Kefir sourdough how to use. How to make kefir at home? Useful properties of kefir

12.11.2014 / 00:21

I cooked kefir according to this recipe when I introduced it into the diet of my ten-month-old son. It turned out very tasty and tender. fermented milk drink. I still often cook it for myself and the baby for the prevention of disease. gastrointestinal tract. It happens that periodically there are problems with the stomach, this kefir simply saves. By the way, on such kefir you get very tasty, lush pancakes!

15.11.2014 / 23:00

I often resort to a kefir diet, I can only drink it all day and the feeling of lightness the next day is guaranteed. I always bought it in the store, but decided to try making it at home. It is very easy. And the ingredients are available to everyone. It turns out that homemade kefir has a much greater effect. I do such fasting days 2 times a week and my weight makes me very happy. Good skin color is an indicator of my health. Thanks for the recipe. Now I use it all the time. The best part is that my child also drinks this yogurt, although he refused the store-bought one, and I am 100% sure of its quality.

16.11.2014 / 23:18

My grandmother also made homemade kefir, and now I do it for my children, and I myself drink with pleasure. This product really helps a lot to maintain a constant balance in the intestines. When I treat a child long time antibiotic and so that the intestinal microflora is not disturbed, I give homemade kefir and it helps a lot. And I often sit on kefir diet and not only helps to lose weight, but also perfectly cleanses the body.

18.11.2014 / 23:09

Kefir is present in my diet constantly. I lead a rather sedentary lifestyle, which negatively affects the work of the intestines. Therefore, kefir is simply necessary for me! At one time, I often cooked homemade kefir. To do this, I bought a special sourdough, mixed it with warm milk, poured all this mixture into a thermos and left it overnight. In the morning kefir was ready! Delicious, just a little sour. I had to soften it up a little. Several times I tried to make homemade kefir on sour cream. For some reason, in this version, he fermented worse. Now I'm lazy and again I buy kefir in the store.

15.01.2017 / 11:30

I tried to make kefir from milk and purchased kefir, it turned out to be some kind of slurry, I abandoned this business. Then I got carried away with diets, when the child grew up, I wanted to return the girlish harmony, and there kefir and cottage cheese are indicated everywhere in half of the recipes. Undertook to search better ways, it turns out, you can just take special starter cultures for kefir and yogurt. I ordered it from the Bakzdrav company for testing, it’s convenient that one stick of sourdough goes for 1-3 liters of milk, you don’t have to bother with dosages, it’s also very convenient that milk is fermented even without a slow cooker or yogurt maker.

26.02.2017 / 11:42

I do not know if kefir helps to fall asleep. I didn’t notice this for myself, maybe because I don’t have problems with sleep. But what with its help you can fight with extra pounds- I know that for sure. I tested it myself. Only kefir drank not purchased, but homemade. I learned how to make it about a year ago. I use Bakzdrav sourdough and regular milk. But if you want to lose weight with it, then you need to drink daily. However, I really like its taste and I have no problems with it ..

Now you can buy kefir in the store, ranging from children's to a health product with the inscription "bio". But where is the guarantee that this particular one will benefit you? In order not to doubt the quality of store-bought fermented milk products, MirSovetov recommends making kefir on your own at home, its recipe is extremely simple, and cook useful product even a student can.

What's the use?

Many decades ago, in the Caucasus, local residents used a special liquid for making kefir, which later became known as “kefir fungus”, “kefir grains” or “tears of Allah”. The preparation of this healthy drink was equated with magical actions, since kefir sourdough and milk were placed in a special bag - a “skin bag”, so that on the road, meeting passers-by, each person had the opportunity to push the water skin well with his foot. After such kicks, it was believed that such kefir would be especially tasty. The more passers-by met on the way, the tastier the drink turned out.

In those days, Muslims did not disclose the recipe for kefir to anyone, and the head of the family passed it on from generation to generation only to his relatives. It was believed that if a passer-by recognizes the recipe, then kefir will not turn out so tasty, and will continue to deteriorate. The inhabitants of the Caucasus thought so until the end of the 19th century, until a recipe for making a health drink was published in a popular Caucasian magazine. And already at the beginning of the 20th century, one of the dairies launched the production of kefir for patients at the Moscow Botkin hospital. The fermented milk drink quickly gained popularity, and to this day we have the opportunity to buy kefir in every grocery supermarket.

