healthfood store or mail order) optional dry milk and electricity.

If you have kids and they gobble yogurt up by the case, this handly appliance will repay you very quickly. If they insist on cups, save and clean the plastic ones from the store, or get small containers from the housewares department. Put juice-sweetened jam or crushed fruit and honey in the bottom and make home-made treats that are less expensive and have less sugar.

Why scald the milk? If you are using fresh milk, as opposed to the ultra pasturized tetrapacks (like Parmalat) you scald the milk to kill enzymes that can prevent the yogurt from forming. Why use dry milk added? The added milk solids make a stiffer yogurt. If you are going to make smoothies and yogurt shakes, don't bother to add the dry milk.

This yogurt maker holds a quart and doesn't have the goofy single containers that other yogurt makers have. A quart is a good size for a family. This maker will serve you well.

I was quite surprised to see that this maker costs twice here what I paid at a local retail store four or five years ago. I use it about every other week. I've never had a failed batch.

I would still recommend this unit, despite the higher cost. Most of the other contraptions I've seen are not only much more dear, but also require that you make lots of little pots of yogurt. What a hassle.

I prefer to buy organic animal products. When you can actually find organic yogurt, it's expensive. And finding organic whole milk yogurt is well nigh impossible. If you're interested in organic yogurt, making your own is the way to go. After several batches, you'll recover the cost of the maker.

And about the silly, flimsy design that other reviewers have mentioned... I chucked the inside tub, cover and spoon. I use a quart size, wide mouth canning jar. And I just discovered last week that my grocery store sells "storage lids" for canning jars, plastic, screw on tops. Much easier than the metal rings & caps.

I've read some reports that heating foods in plastic might be dangerous. Using glass eliminates that worry. Also, the added weight of the glass helps to stabilize the unit, which others have mentioned is very light.

Finally, using the canning jar/s means that I can store the yogurt in the container I make it in -- but then I can make more yogurt before that batch is completely used up. Not possible with the original container.

I wouldn't regret buying this unit at the higher price here. However, before I did, I'd check my local thrift store. I'll bet that, like crock pots, these little units get passed along at a good clip.

I use this to make several quarts of yogurt a week. You can make yogurt without a specific yogurt maker, but it's a headache if you don't have an oven with digital settings that let you set the temperature very low. I never quite succeeded with any other method, but this seems to be foolproof. I plug it in, it goes on. I unplug it, it goes off. If only my vcr were this simple! So no, you're not paying for features, but features are not always useful anyway.

Another nice thing is that you can throw out the silly inner container it comes with, and use a widemouth quart jar, or even a recycled quart yogurt container, to make your yogurt in, so you don't ever have to transfer it to another container.

You can make your yogurt with organic milk and at a price that is dramatically cheaper than buying it in the store (mine comes out to be 1/5 the cost of bought organic yogurt).

It also makes yogurt cheese almost affordable. Just toss your yogurt in one of those reusable coffee filters (Kmart and Target sell them) and the strained yogurt becomes very thick, a good replacement for cream cheese and sour cream, among other things. Try it in cheesecake - yum!

I bought the Salton quart size yogurt maker and use it fairly often. Here's how I use it to make nonfat yogurt.

» Place the Salton yogurt maker in a convenient but out-of-the-way location where it can run for a few days. Plug it in.

» Add one cup of nonfat dry milk powder to a gallon of skim milk and mix well. This makes the resulting yogurt thicker and more nutritious. (I've read that non-instant is better for this but haven't tried it. Any experience with this, anyone?)

» Heat milk to 185-190 degrees F, stirring frequently.

» Cool milk to 110-115 degrees F. (I usually use an ice water bath. Stir the milk frequently and monitor its temperature closely. This only takes a few minutes.)

» Stir a cup to a pint of plain nonfat yogurt with live active cultures (usually from the previous batch, sometimes from a commercial product) into the cooled milk. Whisk well.

» Decant the inoculated milk into the Salton quart container and four other clean wide mouth quart canning jars. Put the Salton container in the yogurt maker and the lidded quart canning jars in the refrigerator.

» Culture the yogurt to your preferred state of solidity and tartness. It's edible in a few hours but becomes stiffer and tarter the longer you leave it. I usually let it go 24 hours (no kidding-I like it tart!).

