Yogurt 2011

I've gone much more low-tech when making yogurt. I used to use a le Creuset or Descoware pot and a silicone whisk -- I thought I needed a pot that would carry over the heat better when the yogurt bacteria were doing their thing in the pilot-light-warmed oven. Turns out it doesn't matter. Lately I've been using a stainless steel pot with a clad bottom, Farberware or Revereware, that kind of thing -- so not total trash, but something you can easily get at a thriftstore or whatever. Rinse the pot with water right before you pour in the milk and the milk hardly sticks at all. For stirring I like the wooden spoons with a hole cut out. It let's you scrape the bottom but with the hole you don't get a whirlpool going when heating the milk. The old technique still applies (heat to 190, cool to 121), I'm just using different hardware. Three notable pluses of the new method: milk doesn't scorch as bad on the bottom of stainless pots, the milk heats and cools faster when using stainless steel, and you get to save your expensive pots for dishes that take advantage of them.