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 STARTER 1. This was the first method I tried, since I had not freeze dried starter. For this method, I did the following a. 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 CULTURE 2. 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 minutes 3. 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. CONCLUSION While 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.

Well I purchased this Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker/Automatic Cooling machine for several reasons. I was told by the doctor that my gallbladder was not functioning up to par and I have a bacterial infection that antibotic's can't kill so he is trying to save the gallbladder. Well he told me to eat Greek Yogurt for several months, and other patience have had great success with it, so I decided to give it a whirl before he did the surgery. Guess what? It seems to be working after all. The yogurt is helping and buying it weekly can become costly. So I have been looking to purchase a machine and make it myself knowing others that do. They all say once you have homemade yogurt you won't want store bought. So after searching for the perfect machine I came across two machines, this one and the Euro Automatic Cuisine YM80.The YM80 included the jars.I narrowed them down and the pros and cons. By the volume, cost, warranty, size, and rating reviews. I went with this machine after reading many reviews at Amazon, Macy's, WalMart, Willliams & Sonona. I decided to purchase it at Macy's but at the last minute with all my discounts it actually was cheaper to purchase it at Amazon. And who can go wrong with Amazon. Their customer service is excellent, on time or always early deliver dates, pricing is always or most of the time cheaper, and packaged well and earn points. Well ordered machine from Amazon, came early, nicely packaged, and started using it. Manual included was very self explanatory easy and even had a rubber spoon included, cool.Steps taken were to heat milk to 180 degree in pot, I used Teflon pot on medium heat.I used 4 cups 2 %. Let cool too 110 degree and then added 1/4 cup Fage 2 % greek yogurt. (I used 2 % because I am allergic to whole milk). Well that worked out just fine. Then whipped well and poured mixture into Yogurt machine container. Put the lids on and set digital time for 7 hours. Came back several time and checked machine was warm to touch and hours were decreasing down. The machine is very quite only hear it if standing near it when it is fermenting. After reaching the total cycle of 7 hours it did exactly what it should do. It went to the "C" cycle cooling. Held there til cycle was complete overnight. Unit was cool to touch. Removed stirred and then drained with 4 coffee filters and strainer to get rid of the whey. Let sit overnight in the fridge. Removed and put in container and reserved 1/3 cup for next yogurt cycle. This is the best yogurt I have ever had and it came out smooth, creamy, and not tart tasting. Go everyone and find a machine that suits you. This one is a lot of money but you will get great results if you take your time. Easy to use and clean. Like the plastic container can put it right in the fridge if not using jars. I prefer to keep it in the machine and transfer to mason jars or plastic containers, so it stays nice with the machine. Wonderful product and happy with my purchase. Figure over 6 months will get my money back instead of giving it to the grocery store and "Will be Tasty Too" because I made it myself!Pay for what you get, Excellent results for me.