The composition of kefir contains a large amount of B vitamins, as well as useful for and growing child's body vitamin A and H. And such microelements are phosphorus, copper, chromium and manganese. Those beneficial substances that are present in regular milk, when preparing kefir, they are also preserved, but absorbed much better. Among them, it is worth highlighting calcium, protein, phosphorus and iron. In the process of fermentation, kefir produces a large amount of B vitamins, which are well absorbed even by people suffering from milk intolerance.

It should be borne in mind that a fermented milk drink contains a small percentage of alcohol (only from 0.2 to 0.6%), which does not affect performance and management vehicles, but it stimulates the appetite well and helps the intestines empty on time. In addition, kefir can quench thirst in the warm season much better than any other. soft drink. Also sour milk product has a positive effect on work nervous system and tones the blood vessels.

From a medical point of view, kefir also has a number of medicinal properties, among them -, and heart disease. Naturally, the product "works" only in combination with medicines and a balanced diet.

Kefir also needs to be consumed by children, schoolchildren and students, as the drink has a positive effect on work and strengthens the body.

Kefir for children

When mother does not have breast milk, pediatricians recommend starting to give kefir to two-week-old babies. Such kefir is being prepared in a dairy kitchen from kefir diluted in half and rice water with sugar, so that the baby's body gradually gets used to the new product. After two weeks, the child is given a more concentrated drink, it is called B-kefir, and only after 2-3 months the child can begin to give whole kefir with 10% sugar content.

For one year old babies and older children, mom can cook kefir on her own from a store or homemade milk and special starter cultures.

Kefir recipe at home

Ingredients for homemade kefir:

milk - 1 liter (fat content 2.5%);
sourdough - 1 sachet.

Can be used whole cow's milk or buy a carton of milk at the store. If store-bought milk is used, then its fat content should not be lower than 2.5% in order to save time, you can use ultra-pasteurized milk. It does not need to be boiled, it is enough to heat it up to a temperature of 38-40 degrees.

Homemade cow's milk must be boiled and cooled naturally up to 50 degrees.

Then pour the milk into a pre-prepared jar or plastic container (wash well and scald with boiling water).

When preparing homemade kefir from special starter cultures (powder or tablets), you must use only clean dishes. On the packaging of the starter, you can read individual recommendations from the manufacturer - for example, do not use metal cutlery. Therefore, when mixing milk and sourdough in a glass container, it is better to use a wooden or plastic spoon.

Add yeast to milk and mix well.

Pour the milk into pre-prepared jars (washed and treated with boiling water).

Cover the jars with lids and wrap with a towel. Jars of kefir should be put in a warm place for 7-10 hours.

When kefir is cooked, it can be consumed immediately or put in the refrigerator so that it seizes.

You can add sugar, fresh or fresh-frozen fruits to ready-made kefir and treat your relatives. Bon appetit!

The next time when preparing homemade kefir, you can use the already existing sourdough - our kefir. To do this, take 3 liters of milk, boil it and cool. This amount of milk will require 15 teaspoons of sourdough. When the milk is cooling, you need to get a jar of kefir from the refrigerator so that the milk and our sourdough are at the same temperature. The sourdough should be mixed well in milk and put in a warm place for 10 hours (preferably overnight). As a result, you will get a dense and thick kefir.

The next, "second" starter can be used to prepare a fresh batch of kefir, and so no more than 5-7 times, depending on the starter.

MirSovetov shared with you a recipe for making a weak one-day kefir. To get "medium" kefir, then milk with sourdough must be left in a warm place for 36 hours. "Strong" kefir is obtained by settling in a warm place for several days.

Sharing secrets

To benefit from the use of kefir, you need to know the following:

One-day kefir heals well. It is used to get rid of toxins, toxins and is part of many diets.
Two-day kefir is necessary for people suffering from obesity, diabetes, colitis, diseases of the heart, lungs, kidneys and liver.
Three-day kefir is considered the most acidic. It can be drunk for breakfast or lunch, and for people of advanced age - only in the evening. You can not use such kefir with exacerbation of peptic ulcer and kidney disease.
If you drink a cup of kefir at night, it will help.
You can add a tablespoon of sugar to the sourdough. So you can enrich the taste of the fermented milk product and enhance fermentation.
You can not expose kefir in the sun, it is advisable to pre-wrap the jars with terry and only then put them on the windowsill.
Before use, kefir must be mixed, but only with a wooden spoon.

