ChrisComedy's Journal, 25 October 2014

I'm guessing your kitchen is starting to look like a lab with all the new gadgets. Thanks for the healthy mac & cheese recipe.. always like finding ways to enjoy some of the basics but w/o the extreme cals. 

With making yogurt the same as bread, be careful of the temperature of the liquid, too much heat will kill the cultures just like it does yeast.  

FullaBella, I yield to no one in my accumulation of kitchen appliances. Part of the reason is that Kroger kept dumping them at ridiculous prices - as low as $5 or $10 - too good to pass up. And we're not talking about junk - I got a Cuisinart air popcorn popper and sandwich maker. Having said that, now that I'm eating less prepared and processed foods and preparing more meals at home, I keep discovering holes in my cookware and bakeware lineup. 

wholefoodnut, Taylor 9842 Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer arrived yesterday - should take care of that. 

Just a caution, I've killed yogurt in years past.  

wholefoodnut, I got three boxes, enough to make 18 quarts. Should be enough to survive even my fumbles. 

Grins, I just use a container of plain yogurt, keep about 6 ounces from the batch as a starter for the next.  

Hey Wholefoodnut and Chris Comedy- you are right about using a little from the current batch to start the next but I always found that about the third batch down the new production always seemed watery. My more yoghurt experienced friends told me that at that point I had to start from a completely fresh starter pack! Hope you and Chris Comedy find this helpful. 

Thanks, Saltfree1, that makes me feel better about buying three boxes. 

'I yield to no one' - love that. We don't have a Kroger around here.. I'm envious of your great deals. I've lately been considering a Yonana but just the other day discovered I can get pretty decent sorbet using my blender (fresh fruit, a little yogurt and ice).  

FullaBella, I should point out that the Cuisinart appliances were around half off - I assume what Kroger paid for them. Kroger isn't that insane. I did get a toaster, food processor, and electric kettle for around $5-10 each. I did buy a Yonanas at Kroger, again half off. It was a deal at that price - at full retail, not so much. I suspect you could also get the same result with a food processor. The novelty wore off after a while. It might've lasted longer if I'd moved beyond the basic bananas and berries. The instruction book - misplaced - does have more recipes.