Ask Allie!
Ask Allie is our advice column, where you can ask all your food-related questions to get digestible answers! No question is off limits!
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I am also activating the mesophilic Skyr, it is also my first trial of mesophilic yogurt.. I just tried it after the second batch. It had curds and some whey. I am not sure about the taste, it seems something did not go right. I am going to do the 3rd batch. What do you think?
— Tiago
If it was curds and whey, it was over-fermented and needs less time to incubate. All of the skyrs tend to have very fussy activation processes, and it’s usually in the third batch that they settle down. In general, the first 3 batches should be done back-to-back (one right after the other, allowing no more than 24 hours to go between batches), but go back to the activation instructions and the FAQ to make sure you’re following all the instructions and are controlling for common mistakes.
If my ropey yogurt doesn't produce that texture, (texture is looser and watery) what can I do to get it back to ropey consistency (which we all love here)?
— Sophie
If it lost its ropes, it may be permanently de-roped. That is normally how that goes. Have you been touching it or messing with it during incubation? I’m asking because all of the ropey yogurts get really mad when they’re fussed with and often break. They really want to be left completely alone while they’re doing their thing. The yogurts themselves are still fine, but if you really want the ropes, you may have to start anew. Do a couple more very small (half cup) batches and see if you can nurse it back. Occasionally that works. I’m so sorry, also, if it really broke forever. It’s so frustrating when that happens!
Hi! I'm looking at your vegan heirloom yogurt culture. Is that specifically formulated for coconut milk or will it work with any plant milk, like soy or rice? If it's just for coconut milk, is it the kind in cans in the Asian food aisle, or the kind in cartons in the dairy case?
— Diedre
Our coconut vegan yogurt is specifically formulated for coconut cream (from the can, thinned down to desired texture with the water from the can). Here are the activation instructions, so you can see how it works. We are still in R&D for a more “all-purpose” type of vegan yogurt culture. If you want to do other alternative milks, you can use any culture we have for yogurt, but you will need to add stabilizers to get the texture instead of fermented but runny alternative milk.