Do milk kefir at home amazingly simple! For cooking homemade kefir rich in probiotics and bifidobacteria, I use Danone products as a starter. Five minutes of work, a little patience and excellent homemade kefir cooked with your own hands!

Much has been written about the benefits of milk, but it is fermented milk products that are the most valuable, as they have greater digestibility and high therapeutic and prophylactic properties.

homemade kefir

homemade kefir not inferior to the factory palatability, neither in content useful substances.

It has been established that the lactic acid contained in kefir, acidophilus bacillus and some lactic acid bacteria retard the development of putrefactive microorganisms in the human intestine, have a beneficial effect on the digestion process, secrete antibiotics that destroy the pathogens of tuberculosis, diphtheria, typhoid and a number of other diseases.

lactose, or milk sugar, a carbohydrate found only in milk, is a source for obtaining one of the most famous prebiotics - lactulose, serves as a substrate for sourdough microorganisms in the production of fermented milk products, and has the property of improving calcium absorption. IN milk fat contains deficient arachidonic acid, fatty acid short chain, phospholipids, vitamins A, C, PP, B1, B2, B12, enzymes, hormones, minerals primarily calcium.

The digestibility of fermented milk drinks increases due to the partial peptonization of proteins in them, i.e. their breakdown into simpler compounds, in addition, in products obtained as a result of mixed lactic acid and alcoholic fermentation, the protein clot penetrates the smallest bubbles carbon dioxide making it more accessible to enzymes digestive tract. Sokolovsky V.P.

How to make kefir from milk at home

The first fermentation of homemade kefir

Milk 2l heat up to a temperature of 38 - 40 ° C (if there is no thermometer, check with your hand - the milk should be a little hotter than your hands, but do not burn).
Yogurt Activia thermostatic, 1 cup. Pour into the bottom of a 2 liter jar. Pour in some warm milk. Mix thoroughly and add the remaining milk.
Wrap with warm material (a down scarf, an old sweater, a baby blanket).
Leave it like this for 6-8 hours. But no more! Otherwise, kefir will have a sharp sour taste.
Put away in the cold. Expand the resulting kefir, mix thoroughly with a wooden spatula and put in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Do not drink at this stage. Bacteria still actively continue to multiply and you can get an upset stomach. At low temperatures, the growth of bacteria slows down - kefir ripens.
Kefir is ready. Thoroughly mix kefir cooled in the refrigerator with a wooden spatula before each use.

Such kefir will have a medium-thick consistency and delicate taste with such a slight sourness that the addition of sugar is not required. And it is suitable for use by both children and people with high acidity of the stomach, without causing an exacerbation (tested for own experience), unlike cooked on kefir fungus, which turns out to be very sour.

If you are not sure about the quality of milk, for example, you buy it from an unfamiliar farmer, then the milk should be boiled and cooled to desired temperature. Milk is also boiled in order to kill all microbes that have entered the milk from the air and during milking.

Instead of Activia thermostatic yogurt, you can use any Danone product with live bifidobacteria. Yoghurts or kefirs. Curd, of course, will not work. When buying, be sure to check the expiration date on the package. How longer term, the less the product contains bifidobacteria.

I do fresh kefir goat milk obtained from my domestic goats, so I am sure of its quality. I don’t boil milk for kefir, I use raw milk. In it in in large numbers contains vitamins that disappear when boiled.

Everyone in our family loves homemade kefir! And one two-liter jar enough for one day. I have enough milk making kefir at home stands on the stream, i.e. I do it almost every day.

Second fermentation of kefir

In order to re-make kefir, you no longer need to buy ready-made yogurts. We will use our kefir as a starter. To do this, do not drink everything to the end, but leave about 1 glass in the jar.

The further technology for making kefir at home is the same, only instead of ready-made yogurt we put the rest of our homemade kefir.

I make kefir after morning milking. This makes it easier to keep track of time and not let it stop.

To make it faster, not to dirty extra dishes and not to stand at the stove, I heat the milk in the microwave.

Step 1. Fresh new milk(of course, already filtered), still warm, I immediately pour it into a jar with the rest of the old kefir to about half. Or pour everything into clean jar depends on mood and time. I mix.

Step 2 I pour the second half of the milk into the mayonnaise bucket and put it in the MW oven for a maximum of 3 minutes 30 seconds (I have a MW with a capacity of 800 kW).

