Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium and probiotics, but store-bought yogurt is frequently stuffed with sugar, stabilizers, artificial flavors or preservatives and other ingredients you won't want. By making your own yogurt at home you can control sugar content and other ingredients. You may also save a large amount of cash. Making your own yogurt is a snap with an electrical yogurt maker.

Step1

Make sure the cups on your electrical yogurt maker are clean and sterile. To sterilize them, fill them with freshly boiled water and let them stand for 10 mins. Decant the water out.

Step 2

In a medium sized pot, slowly warm 1 quart of milk to 175 degrees F, stirring continually. ( Heating the milk to this temperature kills any bacteria that would struggle with the yogurt culture.)

Step 3

Remove the milk from the heat and allow to cool to 105 degrees F. Continue to stir it occasionally.

Step 4

Add 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt with live, active cultures or 1 packet of freeze-dried yogurt starter. Stir well.

Step 5

Pour the cultured milk into the cups of your electrical yogurt maker and plug it in. The electrical yogurt maker will incubate the cultured milk at the right temperature for the bacteria to do its job and the yogurt to form.

Step 6

Remove the cups from your electrical yogurt maker and freeze. ( The yogurt is prepared when it has achieved a thick, semi-solid texture and pulls away from the side of the cup when you tip it.)

Step 7

Keep the fresh yogurt in your fridge for one to two weeks. If you want to use this batch of yogurt to inoculate another batch, do so within 5 to 7 days.