In light of our current giveaway from Cultures for Health, my friend Samara offered to give her review of one of the yogurt starters offered through this company. I personally am currently using the Viili starter and love it. It seems they all work well and have the same process for preparing.
Photo courtosy of Cultures for Health
Photo courtosy of Cultures for Health
Matsoni Yogurt Review
I tried the Matsoni Countertop Yogurt with a bit of skepticism – I had tried several different ways of making yogurt in the past and had diverse results. I wanted a thick yogurt that didn’t taste like sour milk, and I couldn’t get that result consistently. I also wanted to make raw milk yogurt. I tried the Matsoni Countertop Yogurt starter and I was very pleased! My yogurt turns out every time! No sour milk taste!
The process is pretty simple too, with options for both raw-milk and pasteurized-milk users.
The process is pretty simple. I heat ½ cup of my fresh raw milk up to at least 160 degrees F, or just to bubbling stage (this is to make the starter – the bacteria in raw milk can interfere with the bacteria in the yogurt culture, so it is necessary to use a starter made from heated milk). I mix ½ tsp. Matsoni Yogurt Starter with the cooled milk and leave it for 6-24 hours. This is now my starter and I use it to make my yogurt (1 tablespoon per cup of raw milk). My yogurt usually takes about 8 hours on my counter.
Pros:
-consistent results each time
-very easy
Cons:
-As a raw milk user, I have to make a new starter every 7 days
-The yogurt doesn’t stay thick but rather becomes more of a liquid over time. I make a pint of yogurt every 2 days and it stays thicker (compared to making ½ gallon at a time.
Definitely recommend it! Enter the giveaway to try your own culture starter!
Have you tried any of the Cultures for Health starters? What are your thoughts?
Last week I attempted to make my first batch of room temp yogurt. Both times it didn’t work. Not too impressed, but they were great and gave me a refund.
I just received my first Matsoni starter and started my first batch 2 days ago. Unfortunately, I read on the website AFTER I began the process that you should not use ultra-pasteurized milk. They need to state that on the instructions that are sent with the starter as that was what I was following! I have organic milk from Horizon as well as Heritage and both are ultra-pasteurized. Figures! I can’t wait to try this yogurt but now I have to start from scratch again.
Thanks for posting the information on making your own yogurt. I didn’t know if was so easy! I just ordered a starter and will try it for the first time. So excited as we go through a pint a week!
Any suggestions for making soy yogurt at home?
I do not recommend soy products so I cannot say. You may want to read more about the harms of soy here.
I am culturing villi and I like the flavor but it’s a bit thin. If I’m using it in a recipe, I use it as is but if I’m planning on eating it by itself or in a dip, I drain it for a while. It’s not hard but it is another step to add.
I also have had my water kefir grains going at the same time since July and I keep them on opposite sides of my kitchen but my kitchen is still pretty small. I hope that is enough to prevent cross contamination but I guess only time will tell.
How long do you culture the viili? You probably could do it longer and get a thicker product. Mine comes out incredibly thick after 12+ hours.
Is your viili strechy?? We have ordered three cultures online from separate sources in the U.S., and none of them were the stretchy, stringy quality that villy should have. They were more like a watery yogurt. If yours is stretchy and stringy, where did you get it??
Yes, I use the viili starter from Cultures for Health and it is definitely stretchy as you described.
I’ve never tried a powdered starter but I do make homemade yogurt in my crock pot. It is so easy and it is easy to strain off some of the whey to make it thicker if you like. I don’t find it sour at all, we sweeten it once it is done with raw honey and add some pureed fruit as well. Here is the recipe in case you are interested. http://crockpotadventures.blogspot.com/2009/06/crock-pot-yogurt.html
I would love to try any of the room temp yogurt cultures or the kefir grains. My mom, sister, and I love making everything from scratch!
I have used the viili starter and only had to purchase one. It did seem to get thin after a bit. Sometime I would strain some of the excess liquid out using a coffee filter and it made a fantastic thick yogurt cheese!
Lindsey –
you mentioned using a viili culture-starter … I just wanted to pass along what my kefir-expert has said: viili is very, very virulent. If you have kefir going in the same house (she says it doesn’t even have to be in the same room or on the same level), the viili will cross-contaminate or infect the kefir, making the kefir a hybrid with ropes of bacteria. Supposedly at that point, the grains will no longer make kefir, and the viili bacteria will take over. Anyhow, I was surprised by the information, but this person is far more knowledgeable than I am about kefir and other lacto-fermented drinks, so I trust her info. Just to pass it along!
thanks for that info…. I want my milk kefir grains to stay healthy!
Shannon –
If you take good care of your starter and reculture it regularly, you will not need to replace it. Not in a week. Not in a month. Not ever. This is also true for other starters and cultures with the exception of those powdered and boxed starters you find in the health food stores – those aren’t quite as strong in my experience.
I love the matsoni culture. I find it particularly nice and pleasant in flavor. Because of that, it’s also remarkably versatile and is well-suited to both sweet and savory dishes.
Thanks, this is helpful. A friend and I were wondering… how long can you re-use the starter? How often do you need to re-order?
I am a bit confused with the raw milk process…I read up on it yesterday on their website but was still left with the following questions. Because you have to make a new starter every week, how long does the original starter packet work for? Do you have to buy a new starter kit every couple weeks or so?
No, you use 1 tablespoon from the previous starter to make a new starter every 7 days or so. You also have an extra 1/2tsp dehydrated starter as a backup as well, as the original package comes with a full 1 tsp. Does that make sense? You only have to buy it once as long as you care for it properly.