making your own yoghurt/yogurt

my dad wants to do this. I told him I'd look it up for him! anybody do this before? easy, hard? any recommended starter kits? I found these instructions:

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/yogurt_making/YOGURT2000.htm

which I trust because they came from a science professor dude. did you use another guide?

I made a couple of small batches last year from this NYTimes article -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dining/15curi.html?_r=1&em. They turned out okay -- not really thick or very tart, but I wasn't really careful about temperature control. That Clermont link looks better/more careful. But yeah, it's easy.

i used to make yogurt all the time, but my gurl only likes the storebought kind with guar gum or whatever the fuck they put in there to make it thicker. i have used as little as a couple of tablespoons in a quart or so of milk and basicly followed the instructions you linked to dyao, although those dudes are a little anal on the sterilizing tip. i would scald the milk and cool it, then mix in culture (basicly leftover yogurt) and stick it in the oven thats cooled down but still warm. this is how this chick in college taught me to make it. i think the lacto bugs need some oxygen so i am confused about the instructions you linked putting on lids, but they were all sterile crazy so go figure. i say it's easy, and also don't forget to smell it cuz that will tell you if you did it right. it will have a pleasantly sour smell, if it is in any way funky or you see bright colored molds start over.

so does anybody have recs for a good starter yogurt culture

I bought some danon plain nonfat and it was DISGUSTING, not tart at all

I've had less luck with using store-bought yogurt as a starter than with buying YOGOURMET starter from Whole Foods (in the baking aisle). Works just like a dry yeast starter.

so I followed the directions in the first link in this thread - came out pretty good! I think the key is 1. using a thermos cooler and 2. using a water bath.

after about 3 hours, the water inside the cooler was still 110 F, from a starting point of ~125

the yogurt was firm and gelled

nice worrk dayo