# How I Make Yogurt

Oops, i have half a gallon of milk that is past the expiration date.
It doesn't smell bad yet, but there is no way i will finish it in
time. Or is there? I chose to make yogurt out of it. Here is how i
do it.

First, i gather my equipment:
* big measuring cup
* candy/deep fry thermometer
* rice cooker (a crock pot would also work)
* thick-bottomed sauce pan
* (3)glass pint canning jars and lids
* 3/4 cup yogurt to serve as the culture/starter
* 5 cups milk (whole milk works best)
* wooden spoon

I fill the rice cooker a little under half full with water. I turn
it on "cook" to heat up the water. While it is heating up, i go to
the stove.

I measure 5 cups of milk into the sauce pan. I set the burner on
high heat and bring the milk to a boil, stirring constantly. The
milk will start steaming. When i see a small amount of foam, i know
to watch it carefully, because when it starts to boil the foam can
rise up very quickly and overflow the pot. When it does boil, i
remove it immediately from the heat.

Now comes the most difficult part of the process, because it requires
patience. I attach the thermometer to the saucepan with the bulb
under the surface of the hot milk. I stir the milk continually. If
i forget to stir, a skin will form on top. I can either scrape the
skin off, or stir it back into the milk. I continue stirring until
the temperature lowers to 115° F. This takes a while and that is why
it requires patience. Whew! The hard part is over.

Once the milk temperature lowers to 115° F, I scoop in 3/4 cup
yogurt. (Roughly 1/4 cup yogurt per 1 pint milk.) I stir it into
the milk until it is evenly mixed.

Now i turn off the rice cooker. I measure the water temperature in
the rice cooker. It is probably too hot by now. I add cold water
until it lowers to 115 to 120° F. If necessary, i remove water to
reduce the level to just under half full.

I pour the cultured milk into the canning jars. I set lids on top,
but i don't screw on the metal canning rings. I set the jars into
the rice cooker, partially submerging them in the warm water. I put
the lid on top of the rice cooker. I am basically using the rice
cooker as an incubator for the yogurt culture. Then i let the jars
sit all day.

The yogurt will set and be thick in 6 to 8 hours, but the result is
too mild-flavored for me. I let it sit a total of 12 to 16 hours in
order to achieve the desired tangy flavor. When it is done, i put
the canning jars in the refrigerator. Then i clean up the kitchen.

I read that yogurt makers in India use the leftover whey from the
previous batch of yogurt as the culture/starter for the next batch.
I have not tried this yet.
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On Tue, 24 May 2022, bencollver@tilde.pink wrote:

# How I Make Yogurt

Oops, i have half a gallon of milk that is past the expiration date.
It doesn't smell bad yet, but there is no way i will finish it in
time. Or is there? I chose to make yogurt out of it. Here is how i
do it.

First, i gather my equipment:
* big measuring cup
* candy/deep fry thermometer
* rice cooker (a crock pot would also work)
* thick-bottomed sauce pan
* (3)glass pint canning jars and lids
* 3/4 cup yogurt to serve as the culture/starter
* 5 cups milk (whole milk works best)
* wooden spoon

I fill the rice cooker a little under half full with water. I turn
it on "cook" to heat up the water. While it is heating up, i go to
the stove.

I measure 5 cups of milk into the sauce pan. I set the burner on
high heat and bring the milk to a boil, stirring constantly. The
milk will start steaming. When i see a small amount of foam, i know
to watch it carefully, because when it starts to boil the foam can
rise up very quickly and overflow the pot. When it does boil, i
remove it immediately from the heat.

Now comes the most difficult part of the process, because it requires patience. I attach the thermometer to the saucepan with the bulb
under the surface of the hot milk. I stir the milk continually. If
i forget to stir, a skin will form on top. I can either scrape the
skin off, or stir it back into the milk. I continue stirring until
the temperature lowers to 115=C2=B0 F. This takes a while and that is wh=

y

it requires patience. Whew! The hard part is over.

Once the milk temperature lowers to 115=C2=B0 F, I scoop in 3/4 cup
yogurt. (Roughly 1/4 cup yogurt per 1 pint milk.) I stir it into
the milk until it is evenly mixed.

Now i turn off the rice cooker. I measure the water temperature in
the rice cooker. It is probably too hot by now. I add cold water
until it lowers to 115 to 120=C2=B0 F. If necessary, i remove water to reduce the level to just under half full.

I pour the cultured milk into the canning jars. I set lids on top,
but i don't screw on the metal canning rings. I set the jars into
the rice cooker, partially submerging them in the warm water. I put
the lid on top of the rice cooker. I am basically using the rice
cooker as an incubator for the yogurt culture. Then i let the jars
sit all day.

The yogurt will set and be thick in 6 to 8 hours, but the result is
too mild-flavored for me. I let it sit a total of 12 to 16 hours in
order to achieve the desired tangy flavor. When it is done, i put
the canning jars in the refrigerator. Then i clean up the kitchen.

I read that yogurt makers in India use the leftover whey from the
previous batch of yogurt as the culture/starter for the next batch.
I have not tried this yet.

Thanks for writing this! You reminded me of the time I was making yogurt
at home. My process was a bit less sophisticated; Here's what you would nee=
d to do it the way I did:

- a pot
- milk (I was using a litre per batch, i think)
- a "big?" spoonfull of yogurt
- A cooler, portable ice chest, ice box, cool box, chilly bin (in New
Zealand), or esky (Australia) (thanks, wikipedia) (in my country, we cal=
l then "beach fridges", funnily enough)

And here's the process, that is a much more guesstimating one than
yours:

- heat the milk in a pot, but don't let it boil
- when you see it's starting to boil, turn off the fire, wait "a bit"
- add "some" yogurt, stir to mix
- wait "a bit", put the pot in the cooler. Leave there overnight, if you
are doing this in the evening. Editing to add: cover/close the cooler.
Much like the rice maker, this is basically an incubator, you want to
keep the warmth in there.

This gives you a pot of yogurt that then you can scoop directly into
your morning oats, or into a bowl with fruit. I would keep the pot in the fridge from the next day on.

I remember being afraid I would screw up the process, but by the second
batch I was already growing confident. People have been making yogurt
almost by accident for thousands of years, I'd encourage everyone to
try, it's easier than it seems!

I'm leaving the original full recipe in the follow-up, so anyone joining
now can see the full thing.

Cheers!


PS(A): if your cooler is made of plastic, as mine was, be carefull with
the pot temperature when putting it in there. I think I was using an old blanket or towel at the bottom and around the pot to avoid any melting,=20
and to add a bit more insulation, a la "Haybox": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haybox --747550870-426702371-1744015521=:1246840--
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