Kefir making as alternative to yoghurt making.

shykins

Hmm that's very strange never had that with mine. Just put them in with milk, leave the, a day then strain off and voila yoghurt

Maybe you could try some of Catrina,s in case you had a bad batch

purpleivy

Hi,
I tried (not desperately successfully ) quite a lot of years ago to make kefir. I have had IBS for a few years now, not been much of a problem, but about 6 weeks ago it made me quite ill. For several weeks.

I'm having a go at my microbiome. Been reading about what to have and what not to have. I basically cook from scratch, so not too many nasties in the way of 'chemicals' get in my food, but looking at possibilities for the 'things to have'.

Cabbage type stuff is absolutely no good for me.

I started a new probiotic about 10 days ago and supplementing with a regular type. I eat live yogurt that I make myself. I wasn't desperately keen on taste of kefir, which was why I gave up, but prepared to give it a go for health reasons if I can make it so it is just unpalatable and not tasting ' off'!

So thinking I will order some grains off Amazon and get cracking.

Advice or suggestions welcome. Seem from reading this thread that different people find different things work.

purpleivy

Oh dear...... I just read some earlier messages here and see that the kefir sends everyone running for the loo. I don't need the kefir for that. Is it likely to make me worse? I was hoping by improving the gut biome I would modify my IBS-D

purpleivy

My grains arrived yesterday. Rinsed in milk as directed. More milk on and then looked at it this morning. Milk didn't look thickened, was directed not to use first batch so didn't even taste it. The grains looked better than yesterday. Have put some more milk on it.

Caterina

If you want your kefir thicker without leaving it to ferment too long (otherwise it becomes quite sour), as you see the separation of milk solids and whey from the jar, do the following:

Using the handle of a clean wooden spoon, poke holes through the kefir on the sides of the jar so you can drain the whey first. Using a non metal colander to catch any grains and thicker kefir, carefully drain as much whey as you can. Collect that whey (inevitably with a bit of kefir in) in a separate jar and use in smoothies, or to make bread or scones, it really makes a nice substitute for buttermilk in soda bread.

Proceed to strain the rest of kefir normally, it will be much thicker.

I find this way much easier and less fiddly than using a muslin to strain the whole caboodle!

purpleivy

It doesn't seem to have separated at all. I'm wondering if it's not warm enough in the kitchen. I will give it a couple of days and see how it goes.
I'm not sure what you mean by poking holes in the kefir. there are only a tsp of grains and in little bits. I will leave it till morning and see how it is then.

Caterina

I mean when it looks thick, poke holes on the sides with the wooden spoon handle to release the pockets of whey that form at the bottom. Perhaps yours is still too little, once it grows to the volume of 3 tbsp or so (grains) and you use a pint of milk you'll see it happen. For now just feed it new milk every 3 days or so and you'll see the grains multiply in a couple of weeks. Cold doesn't bother it too much unless your kitchen is freezing. It slows it but you can even ferment in the fridge, it just takes longer. Hope this helps, feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

purpleivy

Thanks for your support Caterina. This morning the milk has definitely got a sour taste, it's had an extra 12 hours or so, so probably too far. I couldn't face it any way! Even to support my body! I need to decide how I will drink it, preferably without my breath held and a peg on my nose! I have some apple puree on the go at the moment, unsweetened, so maybe that would be OK.

purpleivy

I have a plan! I'm going to buy a bottle to see how it's supposed to taste.

purpleivy

Another question. How much kefir is a therapeutic dose?