Homemade Yogurt Cheese with thermal cooker

FOCC (Cottage Cheese Flaxseed Oil) in Dr Budwig diet required quite an amount of cottage cheese, you can also replace it with yogurt cheese or kefir cheese. To make the cheese, it is simply straining the yogurt, curdled milk or kefir milk, then you get the 'cheese'!
I personally prefer yogurt cheese for its added probiotic benefits.Commercial yogurt is not recommended as it is usually sweeten, flavored and preservative added.

The easiest way to make yogurt is use a yogurt maker for better temperature control. I am using the thermal cooker since I do not want to add one more kitchen gadget to my crowded space. I use low fat organic milk powder and the yogurt starter from Newlife since its easily available to me in Malaysia. You can also use raw milk delivered by your local milkman (for Penang 04-8266439; Subang 0126779087), and any other yogurt starter.

Things You Need:
Thermal Cooker
Kitchen thermometer
Glass container (must be able to fit into the thermal pot)
1 pkt Yogurt starter (yogourmet from Newlife)
Organic non fat milk powder (or 400ml raw milk)
Distilled water
Muslin cloth

Preparing the milk:
1. Dissolve 6 tbsp milk powder into 400ml water.
2. Bring to near boil, not boiling.
3. Pour into glass container. Let it cooled down to 42-43C (measure with your kitchen thermometer)
4. Take 2-3tbsp milk out into small cup then dissolve the yogurt started.
5. Mix the yogurt starter back into the warmed milk.

Preparing the Thermal cooker:
1. Fill up the thermal pot with water to about 3in high and heat it up to 'steamy' hot, not boiling, too hot will kill the good bacteria in the yogurt starter, too cold will not be enough to start the fermentation.

2. Put a metal stand that able to support the glass container "ABOVE" the water, DO NOT let the bottom of the milk touch the hot water. If you do not have a metal stand (or steamer stand), you can use any bowl with the right height.

3. Place the glass container with the milk onto the stand, cover the thermal pot lid, put inside the thermal cooker and close the cover.

4. Leave it to cultivate for 12 hours, do not peek.

5. After 12 hours, you should get a smooth soft 'tofu' like yogurt and it should taste sourish.

Making into Yogurt Cheese:
1. Pour the yogurt in to a muslin cloth, tie and hang in the fridge to allow the whey(yellow water) to drip off overnight. Viola! What left is yogurt cheese!
2. Transfer to glass container and keep in fridge to use for FOCC.

Check out other method here.