In another thread I remembered the fresh soy milk I’d pick up from a Vietnamese place in Orange County. Really good, and only a dollar a quart. So I decided I’d buy a soy milk machine and make my own. This morning was my first attempt.
I bought four pounds of organic soybeans from the Food Co-Op (they were on sale). Last night I measured out 70 g of soybeans and put them in water to soak overnight. (The machine came with a little measuring cup, but I weighed the beans on a kitchen scale.) There are two lines pressed into the metal of the ‘jug’; one marked ‘minimum’, and the other marked ‘maximum’. After putting the soaked beans into the jug I filled it to the ‘maximum’ mark with cold water. After 18 minutes the machine signaled it was done. I poured the contents of the jug through the (included) sieve into the (included) plastic pitcher. I put the okara (soy pulp) from the strainer into a container for later use, and covered the jug and put it into the fridge to cool.
The result: It tastes a bit thin to me; not as good as what I used to get at the Vietnamese market. I’ll fix that next time by either using the minimum amount of water, or by using 80 g of beans, or both. Since I don’t know how I’ll be using the milk, there are no additives. When I have more I’ll add a teaspoon each of honey and vanilla.
For me, cow’s milk is an ingredient; not a beverage. Soy milk is the other way round. The machine should pay for itself after about 20 quarts.