Did anyone try this for yogurt making? Actually looking for a yogurt maker to make wild yeast in it and of course yogurt. Reason being a low consistent heat (esp. winter) to assist with the cultivation of wild yeast. I could use the oven method, but it's kinda overkill. I suppose there's always the warm water bag and box method (as per bwana)...
That is why you need a slow cooker aka crock pot keeps warm for ages especially if you wrap it in a blanket.
Basically making yoghurt in a slow cooker entails boiling water if in for about 2 hours to sterilise the crock pot, empty crock pot add fresh full cream milk boil for 4 hours, turn off heat let it sit with lid on for about 20 minutes add a two tables spoons plain yoghurt wrap the pot in blanket place it in a oven that it off overnight and enjoy your extra thick yoghurt.
If you wondering why you need to boil the milk for 4 hours, is to kill any thing any and every thing already present that could possibly compete with the thermophilus bacteria, it also reduces the moisture content of the milk with about a liter, which if you use 4 liters of milk will give you about 3 liters extra thick yoghurt.
It does produce some whey not a lot, but you will need to spoon that off, 8 to 10 hours is more then enough, to produce a light and creamy slight sour/sweet tasting yoghurt, any thing beyond that the flavor gets far more sour as fermentation takes place, 10 hours is generally the sweet spot.
You don't need fancy equipment, and a electric pressure since you can't set the ideal heat for thermaphilus, too hot and it doesn't grow at all or slow too cold and it stops before even starting, even with slow heat dissipation is enough to give the thermaphilus enough warmth to stimulate growth, crock pot is nice and thick and retains heat extremely well, even more so wrapping it in a blanket.
If you are still concerned about heat you could always wrap a water bottle in the blanket to give is more steady dissipating heat. While a hassle if you already have a slow cooker, why waste extra money, if you don't I would still rather get a slow cooker, then a one use product.
You can even use long life milk, but you will need to add cream and some milk powder, fresh milk full cream milk remains the easiest and the best.
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