Step 3 I pour the heated milk into a jar of kefir, after removing the foam-film. I mix with a wooden spatula.

Step 4 Wrap in a down scarf for 6-8 hours.

Step 5 Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Step 6 Mix and drink!

Thus, we get not just homemade kefir, but a probiotic fermented milk product enriched with ActiRegularis bifidobacteria. For much less money than they offer us in the store!

Attention! Sometimes it happens that in the first ferment kefir turns out to be watery. It's OK. Drink, leave about a glass at the bottom, the second and subsequent times it always turns out to be a normal thick consistency.

To prepare kefir in a larger capacity, for example, in 3 liter jar, the amount of sourdough needs to be slightly increased.

You can make kefir from skimmed milk by skimming the cream off the separator.

Products with fillers are also suitable for fermenting homemade kefir. For example, we sometimes like to add bio-yogurt or Activia kefir with cereals. Then homemade kefir turns out with a very tasty delicate aroma.

We tried to make kefir from almost all Danone products. The most profitable and “long-playing” sourdough turned out to be “Activia thermostatic”.

What does "long-lasting sourdough" mean? Over time, after the next fermentation, the ferment itself deteriorates. The content of beneficial lactic acid bacteria decreases, it is greatly enriched with bacteria from the air. Taste finished product changes - becomes sharp and sour. This means it's time to start over - buy fresh yogurt.

So Activia thermostatic yogurt works the longest as a starter. Up to 7-9 times reuse. Others deteriorate much earlier: kefir can be re-fermented 3-5 times.

The chemical composition of kefir 3.2%:

water - 88.3;
proteins -2.8;
fat - 3.2;
carbohydrates - 4.1;
organic acids - 0.9;
ash - 0.7%.
Energy value 59 kcal.
Vitamins A, β-carotene, B1, B2, PP, C.

Kefir from goat's milk turns out to be more fatty, on average 4% and, accordingly, the calorie content increases to 80 kcal per 100 g, while the benefits from it are many times greater than from cow's.

So, make kefir at home really simple!

What recipe are you making? What unusual fillers do you use? Share your experience!

Dairy products are essential for our body. They contain both protein, and calcium, and beneficial bacteria, and acids, and protein - in a word, everything that positively affects the functioning of the digestive organs. A big plus is that we can make almost all types of these products ourselves. Would be main ingredient- fresh milk.

Fresh kefir

The first way to make kefir at home is very simple. Let's say you bought cow's milk, but didn't boil it, forgot it, left it in the kitchen. Naturally, after a day it became unsuitable for food. However, do not rush to pour it into the sink! Firstly, upper layer(vershok) is a settled cream. If desired, remove them (you can eat them with bread) or leave them to stand in the refrigerator for a while - excellent sour cream will come out. Or just move the container closer to the heat. At the second stage of how to make kefir at home, look after the milk. As soon as it starts to thicken - everything can be eaten. Fresh kefir is not only tasty, but also useful for stomach pains, disorders and other problems with the gastrointestinal tract. But even when white clots appear in the jar and whey separates, kefir is suitable for food. Whey is generally good for dressing boiled and raw borscht, ideal as a refreshing drink. If whey is not to your taste, then carefully scoop sour milk with a spoon from a jar. Here's how to make kefir at home without too much work.

Kefir on bread crusts

Another simple cooking technology is as follows: in a jar of fresh milk you need to put a piece of rye or black bread and leave it near the stove, stove or battery. Thanks to this natural sourdough the drink quickly sours, retaining all the beneficial properties. Its taste is very pleasant and mild. To speed up the souring process, you can pour milk into a jar in which you kept sour cream or yogurt (do not rinse the jar!). Such an uncomplicated way of how to make kefir at home is suitable for almost any person who is not very strong in the culinary arts.

How to make for weaning

Sour milk, i.e. kefir, should definitely be given to small children. From about 5-6 months, it is included in the mandatory diet of the baby. Of course, for this you need to take the product either from a specialized kitchen, or cook it yourself. So how to make kefir for babies?

Tip 1

Boil milk with sugar in a saucepan, when it cools down - add regular kefir, wrap the jar and put in heat for 12 hours. It has thickened - send it to the refrigerator for the same amount, then gradually warm it up in a water bath and feed the baby. It has not had time to thicken - leave a little more in a warm place.

