We eat yoghurt every day and use it in place of sour cream, cream cheese, creme fraiche, and other things. I often mix it with a little jam or peanut butter or other things and give it as a snack to my toddlers. I always use whole milk. I have a very easy way to make it that doesn't even dirty any dishes! First I get a cooler (I don't know what you might call this. It is an insulated container, often large, that Americans use in the summer to put ice in and drinks and things we want to keep cold when we go to the beach or a picnic. Is this what you call an icebox?). If it's winter here I leave it in the house overnight or put in a pot of boiling water (on a towel) to warm it up.

I get a stock pot, put 4 sterilized (I just use the dishwasher) quart jars full of milk in it, and then fill the pot with water about 3/4 of the way up the jars. I heat the milk until it forms a skin - about 185F. I don't boil it all the way. Once it forms the skin I take the skin off, put the jars on the counter and put lids on. Then I lay a towel in the cooler and put the pot of water in it and close the lid. At this time I also take my starter out of the refrigerator to bring it to room temperature. After an hour or two, depending on the time of year, the milk cools to between 100-115F (I use a thermometer, but after time you learn what the outside of the jar feels like when it is the right temperature). It's time to stir in the starter. I use about 2 tablespoons per quart and stir it in very gently. It seems to make the yoghurt creamier and thicker in the end if I'm very gentle. Put the lids back on.

Now I put the jars in the cooler next to the pot, wrap the ends of the towel over the jars, close the lid and wait! After 4-6 hours it will be very mild and still pretty soft. I like to leave it as long as 12 hours. By then it is more tart but really nice and thick. After 6 hours or so I like to add more boiling water to the pot to keep the temperature up. I find that I don't have to do that though. I can start my yoghurt in the evening and then leave it in the cooler overnight so I have fresh yoghurt in the morning.

So now that it's ready, the clean up is almost nothing! The pot is emptied of water and set to dry, the yoghurt is already in jars and ready to go in the refrigerator, the towel is hung to dry and that's it! Nothing to wash except one spoon!

I have a yoghurt strainer that I love so much. I will never use cheesecloth again! That was so messy! I like to strain some of my yoghurt until it is very, very, very thick. I love to just eat it plain with a spoon this way or spread it on toast. I use the whey that drains into the bottom of the strainer in place of water when I make bread. You can also use it in stews and things like that to add a little extra protein.

I hope someone will find this useful!

Jenny K

Raleigh, North Carolina

U.S.A.

Thank you for taking the trouble to post this method, interesting.

We Indians make yoghurt every day, all our lives, and have many different, favourite ways of making it. The bottom line is to maintain a suitable temperature for yoghurt culture to develop :-).

Yes, the right temperature is so important! It can really change the flavor. Lower incubation temperature seems to make a milder yoghurt but I don't know if that's 100% true. Do you ever strain it? What do you do with the whey?

No, I never strain it, unless making something like Srikhand. If too much whey separates, I spoon it off.