ChristineS
31 posts
Jun 04, 2008
1:43 PM
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Hello, I am seriously considering buying the new soymilk maker you posted not too long ago Bryanna. I have to say that I am intimidated by the whole process. I am tired of first locating organic soy milk and then paying for it (way too high).
I know there is plenty of good information in your books (I own them all) and your site.........I guess I am looking for a little reassurance that even a novice such as I can do this. LOL. Where can I get my organic soybeans? Are they green or dried? I don't have access to a healthfood store without driving 100 miles or so. I was hoping I could buy from Bob's Red Mill or another mill I can get bulk. Any suggestions?
Thank you as always,
Christine
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Brenda W.
216 posts
Jun 04, 2008
2:21 PM
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Hi Christine,
I really don't think you'll be disappointed in buying a soymilk maker and going thru the learning process of making your own soymilk. I showed my 78 year old mother how I was doing it, and the very next week she bought a machine and has been making soymilk ever since. Quite frankly, the biggest learning curve is how to wash the machine and not spend a half hour doing that!! And these newer machines may have made that a lot easier. But the actual process of making the soymilk is quite straightforward:
1)Soak the beans for 6 or more hours
2)Load them in the machine, add water, and turn the machine on.
At this point you have hot soymilk all made. It needs a touch of both salt and sugar. An optional step that I do is to filter it thru a "gold filter" to remove the finer sediment. But it sounds like this new machine may remove that step. If you do choose to do this step, after umpteen soymilk making sessions, attempting to hold the filter and not burn my fingers with the hot steam, I've finally found this set up (which I learned from another poster somewhere ... sorry that I do not remember who) which works totally effortlessly:
Click on pic to see a larger image
The jar is 1/2 gallon size, so it holds an entire batch of soymilk. I put the salt and sugar in the bottom before pouring in the milk.
Bryanna recommends scalding all the equipment that will touch the beans or milk, and removing the skins of the soaked soybeans. Being the lazy person that I am (or if you prefer, full time working person {grin!}) I do neither of these steps and have never had a problem of either spoilage or bitterness from the beans.
RE: buying the beans ... I live an 80 minute drive away from the nearest store that would have soybeans, so I use the "Laura's Beans", primarily for the convenience of having them delivered to my door (thank you Mr. UPS man!).
Laura's Beans have two sizes whose price includes delivery if you live anywhere in the US, Puerto Rico or have an APO military address: 20# for $28.95 and 13# for $18.95, both of which breaks down to around $1.44 or $1.45 a pound. At the health food store that's over an hour away, they are $1.19. So by the time I factor in my gas and my time, I figure the cost is a wash.
One batch makes a quart and a half, and uses just under 4 ounces of beans. So if you round it up to 4 ounces for ease of figuring, one pound makes 6 quarts of soymilk, meaning each quart (if you use Laura Beans) comes to around $0.24, plus the negligible costs for electricity, salt, and sugar!
For storage of the beans, if you buy them in the bulk quantities listed, any air tight container will do. I have one of those vacuum sealers and use that. Large mason jars would work. Tupperware, etc.
Last Edited on 4-Jun-2008 2:44 PM
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ChristineS
32 posts
Jun 04, 2008
7:12 PM
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Thank you Brenda. I guess I just need to buy the machine and give it a try. I am looking forward to making my own tofu and yogurt as well. I was hessitant about canning my garden produce at first too.........it was new, strange and I didn't want to make anyone in my family sick. It is second nature to me now and I hope the soy products will be too. I am so grateful for the cooking video "Everyday Dish". I am the only Vegan I know and the incredible women on this video make it all look so easy.
Christine
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Bryanna
Owner/Moderator
2359 posts
Jun 04, 2008
9:15 PM
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Christine, i just buy bulk organic soybeans from my health foos store. They are sort of beigey-yellow! The process is very easy with the new machines! Don't be intimnidated by my long instructions! I just try to cover all the bases! Now i can practically do it in my sleep!
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ChristineS
35 posts
Jun 06, 2008
9:37 PM
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Oh Bryanna! I wasn't intimidated by your instructions at all. In fact, your detailed instructions is what is convinced me that I CAN do it really. It is the IDEA of working with the soy bean that is so different to me.
I ordered the machine and look forward to the experience. I did have one more question (they must seem endless!)
What is cotton sheeting?
Your advice is priceless and every bit of information you give me makes my new lifestyle easier. Thank you.
Christine
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JulieH
431 posts
Jun 07, 2008
4:51 PM
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Christine, it's really easy once you get into the groove. I wasn't good at remembering to make it regularly, so my husband now makes a batch every other day. The key is remembering to soak your beans and not to let your machine sit too long before washing it. Did you order the newly designed machine that Bryanna blogged about?
I use organic soybeans from Bob's Red Mill and the flavor is great. I'm not sure what the price is now, but they were very reasonable.
Glad you're enjoying the DVD!
Julie
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ChristineS
36 posts
Jun 07, 2008
8:35 PM
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Hi Julie, Yes, I ordered the new model from Bryanna'a blog. And I am about to order the organic beans from Bob's Red Mill too, I am not sure how many to get....cause I don't know what kind of shelf life the soybean has. I wanted to get the 25 lb. package cause it's the best for the money. I read about the Laura beans. They sound interesting but I don't see that they are organic, they are non-gmo though. I'd rather stick with the organic if I can.
I get my nutritional yeast and gluten from Bob's Red mill, but through amazon.com. If you buy $25.00 worth, the shipping is free. Amazon sells these things for less than Bob's does, so it'a a real savings to order through Amazon.
I can't wait to try your chocolate cake from the dvd in the morning....it will be my birthday cake and it looks so wonderful!
Take care,
Christine
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JulieH
433 posts
Jun 08, 2008
10:02 AM
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Happy Birthday Christine! I hope you have a great day! If you like chocolate, you will definitely love that cake.
I have used Laura Beans and the organics from Bob's, and I didn't notice any difference in the taste of the milk. Plus, the Bob's are organic like you said. I think that the beans will last at least a couple of years. Maybe Bryanna can comment on this too. I will have to check out that Amazon deal. It sounds like a steal.
Happy Birthday!
Julie
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ChristineS
37 posts
Jun 08, 2008
10:30 PM
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Thank you Julie!
The cake was terrific.....everyone loved it.
We love your sausages too. Tomorrow morning I am going to try my first tofu scramble.
Thank you for your recipes and especially for your instructional videos.....it helps so much to SEE the process with all these new ingredients and to see the final product.
Christine
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Bryanna
Owner/Moderator
2363 posts
Jun 09, 2008
9:37 AM
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I, too, use organic soybeans, and not the Laura beans, which I would have to order from the States and would cost quite a bit!Q I just buy organic from my health food store bulk bins. But, Christine, soybeans keep well! Keep them stored airtight in a dark, cool place and they will be fine for a couple of years at least!
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