Bear Yogurt Maker, Greek Yogurt Maker Machine with Strainer and Timer Control, Stainless Steel Inner Pot, Automatic Digital with 2 Glass Jars 1 Quart for Home Organic Yogurt, Cheese, Fruit Wine

I'm super happy with this yogurt maker! My purchase included the Greek yogurt strainer kit, two glass yogurt containers with lids, the yogurt maker and it's lid, and a recipe book. I also purchased a spare Bear glass yogurt container with lid (just in case I broke one). Texture: This is the Greek Yogurt made using this yogurt maker pressing the setting titled "Greek Yogurt". No straining needed. Greek yogurt with no mess and no fuss. Minimal effort Greek yogurt. This yogurt maker has already paid for itself in under two weeks (we eat a lot of yogurt). The home made yogurt from this machine is better quality than what I'm able to buy locally. Here's how to duplicate the yogurt I made. Recipe: The only ingredients I used: 1/2 cup of plain yogurt from the grocery store and 1 quart of half and half (fewer net carbs = keto friendly). Instructions: Sterilized the Bear glass yogurt container, the lid for the glass container, the yogurt maker lid, a silicone spatula for stirring, a thermometer (unless using a laser gun thermometer), a 1/2 cup measuring cup or else a large spoon, and a stainless steel pot that holds at least 1.5 quarts and let it all air dry; I used hypochlorous acid sanitizing spray, as it's good safe and easy, but be sure it fully dried before starting. Put the pot on the stovetop and add: 1 quart or 946 mL or 4 cups of either milk / half and half / cream. Turn heat under pot to medium-low, leave for 5-7 minutes, stir with silicone spatula, test the temperature; check the temperature each 2-3 minutes until temperature is over 105 °f / 40.56° c. Once the temperature is over 105 °f / 40.56° c, remove from heart, stir for a few seconds, set timer for 15 minutes, check that the temperature is now under 100° f / 38° c (if it is still hotter than this, set another time for 15 minutes). Once the liquid is under under 100° f / 38° c, use the silicone spatula to stir in ~ 1/2 cup or two heeping giant spoons of yogurt. Pour liquid into the sanitized Bear glass yogurt container, place that into the Bear yogurt maker, as the yogurt maker lid, press "Greek yogurt" and "enter". In 10 hours when timer goes off, remove the glass container, cover with the sterilized lid, and refrigerate for at least an hour; this is good for at least 4 weeks of you started with pasteurized milk / half and half / cream and you kept everything sanitary. Enjoy. When your yogurt is running low, make another batch using ~ 1/2 cup or two heeping serving spoons worth of yogurt (so that you don't need to buy yogurt starter or buy more live yogurt from the store). *** OTHER *** How to Adjust Sourness: Normal Yogurt has minimal sourness and Greek yogurt is only slightly more sour. If you prefer a more sour yogurt, just let the yogurt make run longer than 10 hours. Bear Mesh Strainer Kit: I tested the Bear Greek yogurt mesh strainer kit on my last batch of yogurt made using the "Greek yogurt" setting and found that it was WAY too thick for me although the whey was delicious; I'll likely use the mesh strainer for special recipes in the future.

I really like this thing. It is extremely easy to use. I fill one of the glass containers with regular store bought 1% or 2% milk (not too full), microwave for 8 minutes, stir with a whisk, let cool until hand warm (takes about an hour or so, until it is very warm but still comfortable when placing your whole hands around the container), whisk in 1/3 cup of store bought yoghurt (I get Fage yoghurt, figuring I might as well start with a really good culture), place the lid on, set the glass container into the yoghurt maker and press "greek". The timer will start at 10 and count down until the yoghurt is ready. It hurts nothing to just let it sit like that for hours until you happen to be around for the next step. Set the strainer on top of the second glass container, dump the yoghurt into the strainer, put the lid on and set the whole thing in the fridge. After 5 hours or more (again no problem if it is many hours later) dump out the liquid that has drained into the glass container, and then dump the strained yoghurt into it the other glass container that should have come out of the dishwasher by now. I typically let my yoghurt strain for a long time, and it turns pretty firm, nearly like a cream cheese. I love it that way. One batch fills the glass container a bit more than halfway. To my taste the yoghurt tastes better than any store bought one. I get to have a lower fat but not skim version of greek yoghurt that I usually can't find in the store, and it saves money compared to buying it at the store. All this thing does is hold the temperature evenly at a steady 110 degrees and turn itself off after 10 hours (for greek yoghurt). I am sure this can be accomplished for a much lower price. But I eat plain yoghurt every day, so if this thing lasts at least a couple of years it will more than pay itself off. It seems to be well made, is not an eyesore, and the glass and stainless steel should keep a nice appearance for a long time and are easy to clean and sanitary. The strainer works well and goes in the dishwasher to clean along with the glass jars and lids. You need none of these things to make yoghurt. My afghan friends make great yoghurt regularly on their countertop in any container they happen to have on hand. But this is nice and easy and fail proof, so I recommend it if you have zero experience like most of us, and if you can afford to spend a little extra.

