I recently started making my own kefir (easier than making yogurt!) and regularly sub it in recipes calling for buttermilk, yogurt and even sour cream sometimes. I find I actually like kefir better than plain yogurt. But I’m wondering if there are any recipes that take advantage of the effervescence it can develop in a tightly-closed container.
And really I’m looking for any recipes that call for kefir in particular — subbing it for the other ingredients is handy and tastes great but surely, since it’s been around for so long, there are recipes that specify it. Cheeses? Breads? Who knows what else…
Darlene in North GA says:
Make your own soda with it.
I culture my kefir like normal – drain the kefir, add the grains and about 1 cup of the prior batch back to the jar, add fresh milk then culture for 24 hrs. Drain the kefir and use the drained kefir (while repeating the above process), to make the “soda”. I add some jelly or syrup to the freshly drained kefir and stir it around. I then close the bottle tightly (I use canning jars)and let it sit at room temp for another 24 hrs. I then strain it and put it in the fridge for a few hours to get cold.
The other way I fix my kefir as a drink is to NOT put the lid on tightly after adding some jelly or syrup and putting it straight into the fridge instead of letting it sit out for 24 more hours. I chill it for 24 hrs – it seems to need this to flavor the milk instead of just having flavor IN the milk. I will then strain this too.
I have made “cream cheese/sour cream” by wetting some butter muslin and lining a strainer with the wrung-out muslin. I then add a quart or two of kefir and let it drain a bit. I then pull up the sides of the muslin, twist it a bit and let it continue to drain in the fridge. You can use a long handled wooden spoon and a large pot to suspend the bag and let it drain that way too. Put it in the fridge and in about 24 hrs, you have a substance 1/2 way between cream cheese and sour cream. It’s good on a lot of things.
On April 19, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Carolyn says:
Thanks for the ideas on flavoring the kefir to drink!
I have a couple of yogurt strainers I use to drain kefir regularly. Learned we really like it in place of sour cream in dips and spreads, scalloped potatoes, etc.
On April 26, 2011 at 8:07 pm
Cassie says:
I recently started making kefir because I was told that it is good for dogs who are sick. I have my uncle’s dog (uncle passed away)and he is skinny and has hypothyroidism. I want to drink it too because I see how healthy it is but I don’t like the flavor. I would be happy to see some recipes also.
By the way, do you know if cooking with kefir lessens the benefits? I wasn’t sure if it killed the probiotics.
On September 20, 2016 at 2:18 pm
Cassie says:
And for some reason I didn’t see the responses above which give ideas. Thanks for those!!
On September 20, 2016 at 2:26 pm