Yogurt maker is an interesting and necessary device for any family, especially if small children live in it. You can eat fresh and high-quality delicious dairy products every day. The main thing remains - to master science, how to use yogurt maker.
Basic information about the device
By its purpose, the yogurt maker is a unit, which is able to maintain a given temperature for the manufacture of various fermented milk products. At the same time in food all necessary and very useful for an organism live bifidobacteria remain.
The device has the following necessary elements:
- working chamber for placing jars, in which fermentation takes place;
- electric heater to maintain the desired temperature;
- thermostat;
- the body itself (most often made of metal);
- electrical part with settings.
What can be cooked in a yogurt maker? Not only that, what justifies the name of this device. Depending on the functionality, the technique can be used for manufacturing:
- cream;
- cheese;
- kefir;
- ryazhanka;
- sour;
- bifilaka;
- sherbet;
- ice cream.
The main thing - all the dishes will be fresh and much more useful than the store range.
Necessary conditions for cooking
Ingredients for the manufacture of any fermented milk product are:
- leaven;
- milk;
- fillers.
Without leaven there will be no result. For it you can take any remaining yogurt (home or shop) or buy ready-made at the pharmacy. If you decide to use yogurt, it must be taken in proportion 1 liter of milk to 120 ml of yogurt. For the pharmacy version, everything is described in the annotation.
Milk should be fresh - it is best to boil it before cooking. This method will kill all the negative microflora in it, and live bacteria will come from the yeast. Fat content is also relevant: the higher it is, the thicker the yogurt will be. It is best to choose the 3.5% option. Perfectly, if you can use fresh homemade or farm milk.
The use of fillers will diversify the taste of the finished product. Berries can be used here, fruits, jams and jams, as well as cocoa and chocolate. It is important to pay attention to their expiration date.
Detailed information on cooking can be found in the instructions for a particular model. However, there are rules common to all:
- All jars must be thoroughly washed before fermentation. At the same time it is impossible to use detergents - the microflora of a product can suffer.
- Yogurt maker should stand on a perfectly flat surface - otherwise there may be uneven heating.
How the device works
Two main criteria, determining the future result is the time and temperature of cooking.
- The optimal period for fermentation is from eight to twelve hours. If you set the timer for a shorter time, yogurt will turn out liquid. If you follow all the rules, the product will be tender and thick.
- Different leavens determine different temperatures. You can not overheat: useful microflora will be destroyed and yogurt will simply not reach a homogeneous composition.
Each yogurt maker has a timer, thermostat. Some models have a delayed start timer.
The operating time of the unit is quite long, but do not worry in advance about the electricity consumed. In a typical yogurt maker, the power rating is from 13 to 18 W (the incandescent bulb consumes much more powerfully). The whole cooking process will cost you 1/10 kW / year, which is quite acceptable.
Secrets of some recipes
If the future user wants to see on his table not only yogurt, then he must know some nuances.
- Almost all devices are able to make sour cream, but for that, to make it high quality, it is necessary to set a lower temperature, than for yogurt.
- But not all appliances make cheese - this requires an appropriate program. The same devices, endowed with such "talents", have in the complete set also special convenient capacity.
- To make ice cream and sherbet or frozen yogurt, a special function must be provided in the technique.
Let's start testing the device with a simple recipe. What has to be done, to get plain yogurt?
- Diluted yeast is divided equally between all jars (for this purpose the divisions are marked on them).
- It is necessary to fill approximately on 80% their volume, then the lids are closed and the product is left to reach.
Example, for medical yogurt Evitalia can be bought at the pharmacy the appropriate leaven - it will be sold in packaging for 10 vials. Each of them contains 300 mg of strains - so, the finished result should be at least two liters. It is enough to follow all the above recommendations, so that you have a useful and fresh product on the table. And other medicinal leavens, if desired, are easy to find in almost any drugstore.