Sorry it took me so long to reply! This one got "buried"!
I really love my yogurt maker - it is simple and the yogurt comes out perfectly every time. The machine itself is really, really simple. It just has an on/off switch and the little jars sit under this plastic dome. The machine just holds them at a constant temperature (90* I believe). The only drawback would be that all of the yogurt is in the 7 little baby food jar-type cups. It works well for us, but I know at times, my husband wishes we had the capacity for more yogurt and/or in larger containers.
You only need to get a starter the first time you make it. After that, you just reserve one of the jars of yogurt to use as a starter for the next batch. I always add about 4 tsp. of powdered milk to thicken it.
Soon after getting my yogurt maker, I realized that I wanted more than the 7 jars that it came with. I looked into buying more jars, but they were really expensive. I discovered that bouillon cube (Wylers brand) jars are the *perfect* size! I asked all of my friends to save theirs for me and I washed them out really well. I use these in addition to the ones that came with the machine so I can make another batch when we are running low, not just when we run out completely. I even use the red-lidded bouillon jar (from beef flavor I believe) as my starter jar. This way everyone in the house knows not to ever eat the yogurt with the red lid!
Anyway, I think it was a wonderful investment and it has served our family very well! It's been a real blessing!
