Yogurt petite (At the beginning...)

My first time making yogurt was also my first culinary castastrophie. I was following a recipe at http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/  which required me to heat the milk up to 180F in a double boiler. When the milk was ready and I was lifting it out of the water, the whole milk container fell upside-down into the pot of boiling water! Oh well! Subsequently, when I tried again, I had understood that the scalding of the milk does not have to be that complicated. It can be done directly on stove top, with just regular stirring. My second attempt turned out much better. I also compared the very scientific method with a traditional Persian method by a friend. The comparison helped a lot in making the connection between the science and the senses. And here comes my first yogurt, made with evaporated milk. The resulting yogurt has a rich taste of evaporated milk, which is so special! 

Recipe: Yogurt (make 1.75 cup)


Ingredients:
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon plain yogurt


Procedure:
1. Boil a glass jar, its lid, 2 spoons, and a saucer in boiling water for 15 minutes to sterilize. Use a clip to take them out to cool. Be careful not to contaminate them after sterilization.
2. Mix evaporated milk with water and let heat until it starts to foam (this process of heating is called scalding). Stir frequently and remove from heat once it foams. Else the milk may spill out. Transfer milk to the sterilized jar. Let it cool until the hand can hold the jar.
3. Use a sterilized spoon to place 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt curd in a saucer. Stir to break the curd into a paste. Mix the yogurt into the warm milk and stir. Then close the jar and let sit in a water bath at a water temperature that does not scald the hand. For this small amount, the milk will curd within 5 hours. Then place in the fridge overnight. Consumable the next day.

In subsequent experiments, I left the yogurt at a temperature much lower than 110F. Instead, I kept it for over 16 hours in a water bath that feels lukewarm to the hand. Wrapping the water bath in towel helps keeping it lukewarm overnight. This resulted in much thicker and more flavorful yogurt.