So I’ve been making my rich yoghurt with my Yogourmet for 3-1/2 years. It always seemed to turn out fine. It gets thick, tastes tart and I seemed to tolerate it. Appearances aside, something was very wrong.
After following the Pecanbread and BTVC-SCD groups on Yahoo I come to find out that many people have problems with their Yogourmets getting too hot. A quick check of the BTVC book will tell you that the allowable temperature range for culturing yoghurt is from 100 to 110 degrees F (38-43 degrees C). If it gets too hot, the temperature begins to kill the bacteria that is digesting the lactose in the milk. If this happens you wind up with yoghurt that has sugars you are trying to avoid and lacking the probiotics you are trying to seed in your gut.
I thought I’d investigate my Yogoumet and as it turns out, I’ve been cooking my yoghurt too hot all this time. Rats! I did a test using water in place of my usual half and half. Even after just 7 hours, the temperature of the water was above the allowable range at 116 degrees F. I tried removing the lid of the maker, leaving the jar’s lid in place to see if that would make the difference I needed. Even after more than 12 hours of topless heating, the temp of the test water decreased only two degrees. “Holy insufficient cooling, Batman!”
Luckily, there is an easy solution – a plug in dimmer switch. What’s that you ask? It’s a simple little device you can purchase at your local hardware store for $10 – 20 USD (see image at left). It’s designed to take an ordinary lamp and make it dimmable. You simply plug your Yogourmet into the dimmer switch and the dimmer switch into a regular electrical outlet. The trick is to figure out how much to “dim” your yoghurt and when to do it to obtain and maintain the right temperature.
In my experiments I let the yoghurt culture at full power (dimmer on full) for six hours at which point my yoghurt was 104 degrees F – perfectly in the acceptable range. Then I turned down the dimmer switch to about halfway. This maintained the temperature at about 105 degrees for the rest of the processing. Woohoo!
Your dimming experience may differ due to the type of dimmer you have and the ambient temperature of the room. Mine was in a kitchen with an average temperature of about 77 degrees F. You’ll have to experiment to calibrate your dimmer switch. The good news is that once you’ve done that, you shouldn’t have to do it again.
Notes:
Once you’ve figured out the timing and setting of your dimmer switch, I’d recommend marking your switch at the dimmed position so you don’t have to figure it out each time.
I start counting my processing time when the yoghurt temperature reaches the acceptable range.
I’ve not done it, but another popular way to make yoghurt is to use a food dehydrator.
UPDATE 3.3.10: April tells me that she uses a digital egg incubator to do her yoghurt. She tells me that although they are pricey, they keep the temperature to within 1 degree. See the comments on this page for more info.
Wait a minute. The Yogourmet is the simplest thing, does nothing but heat water to a specific temperature. And it can’t do that right?! Now you have me worried about mine. And royally pissed at the Yogourmet engineering boobs.
I am thankful for this info as I had sropped using my maker and opted for the dehydrator. It seemed such a waste though. Now I will get a dimmer and try this so I have the option of both appliances again. Thank you Paul!
Janice,
You betcha.
-Paul
No, the Yogourmet does NOT heat to a specific temperature. It does not have a thermostat. It has a heater that simply turns on and stays on. The temperature to which it heats is random.
Ah, therein lies the rub. The Yogourmet *doesn’t* heat to a specific temperature. It doesn’t have a thermostat. It simply has a heating element that will get the temperature reasonably close for 4-6 hours. After that all bets are off.
Kevin,
My understanding is that the Yogourment was not engineered specifically for the needs of SCD yoghurt – namely long processing of 24 plus hours. As a tool for making regular yoghurt like the kind found in your grocery store, the Yogourmet is an excellent tool without any modifications.
-Paul
Paul,
Thank you so much for this information. I have been making yogurt ever since starting on the SCD about 7 years ago and it never occurred to me to test the temperature! I plan to do so with the next batch! I love your blog. Keep the ideas coming!
Shannon,
You’re welcome and thank you.
-Paul
Hi Paul,
Paul,
Thanks for this info. Bridget (8 yr old) has been having some little problems lately. The last few batches of yogurt have actually had a bit of a burnt taste. I’m sure we were making it too hot. I hope this is the answer for her!!
Did you mention this at the online group? If you did I must have missed it.
I can’t wait to try the sausage recipe.
By the way, thanks for your advice months back about ‘never allowing Bridget to cheat.’ You were right. We have had a few unintentional mistakes and “we all knew it” as you predicted. Ha!
She’s doing very well over all. Still no meds or major flares.
Donna
Donna,
I found out about the Yogourmet possibly being too hot on the online groups and so made this post. Afterwards, I think I may have mentioned this post on one of the groups, but couldn’t swear to it.
My six year old loves the sausage – she’s a spicy gal.
The good thing about making mistakes with the diet is they tend to reinforce how it is working for you.
I’m very glad to hear Bridget is doing so well. Awesome!
-Paul
Hi Paul,
I never thought there would be an issue with making the yogurt, but my question is how did you figure out your maker was too hot? It may seem obvious, but did you just leave the thermometer in the water without a batch of yogurt in, or with it in?
Thanks,
Susie
Susie,
I put water into the container instead of milk and measured the temp every hour of both the water inside the container and the water around the container. I left the yoghurt maker closed, only opening it to test the temp every hour. I did not leave the temperature probe in the maker at any time.
-Paul
Wow, your blog is so completely awesome…!
Atieno,
You are too kind…
-Paul
Paul
Time to tackle yogurt
I skipped the intro days too
Having a flare so going deeper into SCD
(Poss culprits-interested what you think did it- Berry seeds, cider not cloudy enough, coconut milk, chik-fil-a not washed enough (they did special prep pre-cooking), soda water, restaurant lamb ingredients not disclosed, didn’t check if hot sauce was orig mcilhenny, red vinegar cldv been from rice…?I do eat peanut butter and yellow bananas) So, to make yogurt, dannon can be starter? Yogourmet mix doesn’t have illegal bifid? All dimmer work? Three way dimmer wld work?
Atieno,
I agree that what you listed as possible culprits could indeed be giving you a hard time. You may want to avoid them for a while.
I tried eating at restaurants in the early SCD years, but gave up on them – I don’t think they quite understand what we need, no matter how well we explain it. I especially would not trust a chain restaurant like a chick-fil-a. If I you must use a restaurant, I encourage you to use one that is locally owned.
You may also want to avoid peanut butter during a flare. I understand that many people’s early problems with the SCD can be traced to peanut butter. If you need a nut butter, try pecan butter. It’s supposedly easier on the gut.
Regarding Dannon as a starter – you must you the plain variety – the only ingredients listed are milk and culture. I have been using it for years and had good results. I find it easier than ordering the freeze dried starter.
The yogourmet freeze dried mix is legal also.
Regarding dimmer switches – A three way may work if one of those settings held the temperature at the right level. An infinite switch, the kind that slides without clicking would work for sure as you can make fine adjustments to get it just right.
-Paul
Ps black tea and coffee- both weak- likely don’t help?
Atieno,
I suspect any caffeine will only encourage D or irritate an already irritated gut.
-Paul
Thank you so much for getting the word out about the problems with the Yogourmet device — ironically, the most often recommended yogurt maker for SCDers!
This helped to explain so many of my problems on the diet, which seemed to all begin after first trying to make the yogurt about three months into SCD.
I quit the yogurt a while ago, then switched to GI Pro Health probiotic capsules. Now, it looks like the diet is finally working again after 2+ years of setbacks.
Thanks again for bringing these issues to light.
IW,
You’re welcome. I’m glad you found this info. There are so many things to keep in mind when doing the SCD, it’s hard to get it all right.
-Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks for mentioning the issue with the temp as I continue to have problems when eating the SCD yogurt made in my Yogourmet. I’ll get a dimmer as well and test for the right temp. Well, with UC, you certainly learn how to pay attention to detail, right?
Sue
Sue,
You’re welcome and yes, the SCD certainly has changed my awareness!
-Paul
I’ve just checked the european moulinex youghurt maker. It’s well above 42 degrees celcius, which is the maximum i can read i my thermometer. I will get the dimmer tomorrow. For now, I switched it off and I will wait for some hours. Hopefully it will cool down a little bit and the good bacteria will have a good opportunity to eat all the lactose.
Hi Paul,
Now that I’m doing my temperature experiments with my Yogourment, I have realized that you also have to watch the temperature inbetween the yogurt container and the outside walls. Usually, I used regular fountain water, not paying too much attention to that because I was focused on getting the temp for the milk right. Today, as I’m doing my testing, I realized that I have been using cold water… what happens? When I tested the water in the inner container at the beginning is was 105 degrees Fahrenheit, then I added my water between the container and the outer walls of the Yogourment. After 30 minutes I realized what I had done, so I opened everything and started measuring. Results: Inner container 95 degrees and outer water 87 degrees. So, make sure that the water you use between the inner container and the outside wall is around 105 degrees as well.
Sue
Sue,
I suspect that the main effect of the starting temperature of your water jacket will show in the length of time it takes for your yoghurt to reach the 100 – 110 F temperature range. Colder jacket water would take longer and warmer jacket water would take less time. How much time, I don’t know.
I think the key would be to not use really cold water one time and really hot water the next. Although I have to admit to thinking that if you are using simple tap water, the time difference should be minimal.
-Paul
Is there a better yogurt maker on the market without this issue?
Jason,
I only have experience with the 2 quart Yogourmet Multi so I can’t comment on other yoghurt machines. I suspect that with the special needs of SCD yoghurt there are issues with other makers as well.
However, I do know that many people are happy using their Excalibur dehydrators for yoghurt making. For more info on that, search the BTVC-SCD group on Yahoo.
-Paul
Wow, thanks for blogging about this. My first batch of SCD yogurt gave me amazing results and I was basically able to eat anything I wanted so long as I had at least a half a cup a day. All of my subsequent batches gave me problems though and after reading around, I came across your site and checked the temperature which reached 122F! I purchased a dimmer and the first batch should be ready by tomorrow morning. Temp was about 105.5 the entire time, so fingers crossed I didn’t mess something else up this time hah.
Will,
Yeah for the internet! How did people do the SCD before it was this easy to find info?
-Paul
I would imagine very few of us would know about the SCD were it not for the internet too, let alone learn how to do it properly
.
One trick I also picked up on was to just cool the milk to 110 and then use tap water at about 100-110 so that you don’t have to worry about changing your dimmer setting. I can set mine to a little less than 3/4 and it maintains 105.5F the entire time; I’m going to push it a little higher though as I’m thinking a higher temp (not above 110 though) would be more conducive to bacterial growth.
Had some of the first batch this morning; looks & tastes like it is supposed to and it’s thick & creamy (good signs). Looks like a success, thanks again
.
Will,
Glad I could help and thanks for your trick.
-Paul
Could you put a dimmer on a crockpot? If so, would this work to make yogurt?
Theresa,
Sure, I don’t see why you couldn’t use a dimmer on a crockpot.
I believe that people use crock-pots to make yoghurt, but I’ve never tried it myself.
If you don’t want to risk failed yoghurt, try your crockpot / dimmer combo with water and monitor the temperature throughout a cycle.
Cheers,
Paul
Yes, I have been using a crockpot with the keep warm setting and a dimmer set at about 26 to 30 volts (as opposed to the normal 120 volts of household wiring). I have a Fluke digital volt meter, so I can get it down to the exact voltage needed for the crockpot water bath to remain in the 110 degrees F area.
The nice thing about using a crockpot is I can use it to heat up the storebought milk to 190 F in the same pot, and then let it cool down before adding the starter.
I’m not on the SCD diet, I just like letting my yogurt go the entire 24 hours so I have a very tangy and delicious yogurt which I can’t find in any store.
Theresa,
I am not sure if I should comment, but there is a way to do yogurt with your crock pot, the recipe is on the blog of crockpot365.blogspot.com/…/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html I hope that it is ok to refer this here on this page. I have used a ME72 Miracle Yogurt Maker, and I have not had any problems so far.
Alisa
I am just getting started and feel overwhelmed about the yougurt making. Do I understand that I can just take some tablets and forget this whole thing? GI Pro Health probiotic capsules? Do you eliminate consuming milk products still, or take it with milk?
Lynda,
First of all, take a deep breath and try to relax. Doing the SCD is a learning process and making mistakes is part of that. The benefit of these mistakes is that you can really appreciate the effect of the diet.
It’s not optimal to substitute probiotic pills for the yoghurt and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you cannot tolerate any form of dairy. For an explanation of why, see this page on Pecanbread.com: http://www.pecanbread.com/new/probiotics1.html.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul,
I just used my NEW Yogourmet for the very first time to make my very first batch of SCD yogurt. I have not tasted it yet — its still cooling.
However, I’m really glad I discovered your blog right now, because I did notice while my yogurt was cooking that the temp. in the outer water bath was 113 degrees. So now I wonder if my very first batch of yogurt will make me sick. Bummer! I was SO looking forward to eating it tonight!
My NEW Yogourmet came with a warning note, printed on yellow slip of paper inserted in the container. It said that in order to insure the UNIT operates at proper temps, the ROOM TEMP must be between 68 and 72 degrees. To insure this, I kept the air conditioning on at 72 degrees, for the entire 24 hrs, while I was cooking the yogurt. (I live where it gets to 90 or 100 degrees in summer) Apparently, this was not cool enough to keep the machine in the correct temp range for yogurt making.
I think the next time I try making yogurt, I’ll use your dimmer idea, although it gets tricky when I have to consider the entire house temperature in my calculations.
Thanks for your blog and your creative solutions!
Kathy,
When I was doing my tests I generally found that the waterbath was a little warmer than the yoghurt itself. I bet your batch was okay.
Comparing the cost of keeping a house in a hot climate at 72 degrees to the cost of a dimmer, I think you would quickly pay for the cost of the dimmer.
It shouldn’t take too many tests to figure out where that setting on your dimmer is. Do it with water.
-Paul
We found the same problem to be true with our Yogourmet machine- it went up to above 120 degrees! Just a note of warning: we tried a different dimmer than described and it did nothing to lower the temp even at the lowest setting. Just got the recommended one and it works fantastic!!
Christine,
Glad to hear it.
-Paul
This is not a workable solution if your room temperature fluctuates a lot. This can be caused my changing seasons, using the oven, etc, etc. I am considering rigging up my yogurt making with a thermostat, like the one here http://www.alliedelec.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?SKU=5570152&MPN=CAP-75-140#tab=Overview
This is basically the same idea as using a dimmer, except the thermostat automatically handles everything! The downside to this is it probably requires opening up the yogurt maker and doing some soldering, and drilling a hole in the top of the inner yogurt container to stick the probe in. Also keeping a copper probe submerged in the yogurt for 24 hours might cause some issues (oxidation maybe?).
I might give this a try, and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Anonymous,
Have you actually had this problem or are you speculating? What kind of fluctuations are you experiencing?
-Paul
The other thing to consider is the reliability of one’s thermometer. I just checked the water in both the Salton and the Yogourmet after two hours, using two different digital thermometers. Bizarrely, the range of difference in temperatures is greater in the Yogourmet. That is, in the Salton, the thermometers (applied at the same time) said 101 and 103. In the Yogormet, the same thermometers (also applied at the same time) said 102 and 106. Perhaps they have to be in the exact same spot?! Just to complicate things further, I added two more thermometers…And got two additional different readings. Luckily, they are all in the safe range. But it does give one pause.
Jane,
I’ve had the same experience. I used to assume that a decent thermometer would give me an accurate reading, but it seems that it’s more akin to an opinion than a solid number. I used to take an average of a couple of thermometers until I decided that one would be the one I trusted.
-Paul
Paul,
Do you feel a difference after you added a dimmer switch?
Were there any changes for you good or bad?
Thanks!
Jodi
Jodi,
I can’t say that I did notice any difference – my body didn’t speak loudly enough for me to tell.
-Paul
I just started making yogurt with the yogourmet and I’ve been testing my first 2 batches with two separate digital thermometers (the one that came with the yogourmet and another one). I was testing about every 8 hours or so. last night about 10 hours in it was too low (about 97 degrees) so I kicked it up a notch. Woke up this morning to find that it was too high (112 degrees on one thermometer). Does this mean this batch is now useless? Probiotics and lactose-eating bacteria have all been killed and it’s useless for improving gut flora (the main reason I am making it)?
Mike,
I suspect that your batch is fine since the 112 degrees is so close to the target range of 100 – 110 degrees.