Tip 2

Boil, cool, pour in a spoonful of sour cream, add a biological product (see instructions on the packages), mix. After 6 hours the product is ready. When you feed the baby, leave a couple of tablespoons for the next starter - add them to 200 ml of melted butter, only without sour cream and other components. The process can be repeated all the time feeding.

By the way, if your kefir has remained unclaimed, it has stopped and you do not dare to drink it - fry pancakes or flat cakes. Sour milk is a product that is suitable for food in any form!

Kefir is widely recognized as a healthy, 100% natural dairy product, as opposed to many others. modern drinks that bring more harm than benefit. However, in Lately consumer confidence in factory producers of kefir, sour cream and other dairy products has greatly decreased, more and more people prefer themselves or people they personally know as a manufacturer, since this is the only way to guarantee the absence of preservatives and other undesirable additives in a natural product. Kefir is just the product that can be prepared at home without much effort.

Useful properties of the product

Perhaps everyone knows that kefir is very useful, but not everyone can tell why this product is so useful. A feature of the drink in question is that its scope useful influence on the body is very wide - in some cases, it even very effectively helps the body to resist certain ailments.

Kefir is made from milk, but this natural product rich in all kinds of vitamins and nutrients, as it was created by nature specifically for feeding a fast-growing organism. Even after souring milk, most of these substances do not disappear anywhere and do not lose their properties, therefore kefir should be drunk at least in order to replenish your body with vitamins A, B and H, calcium, as well as trace elements - phosphorus, copper, manganese, chromium and selenium. All of these substances are essential for maintaining human body fine.

Since kefir is a fermentation product, it contains lactic alcoholic acid. Its content is relatively low (no more than 0.6%) to harm the body, and in such quantities it produces rather a medicinal effect, positively affecting the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Regular use kefir guarantees a good appetite and helps to cleanse the intestinal walls of toxins.

At about equal number useful substances in the composition of kefir are somewhat more useful than milk, if only because it is more easily absorbed by the body. The characteristic sour taste helps to quench thirst faster, which is very useful in the hot season.

Getting into the circulatory system, kefir continues its useful work here as well, since the elements contained in it help to strengthen the vascular walls.

People with individual lactose intolerance are deprived of the privilege to drink such healthy drink like milk, however we are talking only about fresh product, but there are no restrictions on the use of kefir. In the process of fermentation, lactose is transformed, ceasing to be an allergen for the body.

Kefir belongs to dietary products universal direction - there are practically no such diets in which its use would be prohibited. If you drink this drink regularly, you can reset excess weight by cleansing the body of toxins and, as a result, the normalization of metabolism. At the same time, kefir is included in therapeutic diet for people with a variety of serious illnesses, including circulatory system and gastrointestinal tract - these include atherosclerosis and gout, diabetes and hypertension, as well as colitis.

Kefir contains a special substance that you will not find in any other product - polysaccharide kefiran. Latest Research show that this component has a very positive effect as a prophylactic against cancerous growths.

Sour-milk drink promotes the activation of leukocytes, significantly increasing the ability of the human body to fight against pathogens. various diseases. When they say that kefir is very useful for the younger generation, this factor is often meant.

Experts recommend regularly consuming kefir for women, especially in difficult times. women's health periods - during menstruation and menopause, as well as during the entire period of breastfeeding. The fact is that in the described stages, calcium is washed out of the body at an accelerated pace, as a result of which the bones become more fragile and the risk of serious injury increases. Kefir is very rich in calcium and allows you to compensate for the loss of this trace element.

Contraindications

This drink is so massive and in demand that it even seems a little strange that it could have at least some contraindications. However, in some cases, kefir may be contraindicated - for example, its diuretic properties are not very compatible with urolithiasis and other similar diseases. At the same time, the number of diseases in which the doctor forbids the patient to drink kefir at all is relatively small, and potential harm this drink can bring not so much because of illness, but because of improper use.

For example, experts do not recommend using kefir in combination with other dairy products. The fact is that milk and its derivatives have a slight laxative effect, which is not striking if the drink is combined with ordinary food, but it will become pronounced if you drink conditional cheese with kefir. If there are too many dairy products in the diet of an adult, stomach problems cannot be avoided.