» When the batch is done, cool it either for several hours or overnight in the fridge or, if you're dying to eat it, more quickly in an ice water bath (no stirring!). At this point the yogurt is setting. If it gets jostled or stirred anytime before it's completely cooled its consistency will be looser and runnier.

» When you're ready to make the next batch (or immediately, to keep the ball rolling until you've processed all your quarts), put a wide mouth canning jar of inoculated milk into the yogurt maker. (I used to just take them directly from the fridge. It works, but the resulting texture of the yogurt is distinctly thicker at the bottom of the jar. Now I zap the milk on half-power in the microwave in 30-second runs, stirring between, until it's at 110-115 degrees F. It works like a charm!)

SUMMARY: The Salton YM9 has been a trouble free unit. The only improvement would be larger capacity, such as the Yogourmet machine has (though at more than twice the price). Knowing what I do, I'd buy it again.

I would love to give this nice simple little tool 5 stars, but it does have the fault of making itself a lot more complicated than it needs to be! The included yogurt container is goofy, the lid does not snap on, and the spoon is fairly useless. I just use a quart canning jar or peanut butter jar. Don't be put off by the fancy directions, its really easy. Why scald the milk, it was just pasteurized. I gently warm it up to body temperature before adding the starter. We have just put cold milk and 1/2 cup of starter in the jar, and let it warm up in the yogurt maker, but it takes a lot longer. Also, adding extra dry milk is not necessary, it just makes the yogurt a little firmer. Set yourself free from all that fussing, and enjoy some nice fresh yogurt. The basic appliance, the incubator, works great and can save you money. Our local stores do not carry good plain yogurt, so we just keep organic whole milk in the freezer and make our own.

It is so easy to make your own yogurt with the Salton YM. We eat a lot of yogurt, and I was feeling guilty about throwing out all of the plastic tubs from the grocery store. Compared to store-bought yogurt, homemade yogurt tastes better (fresher, sweeter, smoother, softer), has no artificial ingredients, and I can control the amount of sugar. It is thinner than most store-bought yogurt, but the milk powder helps to give it some body. It is perfect for eating with fresh fruit and granola!

Here is what works for me:
1. Mix 4c organic 1% milk + 1/3 to 1/2 c dry milk powder in 4c glass measuring cup. (note: use slightly less than 4c milk so that it will fit into the 32oz plastic tub later)
2. Heat for 8 min in microwave. (I measured the temp and it was ~175F the first two times I made yogurt - I no longer do this each time.)
3. Let cool for 45-60 min. (Again, I measured the temp the first two times and no longer do this.)
4. Add 2 to 4 Tbsp (store-bought or homemade) yogurt to the milk as the starter (mix a little milk into yogurt first then add back to the larger milk container).
5. Pour into a 32oz plastic yogurt tub (leftover from previous purchases of store-bought yogurt), put the lid on and place into the Salton YM. (I do not use the plastic container, lid and weird spoon that came with the Salton YM. The 32oz plastic yogurt tubs fit into the YM and are great for storing in the refrigerator. I tend to make several batches in sequence, so it is easy to put the next batch into the YM once each batch is done.)
6. Leave in the Salton YM for 4 to 16 hr, depending on how tart you want the yogurt.
7. It's done for plain yogurt! For sweetened yogurt - Add 1/4 c sugar (or more if you like it sweeter) and a couple teaspoons vanilla or almond extract when the yogurt is still warm so that the sugar dissolves easily. Maple syrup or various flavors of fruit jam/preserves could also be added.

UPDATE on 4/20/05:
I tried making the yogurt without heating the milk to scalding first and it worked fine! I use organic milk that states "Ultra-Pasteurized" on the carton. I have made 5 batches without heating the milk first (use right out of the frig) and they all turned out great! This makes it even easier to have fresh yogurt, with fewer dishes to wash. Just mix up everything in the plastic yogurt tub and let it "cook".

UPDATE on 11/28/05:
I tried regular "Pasteurized" milk without first scalding the milk and the yogurt did not thicken. It appears that only "Ultra-Pasteurized" works to go directly into the yogurt maker without heating. I have since learned a bit about pasteurization and the ultra-pasteurized is heated to higher temps to kill bacteria and extend shelf life to months-long. I will only use the "Ultra-Pasteurized" now since it is most convenient and does not dirty any extra dishes. I still use the yogurt maker weekly and love it!

