I still love making gelato but producing perfect yogurt has become a consuming passion. 

Yogurt to me is a pure substance. It is white. It is clean. It is alive, full of millions of bacteria – good bacteria that are healthful and add to gut health, part of the move toward understanding the benefits of fermented foods. It is a truly living food. It’s made when heated milk combines with bacteria, after it has been boiled and re-pasteurized, transforming it into this thick, sour, tangy, food.  The bacteria convert the sugar in milk, called lactose, to lactic acid, which thickens the milk and develops its distinctive tart flavor.

As an ancient nutrient that survives to this day,  yogurt carries its own mystique. It was invented between 5,000 and 10,000 BC! The first written reference was in the 11^th century. It came to Europe in 1542. Goat herders made it in animal bladders. Cows, goats and sheep, camels, yaks and water buffalo milk can be used for yogurt. 

In the 1900s, the Bulgarian microbiologist Stamen Grigorov discovered Lactobacillus bulgaricus bacillus, a strain of the bacillus bacteria not naturally found in the human gut that caused the fermentation of yogurt. He also researched the specific health effects of lactic acid. I love to say the names of the bacteria flooding the yogurt: Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. It almost sounds wicked and erotic. 

I have produced Insta Pot home-made yogurt many times, for a year or more, and only now have I perfected the method. The basics are the same.

Use Yogurt setting: boil milk. Take container out of the pot and let it cool to 120-30 F. Mix a few teaspoons of previously prepared yogurt in a bowl with the warm milk. Whisk into batch. Cook on low for 10-12 hours. Put in fridge to congeal, then pour into jars. It comes out yogurt but is watery and thin. I added gelatin and that helped. I made it with cream too and gelatin. Or with two envelopes of Knox gelatin. It thickened the yogurt but not by much. It was somewhat frustrating. I had tried cheese cloth to strain it, as is advised in many recipes for  more protein-rich Greek Yogurt. It worked but was not only very messy and difficult to clean, wasting much  yogurt, and creating immense amounts of whey and too thick yogurt. 

Very nutritional, whey primarily comprises water with lactose (a type of sugar), some fat, and the water-soluble proteins of milk. A greenish fluid, it can be used in many ways, including as a liquid substitute in baking for a softer texture, to cook grains like rice or pasta, or in smoothies for added protein. It’s also great for lacto-fermenting vegetables, making ricotta cheese, and can also irrigate plants or to fertilize compost piles. A complete protein, it contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a high-quality nutrient quickly digested and absorbed by the body. 

However, we never use it and almost always get rid of it. I must resolve to use it to cook rice, for example, or make my own ricotta instead of buying it for my fantastic lemon-ricotta gelato.

There still was the problem of watery yogurt. For some time, I had my eye on the Euro Cuisine Greek Yogurt Maker, available on Amazon for $59.00. I didn’t really want to spend that much money on something so simple, but I did. Reviewers said things like, “you will not know what you did without it,” and they were right. 

The Euro Cuisine makes just the right amount of whey and Greek  yogurt. The yogurt itself is thick and creamy, a real improvement. It’s easy to clean. Rinse the yogurt out of the steel filter and wash the bowls. Have to say it’s kind of pricey for a plastic bowl, rubber top and stainless steel but it is a serious upgrade to my yogurt making – and well worth it.  No gelatin, no cream, just whole milk and yogurt starter now produces the essence of  yogurt, pure and simple. A beautiful food. Perfect consistency, creaminess and tangy slightly sour taste. One drawback is that it now makes less than the 2 litres of whole milk I begin with. One could double the recipe but that doesn’t fit in the Insta Pot. A dilemma for sure. 

What to do with  yogurt. I’ve made yogurt gelato – honey almond – is a real winner. It’s great of course with berries and honey.

For extra nutrition, I add on Salad topper, a nut and seed mixture a Costco product.

It’s good over cereal  in addition to milk. Make a tasty yogurt smoothie with honey, bananas or strawberries.  Gut health is in and some yogurt every day helps that along.  Don’t buy yogurt. Make your own.