help! my kefir grains made yogurt!

[caedmyn]

...or at least that's what is appears to be. I got the grains in the mail yesterday and put them in the milk last night...it's been about 25 hours and the stuff that's in there appears to be yeasty-smelling yogurt. Is that a sign of kefir that's been kefir'd too long? Now how do I get the grains out of the yogurt stuff?

[mamajessica]

Probably just needs to sit a bit longer to thicken up, otherwise, it sounds perfect
OTOH, if it smells more like bread yeasty, you need to toss that kefir batch and rinse the grains REALLY well with distilled water to get any yeast off that may have latched off and made your milk go yeasty.

[Mountain Chick]

Stir it up gently with a wooden spoon (or plastic, but no metal), and see if that makes it thinner. Mine always looks thick like yogurt, but when I stir it up it's not. If it smells more yeasty than sour, then rinse the grains gently in distilled water, or tap water that has been boiled & completely cooled (chlorine in the water will kill the grains, which is why the water should be pure), pat them dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. Then put them in a clean jar with fresh milk, and a packet of dry yogurt starter (http://www.lyo-san.ca/english/yogour...lt.htm#sechee), or if you have a couple of acidolphilus capsules, open them and put them in the milk with the grains. See the grains are a community of good bacteria and yeast, and in the transportation of the grains the yeast may have gotten alittle out of balance. Adding extra bacteria to the mix gives back the advantage to the grain bacteria.
Kefir should smell (and kinda look) like buttermilk, tangy & slightly sour. If it smells yeasty like bread, you can still consume it as far as safety is concerned, it just won't taste great. And don't worry, the yeast is not the same as Candida yeast and infact inhibits the growth of Candida yeast.
For retrieving the grains from the kefir, you need to strain the kefir through a plastic (or wooden, but NEVER metal) strainer. If the kefir is very thick, you may need to stir it through the strainer with a spoon, but don't crush your grains. As you stir the kefir through the strainer, keep an eye our for your grains, and just scoop them up with the spoon to put in the next batch.

It's really not hard or scary, but the first time can sometimes feel that way. It'll be fine. Just keep asking those questions.

[artisticat]

Don't forget to shake periodically during the day.