3 Days of Yogurt: Day Two - How I Make It

Yesterday afternoon I started my newest batch of yogurt.  Here's how I did it.

I started about 2:25

I got my trusty slow cooker and half a gallon of milk:

The slow cooker is set on "low" and plugged in.

The milk is poured in to the cooker,

I DO put the lid on the slow cooker. I just forgot to before I took the picture!

and left alone for 2 and 1/2 hours.

Ok, 2 and 1/2 hours, give or take a few minutes. It's not rocket science.

Then the slow cooker is un-plugged and left alone, again, for another 3 hours.

The lonely slow cooker, left alone again.

At about 8 pm I get my yogurt starter, my large bowl, and a measuring cup, and scoop out about 2 cups of the warm milk.

I pour the milk into the bowl, then get my 1/2 cup of yogurt and stir it into the milk. I use a fork to make sure the yogurt is completely dissolved into the milk.

I make sure to put the lid back on the slow cooker  during this step.
Save the heat!

1/2 cup of yogurt 

Whisking away.

I pour the contents of the bowl back into the slow cooker and stir it to make sure it is mixed in well, then put the lid back on the cooker.
Then I cover the entire cooker with the large towel.

Night-night!

I then leave it alone, again, all night.  It needs to incubate about 8 - 12 hours. I've never let it go longer than 12 hours. "They" (whoever they are) say that it will get too tart if it sits longer than 12 hours. I don't know. I usually let it sit between 10-11 hours.

When I get up in the morning, about 6:30 (so about 10 and 1/2 hours -if I'm counting right) I uncover the cooker and see what I've got.

LOOK! It's a miracle! Yogurt!

Now, this yogurt is pretty liquid-y and you know I'm going for thick, Greek style, so I have a few more steps to take.  This is edible yogurt, though, about the consistency of commercially prepared non-fat yogurt.

I pour this yogurt into my large bowl and put it into the fridge to thicken for a couple of hours.

I cover this with plastic wrap before putting into the fridge.

Look how empty my fridge is!  I've got to go to the grocery store.

That is the basic process for making yogurt.  If I wanted to, I could be finished right here. I'd probably put the yogurt into several smaller containers.  It would be thicker after about 2 to 4 hours in the fridge.

Tomorrow's post will show what I do to make it much thicker and creamier.

Any questions? Comments? Frustrations? Anxieties?