I really love this machine! I've never made yogurt before but I love to eat yogurt and was always running out. I was looking online to see how to make yogurt when I saw this machine. Wow! I thought I'd have to buy a pot and a thermometer to boil milk and control the temperature and what not...but nope! This machine DOES IT ALL! It's so easy to use! I just guessed how I'd like my yogurt to turn out and every batch has turned out great since I've started back in July 2017. I've been making about 48 oz of yogurt once a week and enjoying delicious yogurt every day (see pictures). Here's how I do it: I put about a cup of (cold) Kirkland organic Greek yogurt into the yogurt container and stir in whole milk (cold) until everything is dissolved and then turn on the machine for 16 hours and let the machine do all the work. How much easier can it get? Go from fridge to yogurt maker back to fridge to chill again and get delicious yogurt in return! The machine is great because you can set the timer to ferment for how ever many hours you want (1-24 hours) and once it's done, it will start the cooling process until you turn it off. I usually chill the yogurt container overnight in my fridge before enjoying because I turn off the machine shortly after it switches from heating to 'C'ooling. I prefer using the fridge to chill the yogurt instead of the machine. Overall, this Cuisinart yogurt maker is really great and so very easy to use. The cord was a little short but the control buttons are simple and intuitive. The yogurt container, lid, and spoon are all easy to clean as well. I would definitely recommend it and I give it a 4.8/5.0! - 10/17/2017 08/07/2023: I just wanted to say that I still have this machine 6 years later and I still make yogurt about every other week with it. It's still makes great yogurt! I found out two things: 1) When I use Fage Greek yogurt or other yogurts like Chobani as the base, I didn't like the result as much because the yogurt turned out too sour for my taste. Kirkland Greek yogurt is the best and so I've been using it for the last 6 years. It's always nice and smooth and yummy and 2) I've had maybe 3 situations where the yogurt turned out to be liquid slush (like whey water) after 16 hours of running. The exact cause isn't certain but I believe that I (or someone at the store) had accidentally shaken the milk bottle which is bad (I think). When this happens like when I drop the milk bottle or something, I don't try to make yogurt with it anymore and use a new unshaken bottle and this has always fixed the issue. Finally, to prevent damage to the machine, I always long press the power button to turn it off and never EVER pull the plug, lest I short circuit the machine. So keep that in mind if you want to ensure that the machine will last as long as it has for me. Just take the time to properly power it off and not yank the plug. Good luck!

I bought one of these the first year they were released, when they were quite a bit more money. It lasted 4 years, and did a great job. Even though I was a little disappointed it didn't last longer, I didn't feel like it was a bad investment. We loved our homemade yogurt. When it works, it is great. But eventually I noticed the yogurt wasn't getting thick anymore. So I bought a replacement. The first batch with the replacement was nice and thick. I was thrilled. But then after 2-3 weeks (about 6 batches) I noticed it was getting thin again. This time I tried a new starter from powder. I got everything ready and set the timer for 12 hours. After 8 it wasn't set, after 10 I checked again, and this time I lifted it out of the base and noticed it was cold. I checked with a thermometer and it was room temperature instead of 110! I felt the base and it was cool. I'm not sure if it was heating at the beginning of the cycle but then couldn't maintain heat for more than a short period of time (it did partially culture when I used my old yogurt), or if the heat was just broken, but it wasn't working properly. Given all the bad feedback on Cuisinart's warranty, I sent it back to Amazon. If they made them like my first one, I'd gladly buy another. But I can't justify spending money on something that breaks so quickly and so often. Don't look at the one star reviews and think it can't happen to you. Now I need to find a different method for making yogurt. Which is really too bad. I loved my first one.

Really like this product. Easy to use and clean up. Makes great yogurt. Only disappointment is the price. While well made, see no reason for price to be as high as it is. Other machines half the cost or less. Bought this mainly based on experience and satisfaction with other products made by this brand. Discovered an additional bowl insert can be ordered directly from manufacturer's web site. Slender shape of bowl fits nicely, without bulk in slender spot in refrigerator. Like that the machine automatically switches to the cooling program after timed incubation period is finished. This is handy since I often prepare the mixture before heading off to bed. Don't have to get up in the middle of the night to change the program! Instructions discuss alternate ways if preparing yogurt, one involving heating the milk first. What as NOT mentioned was that the milk should be stirred continuously from the time it hits about 130 degrees upward to avoid getting a skin on it. Apparently the protein from the milk conceals in the skin, if it is allowed to form, an has to be removed and thrown out before incubation in the machine! That partially defeats the nutrition value of the entire effort. You can of course make the yogurt without heating it first. My first attempt without heating the milk first yielded yogurt that was too thin. This could have been due to inadequate incubation time. Used 8 hours for first try, without prior heating of milk. But so far, my experiments lead me to prefer the heating method since, for me, it seems to yield a much thicker yogurt, very much like the thick Greek yogurt I prefer, without the straining of the final product usually described for making Greek yogurt. I heated the milk, made my additions discussed below, and incubated for 9 hours the 2nd and 3rd time. Used Fage brand live culture yogurt, available easily at regular grocery stores, for the yogurt starter culture. Be sure to get yogurt with LIVE cultures or the whole process will not work. An alternative is dried yogurt packets; I have not tried these but hear they are tangier, not as sweet. I also tried adding 1/4 - 1/2 c. Alba non-fat dried milk AND 2 T. Unflavored gelatin during the heating milk process, before adding the mixture to the machine. All of this is mentioned in the instructions that come with the machine. The result was the thickest, tastiest, yummiest yogurt I ever ate! Didn't even require sweetening of any kind! Added a couple of drops of vanilla only. VERY happy with the yogurt. Heating process before incubation requires more stirring than I'd like, but worth it. Keeps well at least 4-5 days in refrigerator, though usually doesn't last that long. All in all may never buy store bought yogurt again, except culture starter!

