Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $235.00
Sale Price: $128.95
Today's Bonus: 45% Off

I've been researching everything about yogurt for the past few weeks and after successfully making yogurt in my oven a couple times I decided I like making my own yogurt and it would be worth it for convenience sake to have a machine that made it as easy as possible. I think I've found the right machine here.

Pros:

1. After mixing in your starter, you simply pour in the 1 1/2 qt mix, set the time, and forget about it. After the fermentation time is over, the machine changes to cooling mode so you can really let it go unattended until you're ready to use your yogurt or transfer it to your ref.

2. The tub and lid are pretty much all that needs cleaned after use.

3. The controls are simple to use (for adjusting the fermentation time).

4. It is very quiet. You can hear a small noise while it is heating or cooling but that cycles on and off as the machine is heating or cooling.

5. The fermentation timer will set for up to 24 hrs at 1 hour intervals.

Cons:

1. You cannot control the temperature (if you want to do that). (Added edit: I just checked the temperature of yogurt that had been fermenting for 9 hours and it was 113 degrees.)

**Update: I decided to check the temperature at 2 hr intervals and here is what I discovered: I started with a cool mixture around 70 degrees. After 2 hrs in the yogurt maker it was 94 degrees. After 4 hrs 106 degrees, and after 6 hrs it was 110 degrees. At that point I decided to take the large clear plastic cover off to see if it would help keep the temp down. That seemed to work since after 8 hrs the temp was still at exactly 110 degrees. This is a little troubling to me as it seems to indicate the machine is not monitoring the temperature very well. I changed my rating to a 4 star because of this.

2. It only makes 1 1/2 qts at a time. 2 qts would have been nice, especially since straining the yogurt produces less yeild.

After using it some and experimenting with raw unpasteurized milk, organic pasteurized whole milk, and coconut milk, I can tell you that pasteurized whole milk makes the best yogurt in terms of smoothness and thickness. It is the most similar to premium store bought yogurt. Using Fage plain yogurt as a starter makes a very velvety creamy yogurt. If you are interested in using raw milk (and if you can get it!) be aware that it will be more runny (see my recipe below). You can use coffee filters to strain it and make very creamy Greek yogurt, but you'll loose more than half of it as liquid whey. It is very delicious though (and very healthy). Add some pure maple syrup and vanilla bean to make the most delicious yogurt you've ever tasted!

Don't want to use whole milk? Why not? If gaining weight is a concern, then I suggest going with whole milk. There have been studies showing that people gain more weight drinking 2% milk than whole milk. Healthy fats are not the terrible foods that we have been taught to believe. Eat healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, butter, avocado, and whole milk. Stay away from sugars, excessive carbs and diet drinks if you are serious about losing weight. Your body will burn carbs first, then fat so if there are few carbs to burn, fat will be burned as your body fuel.

Straining yogurt... most people like the thick creamy Greek yogurt and it is really easy to make. I have a yogurt cheese strainer (Cuisipro Donvier Yogurt Cheese Maker) that is so simple to use and makes great Greek yogurt. BUT it will not work with raw milk yogurt since the yogurt is thinner. You need to use coffee filters with raw milk yogurt. The Cuisipro strainer works great with yogurt made from pasteurized whole milk.

I'll post more later after I've used the machine some more.

(Added edit) I discovered that if the power goes out even for a moment the machine will discontinue whatever it was doing. You will need to start it back up and add the additional time to complete your yogurt.

Raw Milk Yogurt Recipe: (follow this to the T and it should turn out great)

Ingredients:

1 5.3 oz. container of plain Oikos yogurt (Greek yogurt is fine)

40 oz. (5 cups) Fresh raw milk (no more than 5 days old preferably)

Heat milk in large pan very gently to 110 degrees. Stir slowly almost the whole time to avoid letting the bottom layer of milk get too hot. Keep a quick-read digital thermometer handy to frequently check the temp of the milk. As it approaches 110 degrees slide the pan off the burner. You do not want the temp to get above 110 if you can help it. At 117 120 degrees you've killed the healthy bacteria.

Once the milk has reached temperature, stir in the Oikos yogurt slowly and thoroughly. It takes some effort to get it all blended into the milk. The goal is to keep the mixture as close to 110 degrees as possible during this time.

When it is all blended, pour it into the plastic tub and put the fitted plastic lid on the tub. Place it in your machine and DO NOT put the clear cover on. If you do the yogurt will get a little too hot.

Ferment for 7 hrs. (No more or you risk the whey separating from the curd and basically ruining the yogurt). Let it cool in the machine for a few hours and then carefully transfer it to the ref. for several hours. The trick is to not disturb the yogurt at all until it has reached a cool temp in the ref.

