Homemade Greek Yogurt...beyond easy!!

What you need:
Time (without much effort)
Cheesecloth (about $3, can be purchased at WalMart in the kitchen gadget dept)
Food thermometer (about $7 at WalMart)
A whisk
Large strainer (I have a mesh one)
Large pot
1 gallon of milk (I used skim so there is no fat)
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature (this is where your active culture comes from)

Directions:

1. Pour 1 full gallon of milk into a large pot. Set over medium heat uncovered.

2. Whisk milk frequently to heat evenly and prevent scorching on the bottom.

3. Continue heating until milk comes to 185 degrees. It has to reach this temperature for the process to work.

4. Remove milk from heat and cool down to 110-120 degrees...must be exact!

5. Whisk in 1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt.

6. Cover pot with tight lid. Wrap it in towels or blanket. The milk must stay warm and undisturbed for the next 10-12 hours.

7. Pour finished yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth and sit it over another large bowl. Place in fridge to drain.

Notes: I warmed a large metal mixing bowl that has a plastic lid and put the milk into that to sit for the 10+hours. Since my house wasn't too warm I warmed up my oven, just enough to take the chill off. I put my bowl of milk in there. The bowl was sitting on top of a towel and then wrapped in a towel. I checked it after 10.25 hours and it was ready. I put it in the strainer and immediately several cups of liquid drained off. After about 30 minutes I had "regular" yogurt...at this point I could have just put it in containers and used it that way. I'm guessing, but I would say the yield on this stage of yogurt was about 8-9 cups. However, I let it drain all night long in the fridge and ended up with the thickest, richest Greek yogurt. The one gallon of skim milk yielded 5.5 cups of Greek yogurt. When I compare prices it becomes a huge savings. The cheapest Greek yogurt I can find is at WalMart and is $4.98 for a four-cup container. With milk on sale here in Arizona frequently at $1.57 per gallon that makes my yogurt $1.16 for four-cups. What a huge savings! I did handwash the cheese cloth and will use again and again. You will need to keep 1/3 cup of this yogurt set aside if you plan to make another batch and do that each time.