Making Kefir Taste Good (Making Kefir part 2 of 3)

Once the kefir has fermented, I pour it through a strainer to remove the kefir grains that will make the next batch of kefir.

And then I do another step. I line a strainer with an unbleached paper coffee filter (the basket kind) and pour the kefir liquid into it.

This separates out the curds from the whey. As the whey drains through into the bowl underneath, the kefir in the coffee strainer gets thicker and creamier. For yogurt to put in our lunches, I let it drain an hour or so. For a firm cheese I let it drain all day. (For anything longer than a couple of hours I put it in the fridge to drain.)

This simple draining technique lets me determine the thickness of the kefir I want to make. We never drink it. It's always at least a yogurt consistency.

Something Donna Schwenk recommends — and that I've found great — is to re-ferment the kefir with a strip of lemon peel in it. I add the lemon peel when I'm pouring the kefir in the coffee filter. This sweetens the kefir by giving the cultures something to munch on. It's worth trying with store-bought kefir too, to see if it makes it sweeter and more pleasant. (Also, try straining the store-bought one too — see if you can make it yummier.)

In the picture at left you can see I'm pushing the kefir through the top strainer to separate the grains. They will be little lumps in the top strainer. I take them out to start the new batch (see here.)

Under the strainer is another strainer lined with a paper coffee filter. It will separate the curds and whey.

In the bottom right picture, you can see the strained kefir in the top — ready to eat. In the bowl below is the whey (more on that tomorrow), and in the jar in the background is the next batch of kefir starting to ferment.