That small of a difference in temperature may even be within the accuracy range of your thermometer. For instance, check out this page at http://www.thermoworks.com and see the accuracy column for their different digital thermometers.
Cheers,
Paul
I tried to make SCD yogurt for the first time in a crock pot. The first 4 hours on the Keep Warm setting the temperature stayed at 110. At that point I had to go to bed and thought since it had stayed at 110 it should be fine. I woke up about 4 hours later just to check on the yogurt and the temperature was too high. I wasn’t sure what to do. My batch was really large (about a gallon) so I thought maybe I could add more bacteria so at least it would have some probiotic properties and those bacteria could eat up the lactose. So I warmed some milk and starter yogurt to 110 added it to my original batch and put my crock dish into a cooler with another pot of hot water to keep it warm. I believe that the yogurt stayed at 110 for at least 15 hours after that. I put the yogurt in the fridge and blended it. I ate some the first time and I didn’t feel any lactose effects but the second time I had a small stomach ache. Should I throw out all that yogurt? Can it be fixed?
Sharlet,
The short answer is that I don’t know if it’s still good, but if it’s giving you a stomach ache, perhaps it’s a loss in the probiotic sense. I also don’t know of any way to fix over-cooked yoghurt. It can still be valuable for cooking, baking and freezing applications though.
The viability of the culture depends on how high the temperature got and how long it stayed there. As far as I know, there is no simple scientific test to quickly and cheaply test yoghurt culture. I think the most effective test is eating some and recording your reactions.
-Paul
You can use the keep warm setting on your crock pot with a dimmer and it will work just fine. If you have a digital volt meter, you might try the 26 to 30 volt range on your dimmer. Of course, crock pots vary from one manufacturer to another and from one model to a different model, but for my crock pot, it seems to be ideal for the 110 degree F range. And only crock pots with a knob control (the old style– some are still available at stores) will work. Digital crock pots won’t work with a dimmer.
Just a thought…..
If people are having so many problems maintaining the ‘correct’ temperature for the desired 24 hours I can’t help but assume that Elaine must have had the same problems. My question is, are we all absolutely 100% sure that the correct temperature for getting rid of all the lactose and maximising the number of live cultures is in fact between 100F-110F and whether or not it is so critical? I for example, have an EasiYo yogurt maker which doesn’t use electricity but it does make perfect yogurt and the makers actively market the fact that it has millions of live cultures in it but it does not stay consistently between 100F-110F, yet I feel sure that the makers would have checked out their claims because they would lose huge amounts of their business should someone check.
Steve,
My assumption is that someone has done the lab work to find the optimal temperature for those cultures to thrive and found it to be between 100-110F. With the proper equipment and training, I imagine this would be a trivial exercise. Do you have research that disagrees with this temperature range? Have you measured the temperature of your yoghurt maker?
The key is for the yoghurt to not get too hot. I think there is a little room for error, but what the critical temperature is that kills the culture, I do not know.
To my knowledge, no yoghurt maker has produced a device intended to make SCD yoghurt. Their devices make perfectly acceptable non-SCD yoghurt full of probiotics, but also loaded with lactose which we are avoiding.
So yes, I believe that the temperature range is correct and it is very important.
-Paul
I am new to this and reading the messages I am now a little worried about my yogoumet which is being delivered to my house within the next few days. I am lactose intolerant so have been concerned about making the yogurt anyway. I have printed off the picture of the dimmer for the maker and will do some experimenting. I wish I had known about the digital egg incubator before I placed the order! Thank you for helping out “newbies”. You definitely have to take some time to get started with all of this.
Sandy,
There are many children using the SCD for autism who also have a dairy intolerance. Pecanbread.com is the resource for the parents of these children and anyone using the SCD. One possible solution is to make goat yoghurt. See this page for more info: http://www.pecanbread.com/p/yogurt1.html .
The probiotics are very important to help you heal and yoghurt is the best delivery method. More of the culture reaches more of your gut intact as compared to probiotic pills. Therefore, yoghurt is preferred over the pills.
You may find that even going slow and even using goat yoghurt you cannot tolerate it. If this is the case, keep in mind that after some time healing on the SCD you may then be able to tolerate it. Point being that if you don’t tolerate it in the beginning, don’t assume you’ll never be able to use it.
