What We Don't Like About The Salton Yogurt Maker

Worked OK, but that's an extra expense
A single quart is a good size IMHO, better than the more expensive multi-jar competition. However ... this thing gets way too hot. I ran a number of tests and found the temperatures rose to well over 130F after several hours. It made reasonable yogurt, but not great yogurt, because it got too hot too fast. Worse, for me anyhow, was that the excessive temperature killed the culture making it impossible to use one batch to seed the next. Starting with a fresh culture

worked OK, but that's an extra expense. I've quit using it and bought a different though pricier unit with better temperature control.



This is the second Salton YM9 Yogurt Maker I've purchased
This is the second Salton YM9 Yogurt Maker I've purchased. I bought my first one nearly 20 years ago and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, the heating element is failing, so I purchased a new one via Amazon.com. The new one doesn't function any better than the old one did, and takes from 10 - 12 hours to cook a batch of yogurt (compared to the 6 hours it should take). I suspect that the one I just bought is defective, but the shipping cost to return it will negate any credit I would receive. I'll be thinking twice before I buy another item through Amazon.



1. Operates by plugging in (no switch available).
2. No time setting adjustments. I wish i could set the number of hours i would like the thing to be on. This has been my biggest problem because if i leave this on longer than needed the yogurt easily becomes tart.
3. the milk needs to be boiled, cooled and then put into the yogurt maker. I guess that is how most of them are.



The milk never became yogurt
I purchased this product with the idea that I could insert a quart of luke warm milk in its cardboard container straight into the unit along with starter of course. Since I eat a lot of yogurt and prefer organic yogurt, this seemed like a wonderful idea. However, the milk never became yogurt. The bottom curdled some, while the top retained a consistency of thick buttermilk. This was after 48 hours. Thinking it was something wrong with the milk, I tried a different brand. I also tried a different brand of starter. No luck. Frustrated because I could never get the top of the milk to set, I tried milk in small plastic containers which I stacked inside the unit. Again, the bottom container became yogurt - sort of.

The top container remained buttermilk. The real issue with this product is that the heat seems to come mainly from the bottom.


I bought it thinking I'd save money
To be fair, I haven't used this product since I purchased it a month ago. I bought it thinking I'd save money. I can't find a box of dry milk under $12, which you need in order to make yogurt. A large container of yogurt is $3.99, sometimes less with coupons. To bad I threw out the box, maybe could have returned it. Instead of saving money, I've lost shelf space.