With the advent of the main kitchen assistant, many housewives diversified the number of dishes in their traditional menu, which undoubtedly pleased relatives. But not everyone decides to experiment with fermented milk products. Preparing homemade yogurt in jars in a slow cooker is not difficult, if you follow simple rules.
The benefits of homemade yogurt
Natural fermented milk product contains a huge amount of bacteria that are beneficial for the human body. They help establish the digestion process and supply the intestinal microflora with the right “inhabitants." This is especially necessary after taking antibiotics.
Natural home-made drinking yogurt contains such an amount of useful substances (potassium, magnesium, calcium), which is necessary to maintain the normal functioning of the entire system. Using this fermented milk product regularly, you can get rid of extra pounds and increase the tone of the body. If the house has a crock-pot, you can safely proceed to its preparation.
Store yogurts that have a shelf life of more than 7 days cannot be called useful. Preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers certainly will not improve health. It is better to refrain from the use of such products.
Preparation
The most important thing in the process of cooking yogurt is compliance with the temperature regime. A slow cooker can handle this at its best! Most modern smart pot models have a Yogurt mode. Even if there was no such button on the display, do not be upset. You can use the "Preheat" or "Multipovar" mode by setting a specific temperature and time.
To make yogurt in jars in a slow cooker, you will need milk and sourdough. Fans of fruit flavors need to stock up on berries, fresh or frozen fruits, jam or nuts. Dishes that will be involved in the process must be clean. Therefore, for reinsurance it is better to sterilize it (especially if the yogurt is intended for a small child). To do this, just pour boiling water over everything.
Sourdough for yogurt
The taste, benefits and consistency of the dairy product will depend on the quality of the starter culture. Today on the shelves of stores and pharmacies you can find this main ingredient in the form of powder in special packages. The composition contains bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, Bulgarian bacillus, thermophilic streptococci and other useful substances. The choice of yeast depends on the effect yogurt will have. Instructions and descriptions are on each such bag. It should be borne in mind that ready-made starter cultures should be kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of no higher than 10 ° C. This is a prerequisite for maintaining the vital activity of bacteria.
You can go the easy way and use ready-made yogurt as a sourdough. The most suitable will be one that has a short shelf life, and does not contain fruit fillers in the composition. The most suitable for this are considered Activia and Actimel. In the future, you need to leave a small amount of homemade yogurt for the next time.
Which milk is better to choose for yogurt?
An ideal option would be to use homemade milk, which is pre-boiled and cooled. With this product, you can be sure of complete naturalness and the absence of preservatives. During heat treatment, the milk is brought to a boil and left for several minutes over low heat. Then cool to about 40 ° C.
If home-made milk is not at hand, it is quite possible to replace the store. Just pay attention to the timing. If storage is possible for more than a month, it is better not to use such a product. Opinions about boiling store milk for yogurt differ, but it is better to be safe.
Delicious milk yogurt will turn out if you add a small amount of fat cream during the cooking process. The taste of such a product will be more delicate.
Classic yogurt in jars in a slow cooker: recipe
Simple and delicious yogurt according to the classic recipe will appeal to all family members. It can be safely given to children as complementary foods. Facilitates the entire process of cooking the "miracle" of kitchen appliances - a multicooker. Some models have special glasses for yogurt.
For cooking you will need:
- Milk (2.5-3.5% fat) - 1 liter.
- Sourdough - 1 package.
- Sugar - 5–6 tbsp. spoons.
If desired, sugar can not be used. In this case, the yogurt will turn out to be more sour in taste. If there are no problems with the stomach, you can safely use your own dairy product.
Cooking method
First you need to prepare milk. Boil pasteurized in bags is not necessary. It is only heated to 40 ° C. Home or store with a short shelf life, bring to a boil and cool. The foam formed on the surface must be removed.
The next step is to mix milk and sourdough. This action is best carried out in a separate bowl, for example in a cup or deep bowl in a small amount of milk. Stir thoroughly until the dry substance is completely dissolved. To get drinking yogurt, you need to take more milk. The standard package of dry sourdough (1 g) is designed for the preparation of 1 to 3 liters of dairy product.
The resulting liquid is combined with the rest of the milk and sugar is added. Having thoroughly stirred everything, you need to pour the cooked into jars. Before making yogurt, they are thoroughly washed and sterilized. Do not pour the milk mixture to the edge.
