Ask Allie!
What is Ask Allie?
Ask Allie is our food-related advice column, where you can ask all your fermenting, cooking, baking, and pantry-related questions to get digestible answers! No question about food is off limits!
Most of you will receive an emailed reply prior to your question hitting the blog, since I frequently think you need a more immediate answer. You should anticipate 1-2 weeks between submitting your question and its appearance on blog. Although emailed replies normally take between 1-3 days, it can take up to a week.
To have your question answered in Ask Allie posts, please use the form on our website. If you prefer to be anonymous, just say so in the form and we’ll leave your name out when we answer it in the blog! Note that some submissions may be edited for clarity.
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I am new to making my own yogurt. I usually buy Fake 5% or Greek yogurt. I dont have a very sensitive palate so taste isn't the biggest determining factor for me. I just want something similar to what I usually buy and something that will help with gut flora. Also, do you recommend a certain yogurt maker? I am not much of a cook and like the idea of a simple "fire and forget" process. Thank you for your time.
— Caleb
I would go with the Traditional. I have a Frankenyogurt that started out as a Fage reculture that my kid LOVES (she calls it birthday yogurt). It later got cross-contaminated by milk kefir, and it has a really cool, mildly ropey texture now but still tastes the same. Anyway, she says the Traditional is almost exactly the same in terms of flavor and texture to what the birthday yogurt was like prior to its colonization (we don’t sell the birthday yogurt at this time). What you will want to know about yogurts is that they tend to be the least diverse of all cultures. The average one has 2-3 different microbes in it. If you’re looking for diversity, I would mix and match yogurts. Not necessarily combining them, though you can also do those fun experiments, but having several that you eat. Amasi, which does not have the same texture as Fage (and is a counter-top yogurt, so no technology needed other than a jar and lid), tops out at 13 different strains. That’s the most diverse yogurt I’m personally aware of.
If diversity is of greater import than the other factors, I would go with milk kefir. It’s not fussy to make in most instances, and it should be thick enough to be like yogurt after you see a couple of whey bubbles form. You can also ferment it in the fridge if you like, though that takes a week or two. Milk kefir averages 35-50 different strains and is the most diverse culture. I might also consider adding fruit or vegetable ferments into your daily diet. We have recipes for some of those options in the blog on our website, and they can be a fun way to enrich your diet with probiotics as well.
I have personally never used a yogurt maker, but I can check with Sabrina to see what kinds she recommends. I do use an instant pot for the thermophils now, because she sent me one and it’s much faster than using the cooler, but you can even just heat the milk, cool it, culture, and then wrap some blankets around the vessel the milk is in and tuck it in the cooler for 12-24 hours. For the dairy cultures I recommended other than the Traditional, those all just get milk added and ferment on the counter (with or without lid; I use a lid because I ferment multiple cultures at a time and don’t want them throwing parties on the sly). I just grab milk from the fridge, pour, and go about my business. Some people bring the milk up to room temp first, but that’s too much hassle for me.
Will you be restocking the jun scoby anytime soon?
— Chantal
Yes. Kombucha has been flying off the shelves lately, which is making it challenging to keep the SCOBYs themselves in stock right now. You can still buy the starter tea, which is all you need (plus cheaper!). I write in a lot more detail about this in the SCOBY post, so check that out when you get a chance!
What is the difference and difference in flavor of rocky mountain and San Francisco sourdough breads?
— Emily
The Colorado is more mellow than the San Francisco ones are. Those have the more classic sourdough flavor Americans are used to, while the Colorado is a touch milder.
