Stainless Steel Yogurt Maker with 1 Quart Glass Jar and Complete Recipe Book to Make 12+ Easy Homemade Dairy Free and Milk Yogurts

I consume 1-2 quarts yogurt every month and use for sweet (fruit, nuts) and savory (soup topper) dishes. I didn't want to buy any more yogurt in plastic containers. I didn't want an electric yogurt maker or one with tiny glass jars.I bought the SS Yogurt Maker 2 months ago and have made 4 batches of yogurt so far. Turns out perfect every time. Great thickness and flavor. I start with organic whole milk, cream on top, vat pasteurized. I hold at 180F for 20 minutes, cool to 110F and inoculate, then incubate 8-10 hours. I've used a powdered (Bulgarian) culture but didn't like the flavor--also it is expensive. Then I used plain yogurt as starter that I liked better. Now I save 3-4 tablespoons out of every batch and put in a small container in the freezer for the next batch. No more plastic. No electricity needed for incubation. Easy, affordable, delicious, foolproof.

I used this yogurt maker from Country Trading Company for the first time today, and I love it! ( Previously I had only made yogurt in my InstantPot, so this is what I used for comparison.) First, the yogurt maker was a much better size for my purposes - it is compact and so does not take up much space on the counter. That being said, it only makes one quart at a time, which may be an issue for some. Second, it is very easy to use. Third, I love the simplistic functionality of the design- it’s back to basics, no need for electricity to run for hours. Sure it’s a glass jar in a stainless steel thermal container, but it works perfectly! Fourth, no repeated purchasing of yogurt in plastic containers. Lastly, it made delicious tasting yogurt! You do need a reliable thermometer to make yogurt, which is not included in the kit. I used Euro Cuisine Yogurt Thermometer-analog dial type. The overall process was faster and less cumbersome than when I used my InstantPot, so it really is a great little yogurt maker!

The stainless steel yogurt maker is as brilliant an invention as they come. Stainless steel is a wonderful material in the first place. The double wall keeps the temperature warm long enough to make a wonderful yogurt. It all works as advertised and described. The little booklet which comes with the container describes all as needed.I just used it to make yogurt with sheep milk and since sheep milk is high in fat and very rich the yogurt was think and just like greek yogurt. I even tried this with a "vegan" culture since the bacteria combo sounded good - the yogurt is awesome. The container is beautiful too and yes - it is great to not deal with cables or the need to store yet another machine away.It is also brilliant that it takes regular standard sized quart mason jars, which exist in the millions.And - I am using this also to keep my coffee warm :-). I hand our my coffee over a Melitta ceramics filter into a quart mason jar, put it into the yogurt maker and the coffee stays warm long and also tasty.So this is a wonderful device, useful, good looking and simple.

UPDATED: Downgraded from 5 to 1 stars since there are serious quality issues with the jars. This is the second jar that has cracked with minimal use. The first one (part of the original set) cracked on the bottom after only being used to make yogurt 3 or 4 times. Since the system worked so good, I figured maybe I got a lemon and would order a replacement. Just tried to make yogurt again tonight for the first time with the new jar and this second jar cracked near the bottom while pouring in the warm milk--actually popped out a small hole near what looks like a very thin seam in the glass. I use raw milk so only heated it to 105 degrees (to preserve the healthy bacteria in the milk), so this wasn't even heated up to the recommended 190 degrees per the seller's instructions. So, clearly a quality issue with the jars. I'm pretty frustrated that I've now wasted a fair amount of expensive milk. I won't be purchasing again and will have to look elsewhere for another jar that will work. I've never had this issue with Ball jars. Why would the seller send out jars that can't handle any heat or normal wear and tear? Disappointing!!I ordered this a while ago and only just got around to using it recently. I was interested in finding a plastic-alternative for both the maker and container. I've followed the instructions exactly the few times I have used it and have had excellent results so far, even with using raw milk (you can only heat the milk to 105 F if you want to keep the good bacteria from the raw milk in the finished product). I heated up both the jar and container with scalding hot water (from the faucet) and let them set for about 10 minutes, refilling with hot water after the first 5 minutes. After placing the warmed milk and starter in the jar, and after placing the filled jar in the container, I place mine on a thick woven trivet and place it in the oven, wrap it in thick dish towels, and close the door. Fermenting for 12 hours seems to work better than the 8-hour batch, resulting in thicker yogurt. After fermenting, place the jar straight into a very cold refrigerator (about 36 F) for 36 hours to help it set. The texture is not quite as thick as Greek yogurt (with the longer ferment) but still pretty thick. I'm straining this last batch to see how that works.My only complaint is that I've only used this 3-4 times so far and the jar already cracked on the bottom after this last use, without any associated trauma to it, so I will have to order a replacement jar if I want to continue using this to make yogurt. It's a shame because it seemed to be a sturdy wide-mouthed jar.I would still recommend it to anyone wanting a very simple way to make yogurt without using any plastic.