Tribest Yolife YL-210 Yogurt Maker

The Yolife Yogurt Maker YL-210 is part of Tribe Corporation's healthy lifestyle offering and is aimed at homemade yogurt making enthusiasts.

Yolife YL-210 Features At A Glance:

• 7 six ounce glass jars
• Time indicator
• Comes with 2 lids. A standard one for use with the 6 oz jars and a larger lid so you can fit in your own larger containers
• 5 year warranty

The unit consists of the heating base and a choice of 2 clear lids for use during incubation. The unit also features a time dial. This is used to indicate when the finished product will be ready.

The YL-210 does not have an auto-shutoff feature like some of its competitors. But I like the way Tribest turn this into a positive feature in the yogurt maker comparison on their website. They claim that the auto-shutoff feature on some of their competitors' models may turn the unit off before fermentation is complete. The YL-210 apparently gives you more control.

The benefits of an auto-shutoff mechanism are vigorously debated in some quarters. Some consumers claim that the need to remove and refrigerate the yogurt as soon as fermentation is complete negates any benefit of auto-shutoff.

I think the second, larger lid supplied with this product is a real positive. If you'd like to make a larger quantity or use your own container, this larger lid is very useful.

Tribest also sell a 64 oz glass jar as an optional accessory for around $3.75 (plus shipping).

Also, if you already own a Tribest Personal Blender, you can ferment your yogurt in these containers. The idea is that you can then make your smoothies without needing to change containers.

Like some of Tribest's competitors, there has been some negative feedback about the shape of the glass jars supplied with the unit. Apparently they can be a little difficult to clean - but this is seen as a minor drawback.

The Tribest Yolife YL-210 Yogurt Maker retails for around $35.

Tribest Yogurt Maker

The Yolife Yogurt Maker is just one of a range of small appliances manufactured by Tribest Corporation. Tribest Corporation was founded in 1988 by Jae K. Choi in California. The company specializes in small appliances with an emphasis on consumers seeking healthy lifestyles.

Apart from the yogurt maker, Tribest also sell a range of juicers, a water distiller, a personal blender, a sprouter, a soy milk maker and a range of grain mills.

I find the sprouter to be an interesting concept. I've never used a commercial one before. It's used to grow wheatgrass and sprouts like mung beans and alfalfa. I'm not sure where the value is though. I know it has a built in automatic watering system but for around $100, it must be pretty special.

But for all of that, Tribest only offer one yogurt maker - the Yolife YL-210. In keeping with the 'healthy lifestyle' theme of the company, this machine allows you to produce your healthy nutritious snack in batches of up to 80 ounces, although the standard configuration is 42 ounces (7 x 6 oz jars).

The two features which make this yogurt maker stand out are the 5 year warranty and the extra cover. While the 5 year warranty speaks for itself, the extra cover may need a little more explanation.

In order to allow you flexibility in what yogurt making vessels you decide to use, this model not only comes with a standard cover for use with the six ounce jar, but also a higher domed version so you can use larger jars or other containers.

Read more about the Tribest Yolife YL-210 Yogurt Maker.