I’ve had some success and some failure with the Cuisinart Yogurt Maker. In fact, I came *this close* to sending the thing back to Amazon. But I soldiered on and finally had consistently good results. I’m amazed at the variety of experiences people are having with their homemade yogurt. So, I thought I would share the two yogurt-making processes that I have had the most success with. First, I want to mention that I tried heating my milk to 180 and cooling to 110 for my first batch of yogurt, and then following Cuisinart’s instructions. The instructions recommend this, many commenters here recommend this, and it seemed like the thing to do. However, that produced my worst yogurt failure and the results were ruined and kind of disgusting. Plus, the pre-heating step is just enough extra time and effort and fiddly temperature-monitoring work to be a deterrent to me. So, now I don’t heat the milk and I get consistently good results. It may have to do with the brand of milk I use, Horizons, I don’t know. Horizons is ultra pasteurized and has already been subjected to very high heat (it’s why their “best by” dates are often so far into the future compared with other brands). They have an explanation on their website if you’re interested. After some trial and error, here are two versions of how I use this machine that are easy and have produced excellent results for me: First version, with a store bought yogurt as a starter: 1. I use Horizons organic whole milk and Straus Family Creamery whole plain organic yogurt. 2. 4 cups cold milk, six ounces yogurt. I don’t heat the milk. 3. Mix it well, pour it in the yogurt maker. 4. Set it for 10 hours. 5. Cool in machine or put it in the fridge. I find the fridge firms things up a bit quicker, but the machine’s cooling function is handy because it frees me from bothering too much with the timing. The resulting yogurt had about the same amount of body that the Straus has (very creamy and on the soft side). Taste is wonderful. Slightly tart, but could be more so. I may gradually increase the fermentation time. Second version, with Yogourmet “probiotic” starter. Note that I only used 1 Tbsp of powdered milk instead of the 1/2 cup that Cuisinart recommends. I tried it with 1/2 cup and the powdered milk imparted too much of its own flavor that I didn’t like. I more or less followed the Cuisinart manufacturer instructions: “Plain Yogurt Variation #1.” 1. 4 cups cold Horizons whole milk, 1 TBSP powdered milk, 5 grams of Yogourmet probiotic culture starter. (I used the non-gmo whole milk powder sold at Amazon.) 2. Everything was thoroughly mixed and poured in cold, no pre-heating of the milk. 3. Set the yogurt maker for 12 hours. 4. This also came out great: a little more firm and tart than the Straus starter yielded. Nice smooth texture. This method created a thin, slightly pasty foamy layer on top that I scraped off. Next time I am going to increase the fermentation time to 13 hours to see if I can boost the tartness. I also plan to try it without the powdered milk altogether. I should note that the Cuisinart instructions vary somewhat from the Yogourmet instructions in that Yogourmet wants the milk pre-heated, and Cuisinart does not insist on that, even when using a packet of culture. Also, Yogourmet does not require the powdered milk in its instructions, which is why I plan to leave it out next time. Hope this helps someone!

