Is my yogurt safe / will it "work?"

[chilliepepper]

I'm making my first batch of yogurt, and I used my small cooler to try to keep it in the right temperature range. I put it in pint jars (didn't have any clean quart ones), stood each one on top of another pint jar (I didn't know if my yogurt jars should be immersed in water), and filled the bottom of the cooler (including the pint jars being used to prop up the yogurt jars) with hot water, about 110 to 115 degrees .

It was in there all day, and when I checked it after dinner it felt pretty cool in there but I don't know how cool. I'm guessing it dropped below the "yogurt range." So I changed the water and left it in there overnight, and by this morning it was kinda cool again.

So my question is, if it did drop below the good range for yogurt making, what happens? Does it just cause the bacteria not to grow/proliferate as much as it ideally could, or would something worse happen? Does it become unsafe to eat?

I used pasteurized but nonhomogenized milk, with Stonyfield Farms plain whole milk yogurt as a starter.

[quietserena]

It'll be ok, it'll just take longer to culture.

The ones that aren't submerged in water might need to be, water holds a temperature better than air.

[chilliepepper]

Ok...well none of them were submerged in the water, but they were in the cooler for 24 hours. I would say the temperature was probably ok for about half of that time.

I already put it in the fridge. Do you think it's good?

[quietserena]

It's hard to say over the internet.

I always go by the smell. If it smells good, you can eat it, if it doesn't, don't. I think it's probably a mild yogurt, but I can't be sure.