-Paul
While doing research on making yogurt I found this tutorial:YOGURT MAKING ILLUSTRATED
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/cheese/yogurt_making/yogurt2000.htm
The author, a professor of Biology and Chemistry at Clermont College in Ohio uses the range of 98-130F.
My yogurt maker gets up to about 120 so I really wanted to find out if my yogurt was worthless. I emailed him about scd yogurt. (After checking the college website to confirm this person was indeed a professor, he he)
I explained to him about incubating the yogurt for 24 hours and that Elaine gives us a range of 100-110. I asked him if incubating at temperatures higher than 110 for 24 hours would kill the bacteria and this was his reply:
“Incubating at the temp I specify does not kill yogurt bacteria because they are ‘thermophilic” which means they LIKE heat. Yes, you CAN incubate too hot, but 122 is within their rang. Incubating longer will digest more of the lactose, and make it more sour.”
So, according to Professor Fankhauser our yogurt should be OK.
Vanessa,
I disagree with Professor Fankhouser. This temperature issue presented a conundrum for me so I had to seek a higher wisdom. I wrote Marilyn, a moderator from the BTVC-SCD Yahoo group and she provided me with a detailed and very satisfying answer.
The long and the short of it is that using Professor Frankhauser’s temperature range is not optimum for the SCD with regard to eliminating the lactose in the yoghurt. It could leave some behind which we don’t want.
To quote Marilyn’s email:
She finishes with excellent advice:
I can’t add anything but to nod in agreement with Marilyn.
-Paul
I just recently bought a Yogourmet maker, and it had a piece of paper inside that said for those making SCD yogurt, they should make sure the room temperature is between 68 and 72F for the entire 24 hours to get the required 100-110F in the yogurt.
There are about a million variables that go into making sure you get the temperature just right. Considering that the yogurt needs to be 100-110F, there’s a pretty good chance you can hit that range with a fairly constant room temperature. For me, I just set my house’s thermostat to get 70F where I make my yogurt and let it do it’s thing. Most thermostats are good enough to get you within the 4 degree range that the manufacturer recommends.
Jeff,
This sounds like it could be good news, but did you measure the temperature of your yoghurt to verify that it didn’t get too hot?
Unless you have proof positive, I’d encourage you to use caution.
-Paul
I just tested my yogurt after 10 hours and it is at 113 farenheit. I will go to the store tomorrow! Thanks for the interesting information!
Mia,
You’re welcome.
-Paul
Hi,
While I do have a Yogourmet– was a hand-me-down gift– I seldom use it. Am keeping it for travel.
Making yogurt in the oven with only the lightbulb for heat has been SUPER!
Follow all the regular steps, then I usually pre-heat oven slightly, then turn back off–I pre-het to lowest setting, 170, for ten or so minutes except during summer here in the NorthEast. Then I turn on th ebulb–I have switched from a 60 to a 40 watt incandescent bulb. Finally a use for those incandescents!
And I have put a digital thermometer probe in the yogurt, with the gauge out of the oven on a stool: 100 degrees the entire time.
So simple and so neat not to be using another counter-demanding appliance!
Ruth
Ruth,
Thanks for adding your experience. It helps people to know that alternatives work fine.
-Paul
Paul,
Just started this diet for my husband’s crohn’s. Found it online and am hoping it works for him! Making my first batch of yogurt now.
I got a difft yogurt maker then the yogourmet b/c it sounded tricky with all the temperature adjusting.
My yogurt has been in the yogurt maker and is only 90 degrees. I am worried this is too low. I am thinking it may take a while to heat up to the correct temp.
Thoughts? Advice?
Thanks,
Amie
Amie,
My yogourmet takes six hours to reach the 100-110 range. I would guess that yours takes some time to get there too. Keep measuring the temp every hour or so and track it.
If it doesn’t get to and keep the right temp for the entire time, you’ll want to fix that or the yogurt wont be as good as it could be for your husband.
-Paul
Hi Paul
I’m using a different yogurt maker, when i measure up the temperature it shows higher temperature at the bottom, little lower in the middle and lowesst at the top most part. So my question is how deep do i need to insert my thermometer to get the right temperature? Is it normal that there is temperature differs from top to bottom?
