Can I use a pressure cooker to make yogurt?

Question

Find out how to use a pressure cooker’s settings to culture thick, creamy yogurt.

Answer 1

Yes, you can use a pressure cooker to make yogurt. The pressure cooker provides a warm, consistent environment ideal for yogurt fermentation.

Detailed Explanation:

Using a pressure cooker, especially an electric one with a yogurt setting, simplifies the yogurt-making process. Here's a general outline:

1. Prepare the Milk: Start with pasteurized milk. You can use whole milk, 2% milk, or even non-dairy milk like soy or almond milk (results may vary). If using ultra-pasteurized milk, you can skip the heating step. Otherwise, heat the milk to 180°F (82°C) to denature the milk proteins, resulting in a thicker yogurt. You can do this on the stovetop or using the 'boil' function on some pressure cookers.
2. Cool the Milk: Allow the milk to cool down to 110-115°F (43-46°C). This is crucial because higher temperatures will kill the yogurt cultures.
3. Add the Yogurt Starter: Stir in a yogurt starter. This can be a few tablespoons of store-bought plain yogurt with live and active cultures or a powdered yogurt starter. Follow the instructions on the starter package.
4. Incubate: Pour the milk mixture into the pressure cooker pot. If your pressure cooker has a yogurt setting, use it. Otherwise, you can use the 'keep warm' setting or wrap the pressure cooker in a towel to maintain a consistent temperature. Incubate for 6-12 hours, depending on the desired tartness. Longer incubation times result in a tangier yogurt.
5. Chill: Once the yogurt has reached your desired consistency and tartness, refrigerate it for at least 2 hours to stop the fermentation process and allow it to thicken further.

Pro Tip:

To prevent a thin or grainy yogurt, ensure your equipment is thoroughly clean and sterilized. Any lingering bacteria can interfere with the yogurt cultures.