I took the grains out. after a few weeks. The milk solids separated completely and looks like feta cheese floating in brine. It just separates coagulates on its own.
I strained it through a cheese cloth and Jared it up and stored in the fridge. Im not gonna dry it.
It is kinda spreadable and similar in texture to soft goats cheese. It is very strong and sour in flavor but agreeable. If you like strong cheese you will like kefir cheese. If not you will hate it.
I may try some other kefir cheeses. They are good for you.
Crazy stuff this kefir. I have had it in the cabinet for several months and it did not go bad. I have had some in the fridge for a year and it is still good.
It is not only fermented milk but it is preserved. It amazes me.
It is crazy stuff. I made some cheese by straining the grains from day-old kefir (how do you separate the grains form the curd that formed? For me it doesn’t pass thru the strainer if I let the curd set up. … … …) and let it continue to ripen for about 2 or 3 days until it completely separated from the whey then strained thru cheesecloth.
Wow – tart! As you said, not objectionable, kinda pleasant, but a little much for me. Just not liking it enough. Yet. It’s a taste that I think you have to develop a liking for, not something you will jump right into.
Gonna try it again with some less tart kefir.
May shift some of my grains over to water-kefir … coconut milk kefir looks interesting.
But I just ordered a bunch of stuff for regular cheese making … will probably expand in that direction first.
I’m going to have 2 to 3 weeks where I won’t be able to do anything with my kefir grains. How do you store your grains long-term? Should I put them in fresh milk and just put them in the fridge? I’ve also heard of putting them in a 50/50 mixture of milk and water; something about not letting the pH get too low or something, but that might have been in the context of really long-term storage.
I just got back from a 2 week vacation myself. What I did was put my grains in fresh milk - about half of what my grains can “ferment” in 18-24 hours – and kept that in the fridge. When I got home, I poured off that milk and discarded it – there was no curd (I don’t know if that’s the right term ??? ) formation.
Poured fresh milk on top, had fresh kefir the next day.
I have a large colony of grains now … may try to “freeze dry” some as a backup … unless anyone needs some fresh grains - I would be glad to share!
Yep, pour some milk on them and store them in the fridge. The cold will slow down the fermentation process. If you are gonna store them long term, do the same thing just change the milk out every couple of months or so.
But in the cabinet is fine. I have done some long term ferments at room temp and both the kefir and the grains were fine.
I made a thicker sour cream type kefir recently. I added a bunch of powder milk to regular milk. The end result was pretty thick, almost spreadable. But it was hard to retrieve the grains out of the thicker stuff.
For a 2–3 week break, storing milk kefir grains in fresh milk in the fridge is usually a simple option. The cold slows fermentation, helping protect the grains. When you return, discard the storage milk, strain the grains, and add fresh milk. They may need a batch or two to get back to their usual activity.