Cultures for Health Greek Yogurt Starter Culture | 2 Packets Dehydrated Heirloom Style DIY Probiotic Yogurt | Delicious for Smoothies, Granola and Berries, Tzatziki, Soup, & Other Healthy Snacks

I raised my review from a 4 star to a 5 star.I successfully made my second batch of yogurt- used whey from the previous batch as the starter.I could smell it fermenting at 5 hours and pulled it out of the incubator at 6 hours.I think the flavor had improved a bit and I'm looking forward to sampling the finished product tomorrow. So far really enjoying the product and no complaints at all!Original review:I've been making greek yogurt for a few months now, but I used a store-bought yogurt as the starter. My results were never "bad" but I didn't feel like I was getting the right consistency between the batches (some were perfect, and some were a bit thick), so I decided to try this product as the starter.I'd read various reviews indicated that the first batch wouldn't set or tasted terrible, so I was prepared for some disappointment and the first round and just made a one quart batch.I did cheat a bit- the recipes that I had made in the past indicated to heat the milk to 185 degrees before cooling to 110 degrees. The instructions for this kit indicated to heat the milk to 160 degrees before cooling- I cooked mine to 185...The kit indicated to incubate the milk for 5 hours and that if it hadn't set yet- to continue to check every two hours- up to 12 hours total. Mine hadn't set at 6 hours but was firmly set by 8 hours.They recommend tilting the container to see if the yogurt has set but afterwards I realized that I could tell just by the smell of fermentation that nothing had happened at 6 hours but that it set somewhere before 8 hours had elapsed- so you can also use the sniff test before tilting the bowl if you want.The only thing that seemed to be missing from the instructions was the step to actually strain your yogurt after its fermented and let it chill for a few hours. So my understanding is that these instruction tell you how to make a batch of regular yogurt but don't tell you how to make "greek" yogurt.The taste was a bit rough, but the instructions indicate to set some yogurt aside (or I set aside the whey after straining) to use it as a starter for the next batch. Instructions indicate that the flavor should improve dramatically with each batch and then you should be able to scale up your batch size afterwards once you get consistent results that your happy with.Another note was that their instructions include directions for both activating the starter (cool it for two hours covered after fermenting) and directions for a regular batch using starter from a previous batch (no cooling period)All in all-I'm happy with my first batch and really looking forward to seeing if I can get really consistent results and fantastic flavor in the future!

The media could not be loaded. I was looking forward to receiving this starter, as I have been making yogurt at home regularly for years, using store bought greek yogurt as my original starter. I decided I wanted to try purchasing a quality starter to compare the difference to what I was already making at home.I read the instructions carefully, and it was exactly the same as the process I had been using. Well, first batch didn’t set by 8 hours, so I let it keep going until 12 hours, per the instructions. All I got was rancid, chunky milk. Not yogurt at all.I decided to try again with the second packet that came with my purchase, in case it was user error. I sanitized my equipment, reread the steps, and carefully did the process one more time, including taking the temperature to make sure my yogurt maker was incubating at the right temp. Same thing happened.I tried to ask for a refund, but Amazon just takes me to a page that says there is no returns for this item. So wasted a bunch of milk, and a bunch of wasted time.This is the first negative review I have ever written, and will be happy to update if the seller sees this and tries to remedy the situation.Update: The company did contact me and gave me a full refund.

I've been making my own yogurt for about 25 years, using a store-bought plain yogurt with cultures and in several different types of yogurt makers, mostly Oster brand 1-quart, but also Salton, and a Waring 2-quart.I only recently began using a powdered starter.Until I bought an Oster Mykonos Greek Digital Homemade Yogurt Maker, 2-Quart CKSTYM1012 maker in 2014, I never would strain yogurt and wasn't even aware you could. I wish I had known about it sooner because I really can't stand runny, bitter yogurt, which would frequently happen over the years. I prefer a firm, mildly tart yogurt....just short of being sour cream! 😁Note: The Oster Mykonos Greek square yogurt maker comes in a digital CKSTYM1012 and manual CKSTYM1010 option, but both come with ONE 1-quart rectangle container and 6 small glass containers. I prefer to use only the 1-quart container, so I bought an extra Mykonos Greek yogurt maker and swapped the individual jars for the rectangle container. So I do TWO 1-quart rectangle containers per batch.Since getting the Greek yogurt maker, I will never go back to unstrained yogurt again.As for a starter, in the past, I would start my first batch using a plain yogurt with active cultures from the grocery store, usually Mountain High brand in So. Calif. For subsequent batches, I would use a few heaping tablespoons (about 1/3 cup) of the current batch for the next batch, and so on.It wasn't until 2016 that I started using a freeze dried starter by Yo Gourmet that I would buy here on Amazon and use for about every 5th batch, using two heaping tablespoons of yogurt reserved from the current batch as the starter for the next batch. I looked into other brands, including this Cultures for Health, but saw the negative reviews about the first batch turning out awful, that I hesitated to try it.However, a week ago, when I tried to order more Yo Gourmet yogurt starter, Amazon was out, so I decided to try this Greek Yogurt start by Cultures for Health and am I glad I did! I just made my first batch two days ago using my usual process [below] and my first batch came out perfect! It's firm with very little tartness 👍The photos attached shows my first batch using ONE packet of Cultures for Health.In the cup shown, I have about 2/3 of a cup of yogurt on top of 1/3 cup chopped up trail mix (done in my Vitamix dry container) that I keep a running batch of to add to each serving of yogurt.This is the process I've been using for 6-years with the Oster Mykonos 2-quart yogurt maker:* Heat 9 cups (or slightly more than a half gallon) of whole milk in our GE Microwave for 23 minutes on High to achieve 180° - 185°- I use a 2-quart Pyrex glass measuring bowl* Cool to between 106° - 110°* Put ONE .5 or .6 gram powdered starter into a separate 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup and pour a cup ofthe cooled milk into the starter and stir/whisk until dissolved. Add back to the main batch of milk and stir in.- subsequent batches....I use two heaping tablespoons or about 1/3 of a cup of the previous batch's yogurtand mix in the same as above.* When I pour the milk into the yogurt maker containers, to ensure I achieve an optimal mix of milk and starter, Ialternate pouring the milk into both 1-quart containers, back and forth, back and forth, so neither containerhas more active cultures than the other.* Cook the yogurt for 15 hours (12 hours is the minimum I will do because I prefer firm yogurt)* After the yogurt is cooked, cover the containers and place in the fridge for a minimum of 8-hours* After 8-hours, transfer the chilled yogurt to the strainers and put back in the fridge for at least 6-hours.* Pour out the strained liquid. Enjoy!

I have found the comments to be correct: the first batch or two are thin, but it thickens over time. It is lasting longer than using commercial culture as a starter. So far, the batches have been tangier than what I like. My guess is because these first batches are taking longer to set than what I was accustomed to, so i hope that as the culture matures, setting will take less and less time and the yogurt will be sweeter