Home made yogurt’s a staple in our house. I make it.

Actually, that’s a giving myself a bit too much credit. I heat the milk to 185 plus, but not to boiling, then let it cool to 100-110, but not below. The handy yogurt makers we purchased for $39.95 each, make the yogurt. IF we had an oven that would heat to 100 degrees, I could make it myself. The next oven we purchase, will do it. If we had an oven that would proof it [keep it just above 100-ish], we could make a LOT more at one time.

In any case, here’s the process.

Two glass bowls capable of handling 6 and a half cups of milk. Then, pour in the whole milk. I use whole milk because it tastes ridiculously better. Plus, milk fat’s a plus in anyone’s diet. The body needs ‘good’ fats [see the macro discussion in our blog]. It also yields a lot more yogurt by volume. We make Greek yogurt and drain it for 8 hours-plus. So, whole milk makes a huge difference. Back to the point: pop the milk in the microwave, and heat it for however many minutes your microwave takes to get the milk above 185 and below the boiling point [212 at sea level]. Ours takes 16:30 minutes for the first batch and 15:30 minutes for the second [I leave the gallon on the counter and pour it when finished with the first batch; the milk’s warmer to start].

Next, pop it out, let it cool, and prepare your yogurt containers. In our case, I make consecutive batches. So, I drain the containers into the whey-separating containers and let them settle.

In the meantime, I usually do housework and listen to music. By then, it’s time, to go back and peel the cooling layer of milk with a slotted spoon and dispose of it in a container. In this way, there’s less mess for clean up, and less mess on the strainer when I pour in the milk for the yogurt itself.

After around 45 minutes, when the temp’s between 100-110, I pour the batches into the containers. I also leave a half cup of previously made yogurt as starter, or add a half cup, if it’s a brand-new cycle; e.g., when I clean the containers.

Then, set the timer, on the maker, and viola: done.

Except for cleanup; and, I’ve used non-stick pans on the stove, and glass bowls. Glass bowls are FAR easier to clean. One metal scouring pad, a bit of elbow grease, and good to go for the next batch.