I am a big fan of food dehydrators, and am always looking for alternate uses to make them even more versatile. So when I came across an narrative from the University of Missouri postponement Office on how to make yogurt at home I was excited. This single article, with its with recipe, was "incubator agnostic." They essentially do not care what you use to keep the combination warm while the cultures go to work manufacture yogurt. The only valuable criteria is the capability to keep the combination within the 108 to 112 degree Fahrenheit range valuable to culture growth.
Food dehydrators require only a few features to qualify them as yogurt makers:
- An adjustable thermostat that includes the 108 to 112 Fahrenheit range.
- Internal space to hold the containers you intend to use.
While that sounds uncomplicated enough, it may not be. Some dehydrators use stacking trays that do not adjust far enough apart to adapt yogurt cups. Some less-expensive models have only one temperature setting. Make sure your dehydrator will meet both criteria before you start.
To use your dehydrator naturally use your beloved yogurt formula (or use the one from the U of M postponement Office, associated below). Pre-warm your dehydrator to 100 degrees while you put in order the mixture. Then, at the point where your formula tells you to place the filled container(s) into the incubator (usually a yogurt maker), place it into the dehydrator instead. Similar time requirements should apply, depending on the solidity and tartness you desire.
There is one further consideration worth discussing: Is a food dehydrator the most efficient incubator for manufacture yogurt? Probably not. Yogurt makers tend to be more efficient, because they are seldom much larger than the containers they incubate, requiring less power to keep them warm. Food dehydrators regularly run both a heater and a fan, and chances are they will have a fair number of "dead space" colse to the containers that will be unnecessarily heated.
However, a large capacity dehydrator can potentially procure some of the efficiency lost by being able to incubate larger batches of yogurt. A large, box model with removable trays, for example, could potentially hold any batches worth of containers on a single tray, in case,granted the tray is strong enough. any trays could likely be cultured at the same time, as well, which increases efficiency considerably. Again, be specific not to overtax your trays.
I believe that dehydrators should work as well as many other options ready for incubating yogurt cultures and manufacture yogurt. What you potentially lose in efficiency may be made up in other ways, such as not having to buy a isolate yogurt machine, not having to store a isolate yogurt machine, and being able to make larger batches. I am interested in hearing your experiences in using dehydrators as yogurt machines. I am also interested in what other uses you may have discovered for food dehydrators beyond drying food. Drop me an email at the website below, and good luck!
For the U of M narrative and recipes, go here.
development Yogurt in a Food Dehydrator