Many of us have fond memories of summer days spent cranking the handle of an ice cream maker waiting for a homemade treat, but what about yogurt? While ice cream is great, it’s not nearly as healthy as yogurt. The new VitaClay Stoneware Yogurt Maker and Personal Slow Cooker makes it fun and easy to make your own at home.
Making yogurt requires keeping a steady low temperature for time enough for the beneficial cultures to grow without curdling the milk that forms the base of the mixture. So a slow cooker is the perfect medium for the process. VitaClay has long been known for their efficient slow cookers and rice cookers which hold a steady temp very well thanks to their unique zisha clay inserts.
Since the mixture inside the cooker during the yogurt-making process, it’s important not to use plastic inserts since they might leech chemicals into the mixture during cooking. The clay insert of the VitaClay is more durable than glass and safer than cheaper plastic pots. At 2 quarts, it is the ideal size for small batches for personal use and easy to clean.
Thanks to three heat settings: low, high and yogurt, (well, four if you count “off”) the VitaClay is very simple to cook with. You can also use the slow cooker for any other meals where you might normally might use one of those other kitchen devices that rhymes with “Rock Rot.”
Yogurt takes about 5-8 hours to make, so you can set it and forget it while you go about your day. You can produce your own probiotic Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese or any other yogurt at a fraction of the cost of store-bought, plus add your own fruits and sweeteners to customize the flavors.
The VitaClay comes with a recipe booklet with over 50 natural recipes for making and using yogurt plus other one-pot meals. The slow cooker/yogurt maker comes in red or silver exteriors to match your own kitchen décor, since hopefully you’ll be using this often enough to want to keep it out on the counter instead of hiding in the back of some cabinet.
The VitaClay Stoneware Yogurt Maker and Personal Slow Cooker is available at the company’s website for $35.