After it has thoroughly chilled, stir it up and strain it with a coffee filter overnight. Now you have delicious Greek style yogurt!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Any review on yogurt makers tends to elicit comments on whether it's worth buying a machine at all so, here's the breakdown on the pros and cons:

Machine vs. no machine you can make spectacular yogurt either way. You can use of variety of methods, including crock pots, slightly warmed ovens etc. If you use yogurt as a starter, most brands that have live cultures in them do just fine.

Greek yogurt you can get creamy, rich yogurt that's so thick that you can stand a spoon up in it, either with or with out a machine. The factors that will help you do so all take place outside of any machine process. They are: raising and holding the milk initially to a higher temperature (I do 200 degrees for 10 minutes using a Pyrex measuring cup and the microwave) using fuller fat milks (although 2 percent is almost as good as whole milk), and straining the finished yogurt. You can also use additives such as dried milk,if you don't mind the taste.

Temperature and time to ferment most electric yogurt makers seem to run at about 110 degrees and take about 6-8 hours. If you use a crock pot, oven or other method, it takes over 12 hours. Note: The Brod and Taylor bread proofer is the only one I've read about that allows you to vary the temperature, from 70-120 degrees. It is probably worth investigating if you are planning to make creme fraiche or kefir milk.

Advantages of the Cusinart

You can make batches of 50 oz., which is especially important if you are planning to make Greek yogurt, because the straining reduces the volume considerably. My sole reason for giving this machine a '4' star rating is that I think they should have made the more convenient 2 qt. size. I would have made the review a 4.5 if that was possible.

It has a small footprint, is quiet, and frees up your oven, crock pot etc.

Fast 6 hours.

Auto shutoff for the fermenting. (BTW, read the descriptions carefully for the inexpensive yogurt makers. I saw one review that indicated that some have a timer light, but don't actually shut the machine off. )

Chilling, chilling, chilling once the fermenting process is done, the machine automatically goes in to chilling mode. Depending on lifestyle, this is a big convenience. It's the only machine I've found that has auto shut-off and chill.

You can make wonderful yogurt at home so good luck with it! :)

Best Deals for Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling

I have had good results making homemade yogurt in my crockpot, but the process involves many steps. I wanted an easier method, so I looked into the Cuisinart Electronic Yogurt Maker. After reading other reviews before I bought the yogurt maker, I knew I would need to experiment and tweak the recipe. I was still willing to make the purchase. My first batch came out runny with an 8 hour cook time with whole milk. I then reread the directions more carefully. For my second batch I heated the whole milk first on the stovetop to 180 degrees, and it took approximately 45 min. to cool down to 115 degrees before I added my starter, and then I cooked the yogurt mixture for 8 hours. I was very happy with the results. It was not as thick as Greek yogurt but certainly not runny. The third batch I followed the same procedure as the second batch but used 2% milk. I could not tell the difference between the whole milk yogurt versus the 2% milk yogurt. I have not made yogurt in this machine with skim milk yet, but with experience using my crockpot method, you do get a lot of whey with skim milk. The recipe booklet says to use 4 cups of milk in this machine, but I am able to use 5 1/2 cups milk which I think people would like to know. For my starter, I use 1/2 cup plain Chopani Greek Yogurt. To make the yogurt thick like Greek yogurt, you can line a colander with coffee filters and pour in the yogurt and the whey will drip out. I am very happy with my yogurt machine.

Honest reviews on Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling

I love it. I 've had for about a month every batch turns out great . we make yogurt every other day so pays for it self very quickly with 5 of us eating yogurt. Cleans up easy and it keeps it cool for 12 hours so no getting up in the middle of the night. Tried making it in crockpot but sometimes it would work and to much trouble with this you mix it in a bowl pour it in and push the button and then you have yogurt no checking temps and wrapping in towel . This is great and simple to use and makes great yogurt.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling

I bought this item many months ago because I liked the idea of it being a turn-key process. No more heating the milk, cooling the milk, and then incubating the yogurt. But so far, the texture of the yogurt has been a disappointment every time.

I've been making yogurt for over 20 years. I've used pots in the oven, a Thermos, and--most successfully--the Yogourmet incubator. I've never had batches that came out as runny as they do with this machine. I've tried skim, 1%, and 2%. I've used yogurt starter and plain yogurt as a starter. I've added powdered milk. I've experimented with everything from an 8-hour incubation up to 16 hours. The result is always the same: tasty, but runny.

If getting a successful batch means going back to heating and cooling the milk, I might as well go back to my Yogourmet. At least it works. This was a waste of money.