Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this yogurt maker about two years ago, and have been making great yogurt 1-2x per week. The benefits are that the machine beeps and turns itself off, has glass jars, and most importantly, can accommodate a single large glass container for making Greek yogurt. We have had no problems at all with it. After experimentation here's our go-to, no-fail way to make firm, non-tart, non-fat Greek Yogurt: We heat organic non-fat milk until it reaches 185 degrees (do not stir, and don't scrape the film from the bottom of the pot!), and let it cool to 108 - 112 degrees (we place the pot in an ice bath to speed things up). In an 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup, place about 2 tablespoons of fresh yogurt from the store (we use Fage or an organic brand). Spoon a little of the 108-112 degree milk into the yogurt, stir to temper and blend, then add the rest of the milk (stirring to blend), and pour it into 6-cup round Pyrex glass container that is in the yogurt maker. Set the timer to 6 hours. When the yogurt is done, place a fine strainer that has cheesecloth doubled over it (we use an Ecobag muslin bag that fits my strainer) over the washed 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup, and dump the yogurt into it. Refrigerate and let it strain 2-10 hours. The longer you strain, the thicker it gets, so you can control the texture you want. Spoon the yogurt into the glass jars that come with the machine, and add fruit, preserves, nuts, granola or sugar to taste. Some things we learned along the way: the higher the fat content of the yogurt, the more firm it will be - so you can put whole milk yogurt directly into the little jars in the machine; the longer you "cook" the yogurt, the more firm, but tart it becomes; the dry starter cultures aren't as good as fresh yogurt as a starter culture; and dry milk to firm up yogurt has little grains that don't dissolve and tastes yucky; and metal and plastic bowls when straining or storing affect the taste of the yogurt. If you want delicious, really fresh tasting non-fat, not-too-tart yogurt, I promise this works!