This incubation stage can be accomplished with a yogurt machine or any DIY incubators. Leave it alone, undisturbed, for the entire time. Have you ever Googled "how long to make yogurt?" Here's your answer: 5 to 10 hours, which allows the good bacteria to flourish. Once your milk and starter are combined, all that's left is to keep the yogurt at a steady temperature (110☏ to 115☏). So, for example, if you are using a heating pad, wrap it around the container rather than just setting the container on it. It's important to have the heat distributed across the whole area of your incubation vessel so there are not hot and cool spots. Or simply swaddle your container with a heating pad, blanket, or towel. Other: Additional options include placing covered containers inside a conventional oven (preferably with the light on), a microwave, or a covered slow cooker (preheat the slow cooker but turn it off to incubate).The jars are "inexpensive, durable, can withstand repeated use, are easy to source, and serve double duty if you're also a home canner," and the cooler "works like a lo-fi charm." English adds that you can even just set jars of the mixture in a sunny window on a warm (but not too hot) day. Mason Jars: English uses Mason jars in half-pint, pint, or quart sizes, set in a cooler that also has a few jars filled with hot water."The wide mouth is a big advantage in removing the finished yogurt, and the double-insulating walls maintain that warm yogurt temperature better than anything else I've experimented with." Heatkeeper Jugs: Mendelson uses wide-mouth plastic Stanley Heatkeeper jugs.A thermos (first warmed inside with hot tap water) is a perfect example. Thermos: There are many other ways to keep the mixture warm and safe from drafts and jostling.If you make a lot of yogurt, a machine with a timer can be a good investment. Yogurt Maker: Yogurt-making machines come with a container or several containers made of glass or plastic that hold the mixture, a heating device that keeps the mixture at the correct temperature, and a timer that can be set for the desired yogurt incubation time."All you can do is notice when the yogurt seems not to be setting up right, and get a fresh start by getting a fresh starter." There's no easy rule for determining the number of times you can use the same mother culture, she says. "That said, you can only do this about six to eight times before the acidity balance gets off and a new, fresh culture will be needed." Mendelson agrees that the risk of failure increases with reuse. Previous Batch of Homemade Yogurt: "Since I've been making yogurt for so long, I simply use my previous batch to inoculate the next," says English.Ideally, the yogurt shouldn't have any additives or thickeners, though these will be diluted so much once you combine them with milk that it's not the end of the world if there's a little pectin or other thickener. The yogurt should not be flavored or sweetened, but the fat content doesn't matter. Pick a yogurt you like the taste of and check the label to be sure it has live, active cultures. She prefers to use store-bought plain yogurt. "It's an extra, unnecessary thing to buy," she explains. Store-bought Yogurt: Mendelson never uses powdered starter.Powdered cultures can be found at some grocery and health food stores, or online. Powdered Starter Culture: While you won't find them at every grocery store, powdered cultures tend to have set amounts of live bacteria and therefore perform consistently."Stir them together, and you get that wonderful combination of richer and thinner." Mendelson confirms that while "ultrapasteurized milk doesn't have the best flavor," it "can be successfully inoculated with lactic acid bacteria." Mendelson also prefers unhomogenized milk, which creates "cream-top yogurt with a beautiful layer of cream and a bigger lower layer of skim," she explains. Organic and Local Milk: While many people choose organic or local, grass-fed milk for ethical reasons or because they prefer the flavor, English says "organic, UHT, or regular milk all perform the same, in my experience," though she chooses to use milk from pastured cows."I know people don't believe it, but from time immemorial yogurt has been made from whole milk, often from very rich and concentrated milk from animals like sheep and water buffaloes." All of that aside, very good yogurt can be made from skim milk, so if your diet or taste preferences dictate you use lower-fat milk, don't be deterred from making homemade yogurt. 2% and Skim Milk: Mendelson feels that even 2% is too low."A lower fat milk will create a runnier end product, lacking that creamy mouth feel present in fuller-fat products." "Whole milk and 2%, because of their higher fat content, will produce a product with more body and structure, as well as creaminess," she explains. Whole Milk: "I'm a whole-milk sort of gal," says English.
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