[icxcnika]

Assuming both are made from kefir grains? Is there much of a difference in flavor, consistency, nutritional value? I buy kefir from the store now, but am thinking about making my own, so I'm curious.

 

[Metasequoia]

Yes, many potential differences - you can use (local!) raw milk for your homemade kefir so that you get the benefits of additional enzymes. You can do a second fermentation to increase the B-vitamins & the fizz & you can skip the added sugar & sweeten with a banana instead.

 

[WuWei]

The store bought kefir is pricier, more palatable, less probiotics, pasteurized, homogenized, maybe organic, grain fed dairy.

The homemade kefir is easier, more sour/tart, significantly more probiotics. And can be made from many sources of dairy, or non-dairy.

The homemade kefir is easily made sweeter with maple syrup, or fruit, or vanilla, etc.

Pat

 

[cristeen]

I finally bit the bullet last night when I saw that WF just started carrying goat kefir from a local farm. It is pasteurized (not homogenized) before fermentation, but it is organic and local. It tastes an awful lot like yogurt, although the list of cultures is much longer than yogurt. It doesn't have any additives in it, since I got the plain.

So how different would homemade kefir be from this? The last time I had kefir was almost 20 years ago, in Russia, and kefir there is very different.

 

[WuWei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cristeen I finally bit the bullet last night when I saw that WF just started carrying goat kefir from a local farm. It is pasteurized (not homogenized) before fermentation, but it is organic and local. It tastes an awful lot like yogurt, although the list of cultures is much longer than yogurt. It doesn't have any additives in it, since I got the plain. So how different would homemade kefir be from this? The last time I had kefir was almost 20 years ago, in Russia, and kefir there is very different.

Pasteurizing kills all the present bacteria and yeasts, then it is fermented with just those present in the real symbiotic colony of kefir grains, which originate from the Caucasus Mountains of Russia. The current kefir grains all are derived from the original kefir grains. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir

You can't get much more probiotic than you drank, other than making raw dairy milk kefir.

Pat

 

[icxcnika]

Thank you mamas!

 

[nicolelynn]

Anybody have experience with Organic Pastures kefir vs. homemade kefir. As much as my brain wants to love kefir I couldn't stand it, and I eat EVERYTHING. I decided it was best not to force myself to eat something I couldn't stand, and stuck with yogurt.

But that was Organic Pastures. My friend is giving me some kefir grains and I am going to try again..with homemade. Anyone prefer homemade to Organic Pasture's?

 

[pixiepunk]

i never much liked the store bought stuff. at home i don't drink what i make straight, i make it into smoothies with juice and fruit of my choosing - so i can tailor the flavor to what i like.

also, because i'm big into reducing the amount of waist my family creates, i try not to buy pre-packaged stuff that i'm then going to have to recycle or throw away. when you make your own kefir, there's no package to get rid of - i just make it in glass mason jars i have, wash them, and reuse them. and milk is generally much cheaper per gallon than kefir, so there's the added expense of buying pre-made kefir instead of making it yourself.

also, store bought kefir is not usually made from grains, it's usually made from powdered starter.