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Fermentation is a natural process that can prepare a wide variety of food products. There are a number of health benefits of fermented foods. According to this BBC Good Food article, The Health Benefits of Fermenting, “Fermented foods are rich in probiotic bacteria so by consuming fermented foods you are adding beneficial bacteria and enzymes to your overall intestinal flora, increasing the health of your gut microbiome and digestive system and enhancing the immune system.” Yogurt is one such food and is prepared by bacterial transformation of milk. The process of fermentation, although simple, can completely change the food’s characteristics.

Although you can make yogurt in any pot of your choice, using an MEC pot makes the process more convenient, and the yogurt turns out more nutritious. Let us find out about the science behind making yogurt and the advantage of making it in MEC cookware.

The Science Behind Making Yogurt

When making yogurt, the bacteria Lactobacillus delbruekii sp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus transform the lactose naturally present in milk into lactic acid, creating yogurt. These bacteria are called live cultures in common practice and can be taken from leftovers from your previous batch of yogurt.

What are the advantages of making yogurt in MEC?

Miriam’s Earthen Cookware (MEC), handcrafts naturally non-toxic cookware in the USA. The makers do not use additives, glazes or chemicals while making pots from 100% primary clay. When you heat milk for making yogurt, nothing leaches in from the pot that may disrupt the fermentation process. As a result, yogurt sets better and quicker in MEC. And there are no toxins in your homemade batches of yogurt. This is just one of the advantages of using MEC pots for yogurt making. Read on to learn how the porosity of the pots is another advantage.

The surface of MEC pots is semi-porous which allows enough oxygen to pass through the pot. And the live cultures use this oxygen to produce new compounds that help them multiply and start breaking proteins in milk down to amino acids. As the live cultures grow, they consume the lactose naturally present in the milk and transform it into lactic acid. Next, the proteins found in milk, called caseins, begin to clump together, and change the consistency of milk to form a thicker substance: yogurt.

Any excess water can evaporate through the semi-porous surface which leaves yogurt thick and creamy, whereas it would stay runny when prepared in a metal or ceramic pot.

Once the milk has turned into yogurt, after an incubation period, we need to stop the fermentation process by lowering the temperature. The way to do it is to refrigerate your yogurt, which will help retain its texture and flavor. But in MEC, it will keep getting thicker and creamier over time as the bacterial colonies keep getting stronger.

How is MEC Yogurt better than store bought?

The store-bought yogurt is full of preservatives and is heavily processed. Artificial sweeteners and flavors are added to enhance its taste but in terms of nutrition, it is highly deficient. This is evident from the fact that using store bought yogurt for live cultures takes more time fermenting your milk than leftovers from MEC yogurt. This is because the bacterial cultures are more active when you make yogurt in MEC at home. MEC yogurt is free from toxic additives, unhealthy preservatives, sweeteners, or flavors, and yet is more nutritious, flavorful, and delicious.

Interested in making your next batch of yogurt at home? Head over to our online store and order a yogurt maker pot today. Here is a 10-minutes hands-on recipe to make MEC yogurt at home without any hassle.