Crock Pot Yogurt

I've had a few questions lately about how I make yogurt in the Crock Pot, so I thought I'd post the instructions here so I could just provide the link.  I did not come up with these instructions; I got them from a friend who got them from someplace else.

NEEDED ITEMS:

• Large Crock Pot
• 1 gallon milk (any type, but I use nonfat)
• 1 cup yogurt (any type, but I use plain, nonfat;  must have live cultures)
• A few towels

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put the milk in the Crock Pot on LOW for 2 1/2 hours.
2. Turn the Crock Pot OFF and just let it sit there, undisturbed, for 3 hours.
3. Whisk in the 1 cup of yogurt (I just use the last cup from the previous batch).
4. Wrap the Crock Pot in towels to keep it warm (I use 2 around it and 1 on top) and just let it sit there, undisturbed, for 8 hours.
5. Voila!  Yogurt!

If you prefer thicker yogurt, you can strain it.  (This is why Greek-style yogurt is more expensive than other yogurts;  the same amount of milk yields less yogurt after straining.)  You can get fancy and use cheesecloth for straining, but you'll need to experiment to see how many layers you need to use.  Me, I just use a clean t-shirt over a big pot.  Some people use the whey (the liquid you strain out) in cooking, but I just pour it on my compost.

Once you consider the yogurt "done", you can add whatever flavorings or sweeteners you like.  I leave mine as plain yogurt, but you can go as crazy as you like.