Not even a year ago I got Gertie my first new yogurt maker, well ever, since my first yogurt maker was in fact a hand-me-down from my Mom. Last November, Gertie went to live with my Mom.
It is not that I didn't love Gertie, I did, mostly. But it was one of those relationships that happened so fast. There was an empty place in my life where a really really old yogurt maker had been & things were fine until one day, a new cow arrived & then I was up to my eyeballs in milk & that is when I realized my old yogurt maker was just too old.
Gertie was a beauty (& still is, I didn't just dump her; she has actually gone on to live with my Mom--yes, all my life's a circle). She was the first yogurt maker I ever met who could handle a full two quarts. She was enchanting & we were very happy...at first.
But Gertie had some flaws. She has a curved lid, making it very hard to find a place for her in a rather full kitchen cabinet. I have lost track of how many times the top slid off when I was moving here & it was just a matter of time before it cracked. Also, Gertie came with only one canister for making the yogurt itself. I tried to get more but it just was not possible. Finally, that canister was not the best design anyone ever thought up; in order to get it out of the yogurt maker itself, I usually ended up flipped the lid off. Even with my small strong fingers, I had trouble getting a good enough grip.
Then I saw May (that's right, my new yogurt maker is called May. Her full name is Yogourmet, but I call her May). May has a flat top, it is possible to buy extra canisters (I bought three), but more than that, May works on a different heating idea. Inside May, the canister rests in a water bath, making a nice even heat throughout. No more much cooked milk at the bottom & runny sludge at the top. Because of the water it is possible to make yogurt from irregular sized batches of milk (which is how they come out of the cow; I am still stunned by people who think she has a spigot & a scale).
I hope to be happy with May for many many years. But I am also glad the others have all gone to good homes. Recycling & all that.
I grew up with a Salton yogurt maker, the old timey one where it has six little glass jars and the yogurt sets up overnight in a warming tray of sorts.
ReplyDeleteI had been fantasizing about the Yogourmet, but a friend of mine had turned me onto making yogurt in my crock pot.
I love appliances that do double or triple duty, so I tried the recipe and it worked out fabulous. And I suppose if I had a farm and my own cow, I'd make yogurt far more than I do. But I'm lazy and I like the convenience of prepackaged yogurts (for my lunch bag at work, in particular). But maybe one day I'll get more into it than I have. (Danon Lite and Fit also has so many yummy flavors I could never duplicate, too).
Love your blog, as always!
A word about Gertie: she is on vacation upstate at your sister's this week. She has to come home next week, however, because she has work to do here. Wanted you to know she is content and productive in her new home.
ReplyDelete