Anyone making milk Kefir?
dandyrandylou
6 years ago
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nickel_kg
6 years agodonna_loomis
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoRelated Discussions
My Kefir wont thicken, please help!
Comments (2)1. Try less milk - no more than 1 to 2 cups for 1/4-cup of grains until they start to grow. The grains will grow faster if you do consecutive batches and not rest the grains in the refrigerator between batches. They grow slowly if you only use them once a week (or so) and rest them for a week. 2. Temperature does make a difference. The cooler the ambient temperature the longer it takes to ferment (maybe 12-24-hours at 65-degrees F for 1-2 cups of milk), but the curd is very smooth and more mild (I like winter kefir the best). If the temperature is too warm the curd gets gritty, almost like it has crystals in it, and the taste is more pungent. 3. Once you break-up (stir or shake) the curd it will remain a liquid. Kefir curd is smaller than yogurt curd so it's more "delicate", but easier to digest than yogurt because of the smaller curd structure. 4. If you want the solid curd you need to be careful plucking the grains out of the top of the fermenting container. The grains will move to the top as soon as the milk starts to sour (that's how you know it's doing its "job"), and that's where you'll find them when the kefir is done when it comes time to remove them. 5. If you want a solid curd, ferment it until the curd and whey separate (you'll have a visible layer of whey-liquid and curd, and it's easier to scoop out the curd when it's separated. You can also drain the curd at that point - like you would drain yogurt in a yogurt cheese strainer - for an even firmer curd. 6. I use liquid kefir as a substitute for buttermilk, and the solid curd as a substitute for plain yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, and you can even get a cottage cheese-like product from it. 7. When you get extra grains, try fermenting it in coconut milk. That's oh so good! I use reconstituted powdered coconut milk or homemade coconut milk made from unsweetened coconut, but you can make I with canned coconut milk. I then slip the grains back into cow's milk until I want coconut kefir again. Coconut kefir is great topped with granola or in a pineapple/orange juice smoothie. The best web site for kefir information is Dom's Kefir In-site and the link is below. -Grailady Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir In-site...See MoreKefir, anyone?
Comments (12)Grainlady, I too make cream cheese, spread, dips, and salad dressing out of milk kefir. I haven't been doing a lot of them lately because I read someone's post (Yahoo group) that said cheese made from kefir has very little probiotics left. That really confused me... does that mean probiotic properties leave the curd and drain along with the whey? I definitely will try the whey lemonade recipe. My 7-year-old won't drink water kefir and milk kefir made of full or low fat milk. Skim milk kefir is all he will take and must be sweetened with my homemade jam. If he will drink the whey lemonade, it will make things a lot easier. I also use some extra milk grains to make kefir juice but I don't give it to our little guy. I find the alcohol content in kefir juice much higher than in milk kefir. My husband loves it though and calls it his "high test" or "moonshine". I once tasted a bit of it and in less than 2 minutes I felt a rush to my head and my forearms. Almost freaked me out. When my husband came home and I let him try and he said "oh yeah, high test". That's when I knew the alcohol content was too high for me and for our little guy to handle. By the way, how long will the milk grains work in juice before they expire? I have mine in juice on and off for almost two weeks. The grains now look very thin and yellowish. I wonder if this is time to put it to rest and replace it with some fresh milk grains. I checked the library for the "Beyond Probiotics" book but it was not available at the local library. Check Amazon.com, a couple of sellers were selling it for less than 50 cents plus shipping. When I checked shipping cost, it was $17 for me. Amazon.ca had the same book but they wanted $45 for it plus shipping. UGH. I will keep looking to see if it will surface on eBay. If the price and shipping cost are right I might as well pick one up. I have not tried coconut oil yet. Next time I got to the health food store I will have a look. Terri, the garlic tea sounds interesting. I have some extra garlic at home so I may just give it a try. I like garlic, only when it's cooked. Raw garlic is just a bit too strong for me. Will let you know how well I stomached that LOL Kim Harris is right about the cost of making coconut kefir. I went to the store and the cheapest young coconut I found was $2 a pop. Four of them will cost $8 plus tax to make just one batch of coconut kefir, a bit too pricey for me....See MoreI am seeking kefir grains + raw goat milk source
Comments (20)I wouldn't add any sugar or butter, although I understand the grains like a little milk fat. Meanwhile, mine are happy fermenting in fat-free reconstituted powdered milk. I do occasionally add a bit of half and half if I happen to have some around after I read that information. Raw goat milk probably has the fat in it since I doubt it's been processed through a separator. If I have some milk in the refrigerator I think is about to "turn" on me, that's when I make a point of making kefir. It's going to sour anyway during the fermentation stage. I try to use the freshest milk I have when I rest them in the refrigerator, especially if I know it's going to be several days, or up to a week, before I make kefir again. What will help your grains grow is making consecutive batches - non-stop kefiring. Once your grains are acclimated, you can add them to milk and ferment for 6-8 hours and then take the grains out and add them to another batch. Leave the first batch sit for 12-24 hours TOTAL (until you achieve the thickness you like). There is more than enough good bacteria in the first batch to make nice thick kefir even without the grains in it. If you do that for a several days you should see enough growth to divide the grains within a week or two. You may also need to put the grains in more than one cup of milk as they grow. I use 2-1/2 c. of milk per quart jar + 1/4 - 1/3 c. kefir grains. What is the temperature where you are placing your kefir for fermenting? As our home gets colder (mid- to lower-60-degrees F), it takes the kefir longer to ferment, but it's also sweeter-tasting and less tart than in the summer when the house is much warmer. The kefir also ferments much quicker in the warmer temperatures. If the fermenting temperature is too warm, the kefir gets very grainy and separates, instead of a nice smooth curd. I divide the grains when they get to the size of a quarter. How to: with clean fingers (make sure there isn't any soap residue on your hands after washing them), pull them apart into 2 or 3 portions. They easily pull apart where they are the weakest. -Grainlady...See MoreKefir Question
Comments (3)I only make kefir with milk (several times a week), but I've thought about adding some kefir grains to grape juice. I understand it eventually kills the grains, but will work for a short period of time. Since your kefir grains keep growing, you should have a constant source and can sacrifice a few in the grape juice now and again. There are also kefir grains that are used in water and you can also culture soymilk - although I've never done either. If you are lactose intolerant, a long fermentation of milk with kefir grains reduces the lactose to almost nothing. Great news because you can use the kefir instead of buttermilk, and the drained curd for plain yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, and even cottage cheese. I found my kefir grains by doing a Google search. Happened to find a source in the same state. There have been several discussions on kefir, you might do a quick search and read those threads for more information. -Grainlady...See MoreJasdip
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agodandyrandylou
6 years agodonna_loomis
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agonickel_kg
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agodandyrandylou
6 years agoJasdip
6 years agodandyrandylou
6 years agobleusblue2
6 years agodonna_loomis
6 years agodonna_loomis
6 years ago
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dandyrandylouOriginal Author