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Heat the milk to 185-190 degrees F in a non-aluminum cooking pot.
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(I use a slow cooker on the high setting and just track the temp on a candy thermometer It takes about an hour and a half to do it this way, but it doesn't scald.
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If you do this, you will need to pour the milk off into another vessel for the next step.
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).
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When the milk hits 185-190 degrees F, put the whole pot into a cold water bath where the water comes up on the outside of the pot to the same level the milk is at on the inside.
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Watch it closely because the temp will drop like a stone.
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When your milk hits 120 -125 degrees F on the thermometer, remove it from the waterbath.
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Whisk in the yogurt with active cultures.
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Put the cover on the pot (sometimes I pour it off into jars) and set it somewhere guaranteed to be over 100 degrees for 8 hours.
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(Some folks use a slow cooker with a warming setting, some use an evaporator, others wrap the pot or jars in a heating pad -- there's a lot of ways you can do this.
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In Texas, I just put it outside.
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).
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After 8-9 hours, your yo should have gurted (It'll look thick, you'll be able to see a separation of the whey from the milk -- etc.)
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If your yo hasn't gurted, this means your culture either didn't take or died in the process.
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To be sure you can leave it a bit longer but after 10 hours that yo is as gurted as it's going to get (if it doesn't work, the milk that isn't yogurt can be used in cooking.
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).
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If the yo has gurted, pour it into cheesecloth, potato sack cloth or muslin and strain the whey off with a collander.
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Then tie the ends of the cloth together and hang it over the sink to allow the whey to drip off even more.
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For store bought style yogurt, draining the whey takes about 15-30 minutes.
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For Greek style yogurt, let it sit for about an hour to an hour and a half.
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For, my favorite, which is roughly the consistency of smooth ricotta, let it go for two hours.
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Stored in an airtight container, this stuff will hold up in the fridge for several days.
