Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling,3.12lb Jar capacity,(1.5L)

I am not going to discuss much about the machine's functionality, since that has been covered in a bunch of reviews. This review is for Greek Yogurt lovers only - that is what I like and that is what I am going to cover.The Cuisinart CYM-100 is a compact yogurt incubator with a cooling function. No worries after the incubation period is over, since the machine will automatically enter into a cooling cycle. This allows you to make yogurt without the hassle of traditional methods - set it and go. Well, almost.I like very thick Greek style yogurt and wanted to be able to make my own with the CYM-100.After some testings, this is what I have discovered.HOMEMADE GREEK YOGURT with STORE BOUGHT GREEK YOGURT STARTER1. This was the first method I tried, since I had not freeze dried starter. For this method, I did the followinga. Heat 5 cups of whole milk to 110f (this is more than the machine's directions suggest, but fits in the container without a problem). I used an instant read thermometer to monitor the temperature. On my GE induction cooktop, I set it to 5 1/2 and stirred until I reached the desired temperature.b. After reaching the desired temperature I mixed in 5oz of FAGE Total into the 110f milk. Don't ask me about 0% or 2% FAGE because I don't buy it - I only use full fat yogurt and am not interested in anything else!c. After whisking in the FAGE, I poured the mixture into the plastic Cuisinart container, placed the lid and set it to incubate for 8 hours.d. After the incubation cycle ended I waited another couple hours before removing the yogurt from the plastic container and pouring it into a strainer. I use the Euro Cuisine GY50, available on Amazon to strain. At this point the yogurt appeared to be already fairly thick.e. I allowed the yogurt to strain for about 18 hours, during which time quite a bit of whey strained off.f. Next step - EAT the YOGURT! I found the yogurt to be of a nearly identical consistency to the FAGE Total. I did feel the taste was a little bit muted - almost no tartness. If you like your yogurt this way, you can stop reading and use this method.HOMEMADE GREEK YOGURT with THERMOPHILIC CULTURE2. Since the flavor was a bit muted, I thought I would try using thermophilic culture. I also wanted to be able to make yogurt without having to continually buy store bought yogurt.a. I purchased some ABY-2C from getculture.com. One container claims to make 50 gallons of milk, however this is ONLY possible when you using the entire bottle at one. When making smaller batches, you cannot expect to make 50 gallons.b. Heat 5 cups of whole milk to 110f. I used an instant read thermometer to monitor the temperature. On my GE induction cooktop, I set it to 5 1/2 and stirred until I reached the desired temperature.c. After reaching the desired temperature I mixed 1/4 tsp of ABY-2C. The directions say between 1/8 - 1/4, but to be safe and ensure that the milk was properly inoculated, I erred towards 1/4. DO NOT PUT IN THE CULTURE before the temperature drops to around 110f or you will kill it and end up with a failed batch.d. After whisking in the ABY-2C, I poured the mixture into the plastic Cuisinart container, placed the lid and set it to incubate for 8 hours.e. After the incubation cycle ended I waited another couple hours before removing the yogurt from the plastic container and pouring it into a strainer. I used the Euro Cuisine GY50 to strain. At this point the yogurt was quite loose - not nearly as thick as when I had used the FAGE for starter. In fact, when I poured it into the strainer, it was so thin that some seeped right through the fine mesh of the strainer into the holding container.f. I allowed the yogurt to strain for about 18 hours, during which time LOTS of whey strained off, as well as what appeared to be some yogurt. In the end I had very little yogurt - about 10oz.h. Next step - EAT the YOGURT! I found the yogurt to be smoother than the consistency of the FAGE Total starter method, more like very creamy thick sour cream. I did not prefer the consistency, but I did prefer the taste of this batch. I want to stress, that the consistency was still quite thick, but without body.HOMEMADE GREEK YOGURT with THERMOPHILIC CULTURE and pre-heating milk to 180f for 20 minutes3. Since the flavor in method 2 was closer to what I preferred, but the consistency was not, I thought I would try using thermophilic culture again, but pre-heat the milk beyond the 110f up to 180f for 20 minutes.a. I used the same ABY-2C (for more info on this culture, see above).b. Heat 5 cups whole milk to 180f. I used an instant read thermometer to monitor the temperature. On my GE induction cooktop, I set it to 6 and stirred until I reached the desired temperature.c. After reaching the desired temperature, I removed the milk from the cooktop, poured it into the plastic Cuisinart container, and placed it in a bowl of water with some ice cubes to bring down the temperature to 110f. This took about 15 minutes.d. When the temperature of the milk had dropped to 110f, I mixed 1/8 tsp of ABY-2C. I did this to see if a 1/8 tsp dose would properly inoculate the milk and produce the same flavor as method 2. DO NOT PUT IN THE CULTURE before the temperature drops to around 110f or you will kill it and end up with a failed batch.e. After whisking in the ABY-2C, I placed the lid and set it to incubate for 8 hours.f. After the incubation cycle ended I waited another couple hours before removing the yogurt from the plastic container and pouring it into a strainer. I used the Euro Cuisine GY50 to strain. At this point the yogurt had tremendous body - thicker than when I had used the FAGE Total starter. In fact, it was so thick, that not much whey seeped through the fine mesh immediately, as in the other two methods.g. I allowed the yogurt to strain for about 18 hours, during which time the remaining whey strained off, creating a thick creamy consistent with a lot of body.h. Next step - EAT the YOGURT! I found the yogurt of this method to be the best overall. It had more body that the other two methods, but also had a better taste than method 1 - slightly tarter, but not overwhelmingly so.CONCLUSIONWhile the set it and go method has its advantages, I feel that taking the time to heat the milk to 180f for 20 minutes a) improves the quality of the yogurt, b) makes a mixture with less waste. That is the good and the bad news. It would be great if the machine were able to heat the milk 180f without intervention, but sadly that is not the case. I have not yet tried making a batch with reserved yogurt from method 3. When I do that, I will update this review.I still think the machine is fantastic and give it 5 stars - it does what it promises, and does it well with relative ease.