The recipes included with the Salton Yogurt Maker are just too much time and trouble (heating a quart of milk and waiting for it to cool, taking temperature readings etc.)

The following is an easy and safe method which makes an exceptionally delicious and a more nutritious product.

Making the Yogurt

(Using a Salton YM9, 1-Quart Yogurt Maker)

Yogurt is a cultured milk product produced by bacterial action upon lactose (milk sugar). The longer the product is incubated the more lactose is converted into lactic acid which gives yogurt its tangy taste. With enough time, the lactic acid can “per-digest” the casein and other milk proteins causing the formation of curds which separate from the liquid whey protein. The curds can be filtered out with cheese cloth and pressed into “Farmers Cheese”.
Real kefir is yogurt fermented with yeast, producing a carbonated drink that contains a slight amount of alcohol. Real kefir can only be made using kefir starter grains. Store-bought kefir is just ordinary yogurt (drinkable) that is more appropriately called “Turkish Kefir”.
Every yogurt manufacturer uses a proprietary blend of bacterial cultures. Thus, the yogurt used as a starter, as well as the incubation time, will determine the taste and consistency of the finished product. The following recipe will create a yogurt with a texture of soft ice cream and a low 2% butterfat content. It also has 2¼ times the nutritional value of milk or store-bought yogurts.

Ingredients: 2 cups + cold water
2 cups instant dry powdered milk
12 oz. evaporated milk (not skim, unopened can at room temperature)
2 oz. starter yogurt or “kefir” (fresh, unflavored with active cultures)

Procedure: (Caution – Use only a rubber spatula in the yogurt maker container.)
1. Fill the Salton Yogurt Maker container to the .5 liter mark with cold tap water.
2. Add 2 cups instant dry powdered milk while stirring the water. (prevents lumps)
3. Heat uncovered mixture to near boiling in microwave oven. (6±
min. depending upon power)
4. Place in yogurt maker, stir to equalize temperature, cover and let stand 10 min. (sterilization)

From this point, all utensils used should be washed in hot water with anti-bacterial detergent.

5. Shake can then stir in 12 oz. evaporated milk. (brings
temperature down to culture safe level)
6. Stir in 2 oz. starter yogurt or “kefir”.
7. Incubate undisturbed for 3 to 24 hrs. (real yogurt lovers
start with 8 to 12 hrs.)
8. Dispose of condensation from cover and refrigerate
immediately. When cold, dispose of condensation from cover
again and gently transfer yogurt to clean storage container,
if desired.

Suggestions and Notes:
1. Stonyfield makes a nicely balanced yogurt with traditional
tartness.
2. Fresh Made classic or original kefir incubated for 12 hours
tastes like whipped cream cheese.
3. Lifeway kefir is similar to Fresh Made but a bit more tart and
costly.
4. Dannon makes a smooth, too mild tasting yogurt, perhaps low in lactic acid, incubate for 24 hrs.
5. Starter yogurt can be homemade but avoid anything over the 6th generation, they get “tired”.
6. The lactic acid in yogurt helps to prevent the growth of
undesirable bacteria during incubation.
7. Using 1 cup powdered milk makes a thinner yogurt with 1½ times the nutritional value of milk.
8. Freezing kills the active cultures.
9. Try the yogurt mixed with sliced bananas, yummy! (Top with
strawberries?)




Yogurt Waldorf Salad

Plain yogurt sounds awful but the oats and raisins sweeten the mix.

For one lunch size serving:

- 1½ cups of plain yogurt, more or less to taste
- ½ cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons of small walnut pieces
- 3 tablespoons of raisins
- 1 apple cut into small pieces (try different types, red
delicious being the sweetest)
- 1 length of celery cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, if desired

Mix all of the above ingredients in a small bowl. You'll find it is yummy, nutritious, filling and tends to become addictive.

