Get me to the Greek

Yogurt, that is! I love Greek yogurt- it's thick, tangy, low in sugar, and high in protein. I prefer it plain, adding my own fruit, granola, or nuts to it. Amongst all the different brands I've tried (and there are a lot out there now), Trader Joe's is my favorite. Too bad they don't sell it in a 32oz tub like Fage does. Ugh, and $2.99 for a 16oz container? It makes me want to cry because if I put my mind to it, I can go through a lot of it.

During the great holiday cookie bake session

So tonight I was perusing the recipes on Snowville Creamery, noting the one for yogurt in particular. Wouldn't it be fantastic to have yogurt made with local ingredients? Now, it looks like I could make it without the use of a yogurt machine, but that seems pretty complicated. But do I seriously need another kitchen gadget? Where would it live? Counter space is at a premium (note: residue photographed on cabinets has been cleaned- gross!) and there's very limited cabinet space, some of which is unusable.

Oh, and I'm planning on adding some big glass canisters to the counter for bulk ingredients like oats, sugar, and bread flour that are getting a lot of action in the kitchen lately. Even less space now.

Automatic Yogurt Maker

But still...in the pursuit of eating more locally, what's better than making yogurt with locally sourced milk? Ooh...and topping it with some frozen black raspberries from the summer market?

For right now, I'm seriously toying with the idea of purchasing this yogurt maker from Williams Sonoma. The reviews for this particular machine on both the store site and Amazon have been very favorable, but I wish I could taste test the finished product to be sure. I've read a few other bits of info that for real Greek yogurt, I need a Greek yogurt starter because it works better than starting a batch with an existing Greek yogurt. I think I'd give that a try before shelling out for the starter, or even try the basic starter that comes with the machine.

The only thing to do now is wait. I cashed in some rewards points for a WS gift card- the first time in years it's actually going to me instead of someone else as a Christmas gift. So once I have that card in my hot little hands (in addition to another card I received as a gift), I may be making the purchase. Hopefully before the end of the week so that I have time to experiment before heading back to work.

Have you ever made yogurt? How did it turn out for you?