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kefir advice needed!

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Posted 5/6/2012 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

Received some kefir grains through the mail (Cultures for Health) and have been following the directions for around 5-6 days. My grains seem to be *kefiring* the milk awfully fast (whey and curds appear at 12 hours or so), but it has been pretty hot here and we don't do air conditioning right now...

My question is--I don't really know what homemade kefir is supposed to taste like? I've only ever tried the commercial stuff, which is pretty tasty (but has fruit, etc). I tried the kefir for the first time last night, and it didn't taste *funny*, per se, but didn't taste great either...

How do you make your kefir taste more palatable? Or should it be palatable from the get go, and maybe my kefir is no good?

Ta and thanks for any advice!

Lisa
Posted 5/6/2012 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
I have made yogurt but never kefir and I would say that store bought stuff is always "tastier" because it's loaded with sugar and flavoring. For me, it's always been a bit of trial and error to get my yogurt to taste great. I've added fruit or honey, sugar, matcha tea powder... You have to experiment.

Hopefully EvaLou will see this and respond, she's the kefir guru around here.
Posted 5/7/2012 12:01 PM (GMT 0)
The warm weather has been really accelerating the process at my house as well. When I first started having home made kefir (about a month ago) it wasn't anything special from a taste standpoint but after about a week I got used to the flavor. Now I really enjoy its unique taste. The carbonation gives a nice little tingle sensation to my tongue and the slight yeast scent reminds me of fresh baked bread. I have only had home made kefir that I made.
Posted 5/7/2012 12:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, guys,

Where you get your Kefir starter. I did homemade yogurt for 4 months, but with no luck. I want to try kefir, but I don't know where to get the starter.

Best,

Dave
Posted 5/7/2012 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
kefir guru here.. haha! Yes, plain kefir tastes pretty off. I generally blend mine with frozen fruit & agave nectar, & it tastes great, just like store-bought, in terms of sweetness, palatability, etc. It will culture fast in warmer weather, 12 hours sounds about right. You can use plain kefir in place of sour cream or plain yogurt in baking- I always use mine in recipes that call for plain yogurt- sauces, muffins, breads, etc. Just do some trial & error- throw anything in with it, a stick blender is mighty helpful! Bananas, pnut butter & chocolate syrup, berries, honey or agave, you could try some flavor extracts- vanilla or almond with a bit of sweetener... Dave, there are lots of places thru the internet that sell kefir starters or grains. I have mailed a lot of grains out over the past year, & if you can't find any, let me know.
Posted 5/7/2012 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
Dave2012: I have never failed a yoghurt. This is how I have been making yoghurts:

1. Get a yoghurt machine. They are not expensive, and will make sure you have the right temperature.
2. Make own soymilk. In USA and many places on this planet, the cow milk is having too much antibiotics for making yoghurts. If you live in a country where this is not the case, normal milk would probably work too.
3. Buy a good really fresh active yoghurt.
4. Heat up the milk completely to kill all bad bacteria, let it chill down to body temperature.
5. Mix in a bit of yoghurt
6. Wait about 10 hours
7. Eat with favorite fruits or put in fridge.

You can always then use the old batch as starter for the next. When it comes to kefir, i have never tried... but i assume the same rule applies when it comes to milk.
Posted 5/7/2012 4:15 PM (GMT 0)

it took about a week or so and a few thrown out  batches to get good kefir.  i am not a fan of plain kefir (or plain yogurt for that matter) so i mix mine in a little blender with some frozen fruit and a few pieces of baby spinach (cant tast the spinach), and i like the way it tastes.  my kids would never touch it,  but i also dont like super sugary tasting things!

iv'e only been making kefir for about 2 months and i am just starting to save some grains so i can give them to others, if someone needed some and couldnt find them anywhere.

Posted 5/9/2012 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi again,

So, the kefir making seems to be going well! 12 hours seems to suit my kefir just fine, with the warm weather here...I've been drinking some *straight* (without flavorings or making it into a protein shake or anything), and also trying out different protein shakes.

I'm not sure if I'm having a problem digesting it, tho...my UC has been getting progressively better (finally have formed stools and going 2-3 times a day), but for the past few days it seems as though my stomach has been acting *upset* (looser stools, more frequency...today I've gone 5 times already). Could the kefir be upsetting my stomach?

For those of you that drink kefir, did you notice that kefir upset your stomach at first? Should I decrease the amount I'm drinking (currently drinking about 2 cups in the morning), or perhaps move to a dairy-free option? Would goat milk be gentler? Or perhaps this is unrelated to the kefir? I just don't know...I don't want to give it up, but I don't want to give up the headway I've made, either...

Any advice would be appreciated!

Ta and thanks,
Lisa
Posted 5/10/2012 3:44 AM (GMT 0)
I think you should start with a few teaspoons a day with Kefir and build up gradually. It is regarded as one of the strongest fermented foods and you can apparently get 'die-off' symptoms from bad gut flora as they die off or are forced out by teh bactria that Kefir contain. The and releasing toxins faster than your body can normally deal with them and can give you mild flu-like symptoms to sart with. That is what i have read anyway.
Posted 5/10/2012 11:51 AM (GMT 0)

CoLah said...
For those of you that drink kefir, did you notice that kefir upset your stomach at first? Should I decrease the amount I'm drinking (currently drinking about 2 cups in the morning), or perhaps move to a dairy-free option? Would goat milk be gentler? Or perhaps this is unrelated to the kefir? I just don't know...I don't want to give it up, but I don't want to give up the headway I've made, either...


I noticed some unique abdominal sensations when starting kefir but I just assumed the new bacteria were having a major battle with the undesirable bacteria as to who would control the territory.
Posted 5/10/2012 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
It's been around ten years since I last made kefir (used starter that descended from Dom's batch) and I had issues with looser stool and stopped it- I dont know if it was the probiotics, the dairy proteins, or most likely, the sheer acidity of the liquid. I know that I tended to brew it on the long side and perhaps I would tolerate it if I strained it after 12 hours, but if one is not home each nigh- and I am not- it's going to sit and become super acidic.
Posted 5/10/2012 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
My daughter couldn't tolerate kefir either, though she loved it. We used Eva's famous grains and it was tasty. You could try making it with coconut milk if you don't like the taste of or can't tolerate dairy. It might work? it does taste good!
Posted 4/2/2013 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
I did a search on the forums here for kefir and came across this one as the original poster mentions Cultures for Health which is where I ordered my kefir grains.

I too had some questions & hope that anyone else can offer up some advice. I've read that the time they are cultured can affect the amount of lactose in the finished product. I've only been culturing for a week now and the kefir smells ok, but I'm worried that there might still be lactose in it. I am completely lactose intolerant so I'm afraid to drink it. I've been giving the kefir to the dog and cat for now until my grains are fully hydrated and growing well.

I'm letting the grains culture the milk for 24hrs and the end product ends up separating 60-40(40% being whey). Is it fully lactose free by then or does it need to sit longer?
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