PS It may be hard to believe, but one serving provides about 38 grams of protein!
(when the homemade yogurt is used)

I bought this based upon the excellent reviews, low price, and the fact that my kids seem to think eating yoplait is cost-free and their birthright. My kids can devour a case of yoplait in about 2 days if I let them, or 3-4 if I ration it, so I needed some way to control the costs and also improve the nutritional value. There are no fillers or unhealthy added ingredients when you make it yourself.

This yogurt that I made was so incredible and great that my husband who does not eat yogurt at a big bowl, and my kids asked me to make more for tomorrow. We mixed in some berry jam and natural sugar free sweetener (stevia), then topped it with fresh sliced strawberries. It was the most amazing dessert. It tasted like an exquisite French dessert and I can see why immigrants to the USA complain about the yogurt... there is no comparison between store bought and what I made.

Although the instructions state that you need a flavor-free yogurt, my first yogurt did turn out very well using Stonybrook Farms French Vanilla yogurt. I don't know why you are supposed to only use plain yogurt as a starter, but mine worked fine with the french vanilla.

Here's the rundown on how this machine works. First, you have to heat up 4 cups of milk and 1/4 cup of dry powdered milk in a saucepan over medium to medium high until it reaches around 180 degrees. This DOES NOT come with a thermometer so you may need to order a candy thermometer when you order the yogurt maker if you are not good at guaging temperatures. It's very important to NOT boil the milk. Then you have to let it cool at room temp or in the refrigerator until it reaches 100-110 degrees. Anything over that will kill the yogurt cultures that you are about to add. Below that, they won't activate. Then you take 1/2 cup of starter or plain yogurt with live active cultures and a bit of the milk and stir. Then that gets added to the saucepan of lukewarm milk and the entire thing is placed into the preheated yogurt maker. At that point you let it sit plugged in for anywhere from 4-10 hours. I went with 5 hours and 50 minutes since I do like it just a bit tangy & well set. I also used whole milk, so you may need more time with non-fat milk. Then you unplug the yogurt maker since there is no "off" switch, and then take the plastic quart tub out and place it in the refrigerator for several hours. I would recommend overnight but do not disturb it as it will not set as well if you stir it and add your mix-ins at this point. Be sure to save 4-5 ounces of this for starting your next batch of yogurt. There is no need to buy starters if you do this and use your homemade starter within 5 days. You can also freeze your starter in an ice cube tray for future use, just be sure when re-heating it to never let it exceed 110 degrees or the cultures will be killed. You can also just defrost the starter in your refrigerator or at room temp. After a few batches the starter will lose it's potency and you may need to restart with a fresh cup of plain yogurt from your grocery store.

After it is set the next day just add your flavorings (at each serving) such as stevia, splenda, sugar, jam, fresh fruit, granola, vanilla, maple syrup, etc and have fun experimenting! I have not tried it, but I have read you can add vanilla extract & 4 tablespoons of sugar to the heated milk before you let it incubate.

The biggest downside to this yogurt maker is that it's basically an incubator without any bells and whistles other than the ability to hold a temp of 110 degrees. There is no timer (just a sliding wheel at the top so you can put the dial on what time you would like to check on it). I currently use my oven timer to let me know when time it will be done. Additionally, it would be nice if it just changed temps from 110 degrees to refrigerator temp automatically but it doesn't and certainly wouldn't at this price point. There was also no recipe book, which I was really expecting as all my small appliances come with recipe books.

I had been making my own yogurt for some time, incubating with hot water, a insulated cooler, etc. It worked, but was time consuming and you had to babysit the jars of yogurt...this is much easier. Keep in mind you still have to scald and cool the milk before adding starter, it doesn't do that for you. But once that is done (and a cool water bath speeds up the process) put it in here (after preheating), wait a few hours and you're done. I've found that yogurt incubates much more quickly in this gadget than my "old way," which sometimes took overnight or longer, resulting in very tart yogurt. As other reviewers have mentioned, you can use a wide mouth mason jar as a supplement or to replace the plastic container. I am mystified by those who said that they had to rig special dimmer switches, splice electrical controls onto the plug, etc., to get the correct temperature...just out of curiosity I measured/monitored the tempurature during incubations on several different occasions and it always hovered around 110 degrees. So I'm guessing these folks had malfunctioning thermostats on the machines....anyway, it's reasonably priced, works well and will easily pay for itself if you use a lot of yogurt, particularly organic yogurt.