Having placed the jars in the multicooker bowl, set the “Yogurt” mode. It provides for the presence of one temperature (about 40 ° C) during the entire cooking time. Depending on the capacity of the device, the process lasts 6 or 8 hours. Before use, ready-made yogurt should be refrigerated for 1 hour.
Some housewives pour water to the bottom of the bowl. This is necessary so that glassware does not scratch the coating. You can also make a silicone mat. This is only necessary if the kit does not include a set of cups. Jars for yogurt (for a slow cooker) are very convenient to use, have lids. They can store the finished product in the refrigerator for several days.
Dried Fruit Yogurt Recipe
This option of yogurt will be especially useful for children. Prunes, raisins and dried apricots contain a large number of trace elements, and in a duet with “good” bacteria it’s just a storehouse of health.
Ingredients:
- Milk - 1 liter.
- Ferment (or store yogurt without additives) - 1 pc.
- Sugar - 4–5 tbsp. spoons.
- Pitted prunes - 6–8 pcs.
- Dried apricots - 6-8 pcs.
- Raisins - optional.
Cooking yogurt with dried fruits should begin with the preparation of syrup. After washing the prunes and dried apricots, they need to be cut and transferred to a small pan. The mixture is sprinkled with sugar and a little water (50-70 ml) is added. Putting all this on a slow fire, bring to a boil.
While the syrup is cooling, you need to mix warm milk (previously boiling as necessary) with dry sourdough or with store yogurt. For kids, it is better to use the first option, and in the future use previously prepared yogurt as a sourdough.
First, a little syrup with dried fruit slices is poured into the bottom of the jars, and pour milk liquid on top. Having placed in the slow cooker, close the lid and set the “Yogurt” mode. The price of a home product will differ from the store counterparts (somewhere costing an average of about 15 rubles per 100 gram jar) to the larger side, but the benefits and naturalness are much more important.
Yogurt recipe for apple and cinnamon lovers
There are several options for preparing such yogurt. In one of them, apple-vanilla syrup is prepared , and in the second, after certain manipulations, the fruits are added to the classic recipe. The syrup version is similar to the recipe with dried fruits, only the apples are mashed and combined with vanilla and cinnamon.
To prepare yogurt in jars in a slow cooker according to the second method, you will need:
- Milk - 1 liter.
- Sourdough - 1 pc.
- Apples (medium) - 2 pcs.
- Vanilla - 2 pods.
- Honey - 1 tbsp. the spoon.
- Cinnamon - 3 g.
The milk is brought to a boil along with vanilla. Then cool to 40 ° C, remove the foam and filter. In a separate bowl, stir the sourdough and combine with the remaining liquid. After pouring the mixture on pre-cooked dishes, send to the bowl and set the mode. After 6-8 hours, the yogurt in jars will be ready, then it is placed in the refrigerator.
Apples should be peeled and cut into small cubes. Then they are transferred to a pan, honey is added, sprinkled with cinnamon and poured with a small amount of water. Mixing the resulting mass well, set a slow fire and simmer for about 5 minutes. When the apples are soft, you need to remove them from the stove and let cool. When serving, add the finished mixture to yogurt.
How to make yogurt in a slow cooker without jars?
Almost every housewife is ready for bold experiments with kitchen appliances. Thanks to this, many got used to do without containers for the preparation of yoghurts. If you follow all the instructions of experienced women in this matter (and men too), you get a pretty attractive and tasty dish. Although nevertheless, according to numerous reviews, yogurt in the Redmond crock-pot (in jars) turns out to be especially tasty.
If this option is not suitable, the dairy product can be prepared in the bowl itself. To do this, warm milk with sourdough and sugar is well mixed, poured into a bowl, close the lid and set the mode "Heating" for 20 minutes. After an hour, this manipulation must be repeated. Next, leave the yogurt for 8 hours. The lid must not be opened during the whole process!
Where to get the jars?
Not all hostesses were lucky enough to have a kitchen assistant with a set of special glasses for yogurt. In fact, you should not be upset, because at hand there are always small jars of sauces or baby food. It is enough to wash, sterilize them and you can safely use them for cooking.
Also in household appliances stores you can buy a set of plastic jars with lids.