Milk Kefir

From time to time I am asked for the process I use to prepare our milk kefir.

As a family we have included milk kefir in our diet for the past six years or so, and have grown to love it.  For information on why milk kefir is good for you, and why you may consider including it too, please see here  (NB:  milk kefir grains should not be confused with water kefir grains which are completely different … please see here for more information).

Over the years, as our kefir grains grew, I have been able to share them with others which is such a great thing to be able to do.  When doing this I always explain my process, and like all things I do, I try to make it as easy as possible so that it can be easily incorporated into my daily routine without causing too much extra work or angst in the kitchen.

Before showing the pictures of my routine (there is not a recipe as such), here are a few things I have learned over time:

1. I use a glass 1 litre container to culture my grains in, which allows me to see what is happening in the container, and gives me enough for our family’s needs over one to two days without giving me too much
2. In the container I use approximately 2 tbls of grains before filling the jar with full cream milk leaving 2.5cm (an inch) free at the top
3. I seal the jar with a solid lid … originally I learned you had to use a cheesecloth (or something similar) to cover the jar, securing with a rubber band, to allow air flow … but I have since learned this is not necessary
4. I culture the mix for a minimum of 18 to 24 hours in our kitchen in warm weather, and up to 30 to 36 hours in colder weather
5. To help me remember when I start the process, I write the time I start in my kitchen diary which I have sitting in a book holder in the kitchen … I use this diary to note things I need to be aware of for the week, and it helps me enormously to keep on top of things (I include dinners for the week, food I need to buy on certain days for those dinners, on-line orders that I do on a Sunday for ingredients I am running out of, etc. etc.)
6. You will know when the kefir is ready to drain because the mix in the jar starts to set (thicken) … to test this pick up the jar and turn it slightly onto an angle … if the mix stays put then you know it has set enough, if it is really runny then you know it needs longer to ferment
7. Sometimes you will get a separation in the jar too where some little pockets of whey appears in amongst the mixture … this is also a sign that the mix is ready to drain … the more whey there is, the more sour the mix will be
8. If you use non-homogenised milk, then you will see that there is a layer of thicker “kefir” set at the top of the container when it is ready to drain … this is quite normal, and this creamier layer will amalgamate with the rest of the contents when you whisk it together later
9. When filtering the grains from the milk, I use a plastic colander that sits over a large plastic jug (I got the colander from Big W, and I use an old Tupperware mixing jug that the drainer fits perfectly into)
10. NB:  there has been much written about ensuring you use plastic utensils/colanders when dealing with milk kefir, but to be honest I have used metal spoons/colanders without any problems … having said that however, I do like using the plastic colander I have as it light, collapses easily, and is great for storage
11. As the grains multiply and you have more than you need, put the little extras (always keep your 2 tbls) into a small container of milk in the fridge, adding to it (and changing the milk periodically to keep it fresh) until you have enough (another 2 tbls) to offer to someone who wants them … if there is no-one then you can just get rid of them, but that always breaks my heart … just a little
12. I store the kefir in 250ml glass jars in the fridge for the family to help themselves too … from the 1 litre jar I get a little over 3-1/2 bottles from each batch (I bought 6 x 250ml jars from a kitchenware shop specifically for the kefir)
13. I keep the 250ml bottles lined up in the fridge so that I can keep track of how much kefir I have at any given time … as I wash the bottles I return the empty bottles to the fridge, lining them up behind the full bottles for a quick “visual” of supplies when I open the fridge (I use one side of a shelf where I keep my dairy products)
14. Our kitchen is fairly warm so even in the cooler months 24 to 36 hours is usually plenty of time for the milk to culture, and in summer I start checking it at around the 18 hour mark
15. Depending on the weather (and culturing time) I sometimes have too much kefir as my 6 bottles are full, so to slow down the process I allow the kefir to culture first in the glass container, then I put the container in the fridge until I am ready to drain it … this slows down the fermentation, and gives me an extra day or two up my sleeve before I have to drain it
16. Personally I don’t like the curdled look of the kefir when it is first drained, so to amalgamate the mix I use a small hand whisk to bring the kefir together into a lovely creamy thickish liquid (like cultured buttermilk) … it looks so much more appetising like this
17. Once the kefir is in the fridge it will keep well for up to a week … if kept longer it will still be fine, but will get slightly more sour as times goes on
18. If you find it too sour, add a little bit of sweetener to it before consuming … Bryan has his every night with a little honey, walnuts and berries just like you would eat yoghurt, I have mine with oats in the morning sprinkled with cinnamon and maple syrup, and Sam has his as part of his morning smoothie, so it can be used in many ways as a replacement for milk
19. I also use kefir to replace buttermilk in recipes when I don’t have buttermilk at hand … it acts in exactly the same way as cultured buttermilk does in baking
20. If going away for up to month, put the grains into a fresh batch of milk and place the container on the top shelf at the back of the fridge where it is coldest … it will sit there happily until you get home … once home drain the grains, dispense with the milk (it will be way too tart … you can mix it with water and use it on your garden produce), and start a fresh batch of kefir
21. Alternatively, if going away for longer, you can place the grains into a small container of milk and place it into the freezer … on your return remove the container and place into the fridge until the contents have defrosted, then start a new batch of kefir milk … you may find that it will take a little longer to gets its “mojo” back with the first batch of kefir milk, but it will revive beautifully (that has been my experience anyway)

If you do venture down the path of culturing milk kefir grains, I hope you find this information useful … here are the photos with an explanation of the process I follow when using them: