Type
—
Yoghurt maker. This type of device is intended for the preparation of fermented milk products, primarily yoghurt and cottage cheese. Its work is based on maintaining a temperature in the working chamber that is optimal for the activity of lactic acid bacteria (about 38-40 °C). The working volume of yoghurt makers is usually divided into several glasses, which facilitates dosage, and one common bowl is usually intended for making cottage cheese.
—
Ice cream maker. As the name implies, such devices are designed to make ice cream at home. They may differ in functionality, but the general principle of operation is the same: the ingredients for ice cream are placed in a working container, around which there is a whisk with a coolant (this can be a mixture of ice and salt or a special liquid). During cooking, the contents of the working chamber are mixed to ensure maximum efficiency. The ice cream maker can use a pre-cooled whisk or provide cooling by itself, see "Ice cream maker operation mode" for details.
— Yoghurt/ice cream maker. A combined device that combines the capabilities of both of the above types.
Ice cream maker operating mode
—
Semi-automatic. Semi-automatic ice cream makers include those that do not have built-in freezers: to make ice cream in them, the whisk with the cooler must be cooled separately, for example, in the freezer of the fridge. This may create some inconvenience; on the other hand, such models have less weight, dimensions and price than automatic ones.
—
Automatic. Automatic ice cream makers are equipped with their own built-in freezers and are completely self-contained, because they cool the whisk themselves and do not require separate freezers unlike semi-automatic models. This greatly simplifies the use, however, such devices have the corresponding dimensions, weight and price.
Total volume
The total volume of the yoghurt maker, which determines how much product can be cooked in it at a time. In yoghurt makers with a bowl for cottage cheese, the volume is determined by the capacity of this bowl; otherwise, the total volume is equal to the sum of the volumes of the yoghurt cups.
Volume of 1 glass
The volume of a separate working container for yoghurt. The division of the total volume into separate glasses simplifies the dosage and speeds up the process of preparing yoghurt; in addition, in this way you can more accurately choose the volume of preparation — after all, it is not always necessary to prepare a full yoghurt maker, sometimes it is enough to “load” only a part of the glasses.
Number of glasses
The number of individual working containers (glasses) of the yoghurt maker. Dividing the total volume into several small containers speeds up the cooking process and facilitates dosage; also yoghurts with different additives can be prepared at the same time in different glasses thanks to this.
Yoghurt container material
Yoghurt containers are usually made of
glass or
plastic. Glass cups are more fragile and heavier than plastic ones; on the other hand, glass is less sensitive to intensive washing, more resistant to overheating, and is considered a more "neutral" material, as it does not tend to release foreign substances (although modern food-grade plastics also meet this requirement).
Shutdown timer
The shutdown timer automatically turns off the yoghurt maker after the time required to make yoghurt. Thus, you can not be afraid to confuse the shutdown time and "overexpose" or "underexpose" the product. However, note that it is advisable to immediately place the finished yogurt in the fridge, so even the presence of a shutdown timer does not eliminate the need to pay considerable attention to the cooking process.
Display
The display makes it easier to operate the yoghurt maker, making it more visual. The display screen can show the selected cooking programme, the remaining time until the end of the process, information about the delay start, etc.