I am very happy with the Cuisinart CYM-100. It does an excellent job. I particularly like the cooling mechanism that goes on at the end of the fermentation cycle because it means that I do not have to be there at the end of that cycle to immediately refrigerate the yogurt. My only criticism of the Cuisinart is that it makes small batches of yogurt -- I can fill it with no more than 6 cups of milk.I have made roughly 40 batches of yogurt with the Cuisinart, and I have tried many variations to the basic recipe that comes with the unit. Here is what has worked for me:1. Take two tablespoons of fresh Fage Total yogurt (full fat, 2%, or 0%) out of the refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature as you prepare the milk. Cover with plastic wrap2. Use whole milk or 2% milk to make the yogurt – but not ultra-high pasteurized, UHP or UHT. Whole milk will result in a thicker, creamier final product. Substitute a cup of cream for a cup of the milk for an even thicker and creamier yogurt 3. Fill the bottom pot of a double boiler with just enough water to touch the bottom of the top pot4. Put top pot on the double boiler5. Put a thermometer in the top pot, adjusting the bracket so that it will show 100° and higher6. Heat 6 cups of milk in the top pot at a medium high level of heat – setting #8 on my stove. Heat to 200°. Turn the heat off. Partially cover the pot with a lid7. Keep milk at 180° - 200° for 20 minutes – gently stirring on a regular basis. Do not scrape the bottom of the pot when stirring. Turn the burner on and off as necessary to maintain the temperature, but remove the lid when the burner is turned on8. After 20 minutes, place the pot in an ice bath (ice and cold water) to cool the milk to 110°9. Remove the thermometer from the pot10. Remove 1/2 cup of the milk with a ladle and pour into a separate cup. Add the yogurt to the cup of milk and use a fork or spoon to stir thoroughly until the yogurt is incorporated 11. Pour the cup of milk/yogurt back into the pot and stir thoroughly 12. Carefully pour the mixture, through a strainer, into the Cuisinart container, initially using a ladle. Put the lid on, and place in the Cuisinart unit. Put the unit's outside lid on13. Turn on Cusinart and set the timer for 9 hours. Use a longer time if you prefer a tangier yogurt14. Close the shade next to the Cuisinart to prevent light from hitting the unit15. After fermentation is completed, allow the yogurt to chill in the Cuisinart. Better yet, remove the yogurt container and chill in the refrigerator. The total amount of chilling should be for at least 12 hours. If you prefer regular yogurt, you now have it16. To make Greek yogurt, place a plastic colander over a large stainless steel bowl, line the colander with one layer of a soft pillow case, spoon the yogurt onto the case, and cover with a plate. Place into the refrigerator for 8 hours. Pour off the excess whey frrom the stainless steel bowl as necessary during the straining process. The straining process will produce two or more cups of whey17. Place the finished yogurt in a container and mix thoroughly. The container should be one that seals tightly – an ordinary store-bought yogurt container is not good enough18. Add any desired flavorings to the final product and stir thoroughly19. If you wish, put 2 tablespoons of the yogurt in a tightly sealed container to serve as the starter for the next batch, and refrigerate. Do not use yogurt that has been flavored as a starter. Use a starter derived from home-made yogurt only once. For the next batch, go back to using store-bought Fage Greek yogurt as the starter.