Trying to make kefir but milk keeps going sour

[msiddiqi]

I got a tbsp of grains through the mail - I plopped them in about 1 cup of milk. That batch started smelling sour - so I thought maybe the milk was already on it's way to going bad, so I bought fresh milk and tried again... the first time I let it sit 24 hrs, and it seemed like nothing really happened except there was chunks of cream (curds?) that were really soft (for all I know the cream just all came together). The second time I let it sit for 36 hrs and it started smelling sour again. I put it on top of my fridge to keep it warm.
Are my grains dead or am I doing somethign wrong?

[Cassandra M.]

Kefir is sour smelling and also coagulates, similar to yogurt but less solid. Are the grains growing/reproducing?

What kind of milk are you using? If it's raw, it doesn't really ever go bad...just changes its form, so I doubt your milk is souring, just making kefir.

HTH!

[msiddiqi]

I can't get raw where I am, so I'm using unhomogenized. I can't really tell if they are reproducing...should I have noticed a difference within 4 days? Even after I break up the chunks of cream I still get a very watery looking kefir - it looks exactly like regular milk...

[saratc]

Kefir is supposed to smell sour. The difference is that milk that's gone bad has a rotten/rancid smell and kefir's sourness smells fresh, similar to yogurt. When most of the kefir has gone curdy, stir it up well with a spoon, and it should then look thickened. It's never gonna get real thick, more like slightly runny drinkable yogurt.

[nonniecita]

so you drink the curd, too???

[PumpkinSeeds]

My kefir was the same in the beginning. They seemed to need a bit of getting used to their new home. My kitchen is fairly on the cold side and I started doing 48 hours ferments which I like much better.

[PumpkinSeeds]

I meant to add also, the kefir smells a bit sour so I think you just need to get used to it perhaps?

[thomlynn]

Originally Posted by nonniecita

so you drink the curd, too???

We do. I blend up plain kefir with a banana and it's super good. It gets rid of the "bite" and blends up the chunks.

[saratc]

Originally Posted by nonniecita

so you drink the curd, too???

There really are no curds after you stir it back up. If you don't stir it, it's just chunky solids and runny liquid. I always stir it back up and it's usually thick and tangy.

[Cassandra M.]

You take the grains out (thought it wouldn't hurt you at all to eat them) to save for your next batch of Kefir. You should find baby grains too as you make it. Oh and yes, I think 48 hrs is the standard time.

[msiddiqi]

The 48 hours worked! The kefir came out creamy and yummy!
Thanks!