Greek Yogurt

Pour the milk into the pot and lock on the lid. It does not matter if the steam vent is open or closed. Press the “Yogurt” button, then press “Adjust” so the digital readout says “Boil” or "HIGH." (The readout will depend on your model. Refer to the yogurt section of your pot manual if you need clarification.) After this, on some pot models, you'll need to press the "Start" button. Eventually it will bring the milk to 180° F (this kills off undesirable micro organisms). This usually takes about 30 minutes. When it's done, the pot will beep and its readout will say “Yogurt.”

Right after the beeps, turn it off and lift out the insert of hot milk. Put the thermometer in the milk and wait until it’s 116° F. This can take as long as an hour. To speed down the cooling, set the insert of hot milk in a bath of ice water and stir the milk; the temperature will drop in about 5 minutes. (If it dips below 110°F, pop the insert back in the pot, press “Yogurt,” then “Adjust” and monitor the thermometer until it’s back in the right zone. Remove the insert from the pot.) Remove the thermometer. There will be a film of coagulated milk on the surface of the milk; carefully lift this off with a spoon and discard (this film won’t ruin your yogurt, but it creates a distracting texture once it’s finished).

Put the starter in a medium bowl and add about 1/2 cup of the warm milk. Whisk until smooth, then pour into the insert of milk and whisk to combine.

Start checking on your yogurt after 4 hours. As the yogurt incubates, you don’t want to jostle the pot too much—it can keep the yogurt from setting well. It can take anywhere from under 4 to over 12 hours for your yogurt to set. A lot of it has to do with how active the cultures in your starter are—fresher starter takes a lot less time to incubate. Be patient and don’t lose hope! Open the lid carefully when you peek; a lot of condensation forms around the gasket and you want to minimise it dripping back onto the yogurt. The yogurt is set when it jiggles as one unit if you carefully nudge the insert, and it does not run if you tip the pot a bit. You may see some clear liquid (the whey) floating on the surface and at the edges. Note that when incubating yogurt, the timer counts up (when pressure cooking with your pot, the readout counts down). So, when readout says “2:45,” it’s been incubating for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The yogurt might seem lumpy after it's been chilled, but a vigorous whisking will smooth it out. At this point, you may strain it or transfer it to sterile containers (I like quart glass jars).

For smooth yogurt, whisk briskly. For thick, rich yogurt, strain it. The yogurt should be good for up to two weeks. As it sits in your refrigerator, it will get tangier and lose some of its body.