Bacteria-fest

I’ve been on a kick lately of making certain kitchen staples from scratch. First it was black beans, soaked overnight and then simmered with onions and garlic, for use in burritos and as a side dish. So much tastier than the canned ones. From that it was easy to branch out into homemade refried beans that I could make as garlicky as I pleased. Then, tired of the flat taste of the bottled stuff, I began making my own salsa. It turned out to be so delicious that I keep some on hand all the time.

My latest project, though, has been homemade yogurt. I read an article about how allegedly simple it was to make, and how it cost mere pennies in comparison to the more expensive store-bought containers, so I thought I’d brave the world of bacteria and give it a try.

I make my yogurt in a crock pot, because I don’t have to pay much attention to it that way, and it really is easy; I pour in a half-gallon of lowfat milk, heat it on low for two and a half hours, then turn it off and let it sit for another three. At that point, I mix a little gelatin in some starter culture—simply a half-cup of store-bought plain yogurt works, though I can use my own for the next batch—and blend it with the warm milk. Then I wrap a towel around the crock pot and let it sit overnight.

When I open the lid the next morning, I’m rewarded with a scent that’s tough to describe. It’s flowery, but not sweet—yeasty, but not smelling of earth. And there’s something magical to the reveal that’s actually a little bit exciting. Every single time I open the pot I look at the white surface that looks so unchanged, and think to myself, Oh crap, it’s just a pot of sour milk. Then I’ll drag a spoon through the stuff, and feel the soft, pudding-like custard resisting its pull, and know that the transformation has taken place. It’s a little bit of Hogwarts, in my own kitchen.