Any Advice?
Thanks
Hi Sal,
I would use the middle measurement. I’m presuming that the heating element is in the bottom of the maker so hotter there.
I’ve never tried tri-level temperature measurement so mine might be doing it and I don’t even know it. This doesn’t sound like something you need to worry about unless there is a great difference between the top and bottom temps, say 30 degrees?
-Paul
Hey Paul:
Came accross your website and glad that I did. I’ve been making SCD yogurt for over 2 years with no problems. I’ve recently been in a flare that has lasted over 2 months and wondering why. I tested the temperature of my yogurt and it was 120 degrees. I’m wondering now if this has been the source of my problems. I’ve decided to take a break from the yogurt for a while and I do seem to be getting better.
In the meantime, I’ve bought a dimmer and tested it with water. After only 2 hours the temperature was 112 degrees.
I have 2 questions.
Should I be setting the dimmer as the appropriate level right from the start rather than waiting.
Second, I have a batch of yogurt that was made at the wrong temperature which I have frozen. Can this frozen yogurt be used in recipes with no ill-effect. I understand that freezing yogurt will kill all the beneficial bacteria. This is fine, but what about the lactose. Was it properly converted in the first place considering the temperature was too hot.
Thanks for your help.
Karen
Hey Karen,
I’ve not tried making my yoghurt with the lower heat setting so you’ll have to experiment. It could take a long time to get to the right temperature or maybe it will be just fine. I want to expedite the process, so I start on high to get to the target temperature as quickly as possible.
Regarding your frozen yoghurt, perhaps not. If it was too hot in processing, the bacteria may have been fried before they had digested all the lactose. Short of lab testing, I don’t know how you’d be able to tell how much lactose remained in the yoghurt.
-Paul
Very neat tip. Thank you for this!
Christopher,
You’re welcome!
-Paul
Also, where did you find half and half without additives? I have looked but no luck so far.
Thanks, Chris.
Chris,
I think I sometimes get an organic brand that has no additives, but my memory is foggy on that. Because it’s the most convenient for me, I most often get a brand called “Prairie Farms” at my local County Market grocery. The label shows milk, cream and dipotassium phosphate as ingredients.
-Paul
I have been using the Yogourmet yogurt maker for about a year and recently found the yogurt on the bottom is getting thick and sticky and has a burnt taste. I checked the temperature and found it is heating over 115 degrees. Thanks so much for the information on the dimmer switch. I am going to buy one today.
Audrey,
You’re welcome.
-Paul
Paul I just got a new Yogourmet and had a question about testing the temp of the yogurt while it is in the maker. Is it OK to open the lid several times during the making and put the thermometer (the one that came with the Yogourmet) inside the thing of yogurt? The water between the container and the wall was up @ 120. . but I was hesitant to keep opening up the container of yogurt to test it with the thermometer. I thought I might mess up the live cultures. . I did it a couple times throughout the 24 hour period and it was always up over the “green” labeled area on the thermometer, which was over 110. . too high. The directions to the yoghurt maker say if it’s too hot, to take the lid off.. . Sigh. Thanks for your help. ~Pam
Lookingatunseenthings,
I don’t think you need to worry about it. You need to get a handle on the temperature of the yoghurt anyways.
-Paul
So, I’m new to the SCD, and I’m making my first batch of yogurt using the Yogourment multi…
And I just came across this site, and this is the first time I’ve heard about the temperature getting too hard on the yogurt maker. I have about an hour before I remove the yogurt from the incubator. I guess this means my first batch is screwed?
What I don’t get is this… if the yogurt was not working for most people because of the error in temperature, how come many people claim the yogurt helped them?
Anonymous,
I don’t know how big the yoghurt temperature problem is as not everyone uses a Yogourmet or has a problem with theirs. However, this seemed like a problem that enough people had to warrant a post. I’m supposing this is useful to many, but not most SCDers.
Without the ability to test for sugars or cultures in the finished yoghurt, it’s a bit of a guessing game. What you can know for sure is that if your yoghurt goes above the SCD recommended temperature range for a significant amount of time, you’ll probably end up with a non-optimal food. Perhaps it will have some sugars left or maybe the bacteria count will be lower than desired or maybe a mixture of the two.
-Paul