The machine is easy to use. Homemade Greek yogurt is the best! The instruction manual is not complete in giving all the directions. I looked at a few videos and read a few online recipes to get the full picture of how to make the yogurt. This size unit makes 2 servings per batch. I do recommend this machine.

Was confused first time. Would like better directions, might be me. Anyway, once done, love the yogurt, very silky. I made normal yogurt with 100% A2 milk. I don’t like Greek. Like that there are 2 container jars.

Making yogurt at home has been a fun and easy experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but the whole process turned out to be surprisingly simple and enjoyable. The digital control panel is straightforward, and the timer is especially helpful. I can set it and forget about it, letting the yogurt maker do its job while I go about my day without any worry. The two glass jars that come with the kit are just the right size for small batches, which is perfect for testing different flavors or adjusting the consistency. I really like that they’re easy to clean, and I’ve had no issues with them. Watching the yogurt come together and seeing the transformation after a few hours is surprisingly satisfying. The yogurt always turns out creamy and smooth, which has made the process enjoyable every time I use it. The included strainer has been especially useful for making Greek yogurt, and it’s great for getting that thicker consistency I prefer for my morning parfaits or snacks. What’s been fun is experimenting with different variations, like adding vanilla, honey, or fruit. It’s nice knowing exactly what goes into the yogurt, and it feels like a healthier option when I can control all the ingredients. The machine is pretty quiet while working, so I don’t have to worry about it disturbing me or taking up too much attention. The option to make cheese or fruit wine is a nice bonus, though I’ve mostly stuck to yogurt so far. Overall, making yogurt at home has been a great experience, and the yogurt maker has made it so simple and fun to get started.

I searched around to get the best yogurt maker I could find and after reading all the reviews, I got this one and I am so glad that I did. It is amazing. Every batch I made has come out perfect. I love the strainer it comes with to make greek yogurt. It is very easy to use. I would definitely recommend it. So far, I have made my yogurt with 2% fairlife milk. I am also going to try it with skim milk and a plant based milk.

After 7 weeks of experience with this yogurt maker, I can see both its plusses and minuses. On the plus side, it allows you to make about a quart or liter of yogurt as a single volume instead of as several small individual servings. This was, in fact, the main reason I was interested in this particular yogurt maker vs. alternatives, since here we often mix scoops of yogurt into other foods and don't always eat it as a separate dish, so making / buying single large volumes makes more sense to us. Another plus is that it is simple to operate -- just push the appropriate program button and it will keep your culture at the right temperature for an appropriate period of time. A third plus is that it does allow to make some adjustments to this incubation time, although this isn't in the instructions and isn't obvious: You have to press the 'program' button and select from the three programs it offers that correspond to different temperature settings ('yogurt' and 'greek yogurt' use the same temperature), and then repeatedly hit the 'timer' button to cycle through a range of different timing options. On the minus side, my main issue is that the device could have been made in a way that presented clearer and more complete options to give you better control over the product you are making. Many comments in these reviews complain about the unclear and incomplete instructions, and, indeed, the fact that the control over timing described above is not mentioned anywhere makes me wonder whether one can depend on it being implemented in every unit: Maybe the company will just stop making them with this feature without telling anyone. And, given what the 4 built-in programs do, I don't see why they couldn't have designed the unit so that users could simply select a time and temperature of their choosing vs. forcing them to pick between 'yogurt', 'greek yogurt', 'cheese', and 'fruit wine', giving them much more complete control. Third, there are also some issues with handling the large volume containers that attracted me to the product in the first place: The large size means that they weigh a lot when full, and they can be hard to pull out of the unit when the incubation program is done: You have to grab them by the lids (or just below them), and they just barely hold the weight. The suction on the lids is pretty good so this works now, but I anticipate that the seal will eventually weaken and it won't anymore. Also, when sterilizing the vessels with boiling water (as recommended), you have to use a *lot* of hot water and it is not easy to handle them without scalding yourself. Bottom line: the vessels need some provision for better handling when full. Lastly, why not put some graduation marks on the outside of the vessels to mark a liter or quart? That would be a nice convenience, and I can't see any reason for not doing this. So, to sum up, the product does what it promises, and has the advantage of large capacity. But it could be made *so much better*, especially when you consider that this is one of the most expensive of the yogurt makers being offered! And *that*, finally, is a last issue: Based on functionality alone, I would give this product four stars, but given its expense, they really ought to make these improvements: And so I give it three stars.

Love, Love, Love! We perfected making Greek Yogurt, let it "cook" for 12 hours, refrigerate, then strain it with no or minimal stirring. The "waste" is high quality whey that we use for recipes so nothing goes to waste, great functionality! The result from the Bear Yogurt maker is good tasting, thick yogurt, great tasting, not sour at all! In fact, we bought two to always have a good supply of homemade greek yogurt, it pays for itself! The Bear lids have a nice vent that creates the fermentation.