Extremely easy to use, works like a charm at making soy yogurt. This is how I make my soy yogurt, every day: I use Westbrae Organic Unsweetned Plain Soymilk (I buy the half gallon/1.89L carton - Giant, Whole Foods, etc.). I use Nancy's Organic Cultured Soy Yogurt as my starter, if I forget to save some of my homemade yogurt to use. For some reason, this brand seems to be the only organic soy yogurt I can find at my local Whole Foods, none at the Giant. I get out a large (4 qt.) glass Pyrex bowl. I dump the entire 6 oz. soy yogurt into the bowl, then whisk in 2 tsp. of cornstarch. I whisk until the yogurt and cornstarch are thoroughly mixed, no lumpy bits. I then add approx. 1 C. of the soy milk, whisk well again to combine. I then add the remaining 3 C. soy milk and whisk again. Doesn't require much effort, don't have to whisk the daylights out of your mixture, just go easy. I pour the entire mixture into the plastic yogurt container that comes with the Cuisinart yogurt maker, put on the lid, lift the container and sit it down into the yogurt maker. No heating necessary!! I plug in the machine, push "START". Voila! I do this every morning, or every evening. The yogurt maker does all the real work - fermenting the mixture, then cooling it for 12 hours or until you remember to get your yogurt. I eat some of the fresh yogurt, about a cup or so, then pour the rest into a Denver yogurt strainer and put it in the fridge overnight to strain out the whey. I use the whey for liquid in bread recipes, or pour down the sink. I'm left with enough dense (Greek- style) yogurt to last for approx. 4 good servings (1 to 1 1/2 C. ea.) of homemade yogurt. If I want, I can keep straining the yogurt and make yochee. Sometimes I use Vanilla soy milk instead of plain, when I'm feeling frisky or just don't have any plain soy milk in the pantry. Doesn't affect anything in any harmful way. This is my yogurt making story. I've used the cheap yogurt makers - talk about a pain! - you get what you pay for. This machine is almost silent - just revs up very quietly every so often during the process. It's a no-brainer to use, clean. I keep it on my counter, takes up almost no space (is very narrow footprint). I don't use unbleached greek yogurt muslin bags because they're icky and messy and I don't like them. The Donvier is going to last forever, works terrific, and can be put in the dishwasher - sanitary. The soy milk I use has 9 g. Protein, 100 Calories (45 fat), 35 mg. Sodium, 390 mg. Potassium, 3 g. Sugar per cup - excellent nutritional profile - and my yogurt tastes exceptionally good compared to store-bought. The plain tastes good enough as is, but I usually add 1 T. or so of Grade B organic maple syrup, some cinnamon, maybe fresh or dried fruit - sometimes I go crazy and use the yogurt instead of soy milk on my Ezekiel 4:9 cereal.

I purchased this because I wanted to make my own yogurt. For the purpose of making Yogurt at home and for the ease I give this FIVE STARS!!!! The reason why I gave this Three Stars is not due to the machine. The reason is justification of making yogurt at home. There is absolutely no financial benefit. Here is an example of plain math. First you need Four cups of milk. Second if using store bought yogurt as a starter, you need Six Ounces of plain Yogurt. If making Greek Yogurt, your Net Product is Two Cups. So Mathematically your net profit is One Cup. (Basically your using one cup of yogurt to make Two) . A Cup Of Yogurt Cost $1.00 if purchased in the store. OKAy I am not done yet. Factor in the price of Four Cups Of Milk. If you like Fruit on the bottom, then add that cost. Ingredients: Four Cups Of Milk = $1.50 6 ounces of plain yogurt = $1.00 Fruit = ???? + --------------------------------------- 2 cups of Greek Yogurt ( retail = $2.00) Minus One Cup to Start = 1 cup Net Now consider your time cooking and cleaning utensils??? Don't Forget that if you want to make another batch you must save one cup(8oz) Recipe calls for 6oz Consider the price of this Machine $100.00 Plus Cheese Cloth for straining or a Yogurt Strainer. There are benefits of making your own Yogurt at home. If you know them please tell me because I really do not see any.