I am a big fan of food dehydrators, and am always seeing for alternate uses to make them even more versatile. So when I came across an report from the University of Missouri postponement Office on how to make yogurt at home I was excited. This singular article, with its along recipe, was "incubator agnostic." They essentially do not care what you use to keep the mixture warm while the cultures go to work making yogurt. The only principal criteria is the potential to keep the mixture within the 108 to 112 degree Fahrenheit range principal to culture growth.
Food dehydrators need only a few features to qualify them as yogurt makers:
"Homemade Yogurt"
- An adjustable thermostat that includes the 108 to 112 Fahrenheit range.
- Internal space to hold the containers you intend to use.
While that sounds simple enough, it may not be. Some dehydrators use stacking trays that do not adjust far enough apart to accommodate yogurt cups. Some less-expensive models have only one climatic characteristic setting. Make sure your dehydrator will meet both criteria before you start.
To use your dehydrator plainly use your beloved yogurt formula (or use the one from the U of M postponement Office, linked 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 supplementary observation worth discussing: Is a food dehydrator the most efficient incubator for making 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 whole of "dead space" colse to the containers that will be unnecessarily heated.
However, a large capacity dehydrator can potentially gain some of the efficiency lost by being able to incubate larger batches of yogurt. A large, box model with detachable trays, for example, could potentially hold any batches worth of containers on a singular 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 careful not to overtax your trays.
I believe that dehydrators should work as well as many other options available for incubating yogurt cultures and making yogurt. What you potentially lose in efficiency may be made up in other ways, such as not having to buy a separate yogurt machine, not having to store a separate yogurt machine, and being able to make larger batches. I am curious in hearing your experiences in using dehydrators as yogurt machines. I am also curious 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 report and recipes, go here.
production Yogurt in a Food Dehydrator