Kefir is useful and nutritious, and also very conducive to weight loss, due to which many women who monitor the harmony of their own figure often resort to a diet in which kefir occupies a dominant position, displacing almost any other products. Here you need to understand that this drink, like any other product, is not a panacea, and although there are many useful things in it, it still does not contain all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the body. Over time, the body will begin to lack those substances that are not present in kefir, which may result in the development of new diseases and the appearance of unpleasant symptoms.

Separately, it should be noted that among specialists there is an ambiguous attitude towards the use of kefir by pregnant and breastfeeding women. On the one hand, such a drink is a valuable source of calcium, as well as a number of other useful components so necessary for both mother and her child. On the other hand, a potential problem lies in the content, albeit insignificant, of alcoholic acid, because kefir is a fermentation product. Disputes in the scientific community are caused precisely by disagreements about whether such a small dose of alcohol through the mother's body can enter the child's body and harm him. Perhaps it would be absolutely fair to say that in order to avoid risk during this period, it is better for mom to stop drinking kefir in favor of milk.

Cooking methods

There is no particular trick to making kefir from milk at home - this does not require any culinary skills or complex operations. Recipes for making kefir at home are numerous and varied, and therefore the result may vary. Fans of sour-milk products who do not want to trust factory producers can choose the recipe they like best or indulge themselves with an impressive variety by trial and error.

From goat

Goat kefir in our country is a rarity, and the matter is not only relatively a small amount livestock of goats, but also in the special specifics of the preparation of such a drink. The fact is that in most cases, not a full-fledged kefir is obtained, but only a kefir product similar to it, which has its own useful properties, but does not have the formal right to be called, in fact, kefir. It is possible to make a full-fledged kefir only if there is a culture kefir mushroom, which costs more than regular sourdough, but can be used almost endlessly.

However, such a drink also has a certain drawback - for all its usefulness, it does not improve the intestinal microflora in any way. At the same time, goat kefir is somewhat more natural than cow kefir, because the endless preparation of the latter without store-bought starter is almost impossible.

Goat kefir is usually fermented with simple shop kefir in a ratio of 1: 10. Due to the specific taste of goat's milk, it would be absolutely useful to add one tablespoon of sugar per liter of milk-kefir mixture to the mixture.

It is necessary to prepare a drink from goat's milk by preheating the main raw material to a temperature of 35-38 degrees or using fresh fresh milk. At the same time, goat milk kefir is much more demanding on conditions than a similar cow drink - for example, during the aging process, the temperature should be in the range of 17-22 degrees. At too low a temperature, a bitter aftertaste is very likely in the finished drink, and if the specified norms are exceeded, excessive acidity of the product cannot be avoided. The drink is prepared from 8 to 14 hours, while in the refrigerator even in a tight closed container it is stored for no more than three days.

The use of old kefir in order to ferment a new one is quite acceptable.

From cow

If you have never had to cook kefir yourself before, you should start with the most simple algorithm- using sourdough, which today can be found in any large supermarket. The proportion looks like this: one package of sourdough, which usually contains 30 grams of the substance, is enough for about 1.2 liters of milk. The latter can be used both homemade and purchased - in the second case, preference is given to whole cow's milk with a fat content of at least 3.2%.

By the way, if you choose ultra-pasteurized raw materials, then the milk does not even have to be boiled beforehand - it will be enough to heat it up to 40 degrees.

If the milk is still not ultra-pasteurized, it should first be boiled, and then let it cool down to the same 40 degrees. After that, the liquid must be poured into a pre-sterilized container (otherwise the fermentation process may go in an unexpected way), the leaven is poured into the same place. To prepare delicious kefir, you should avoid using metal utensils, whether it be a storage container or a spoon for stirring ingredients. You need to find glass or plastic counterparts.

Although the ingredients are mixed in a common container, the process of making kefir is advised to be carried out in small jars, where the thoroughly mixed mixture should be poured. Such dishes should only be covered with a lid, not tightly closed, and wrapped with a thick towel, after which the future kefir is sent to a dark but warm place. One-day kefir can be drunk in some cases even after 8 hours, however experienced chefs It is recommended to let the drink stand in the refrigerator for a few more hours. However, such a drink will turn out to be quite “weak”, and for those who like it stronger, the aging time in wrapped jars can be extended up to two days. It should be noted that the drink sour milk don't cook in large quantities, as it does not keep for a long time even in the refrigerator.

With the taste of the finished drink, you can experiment on your own. So, you can add some sugar to it, good addition will also fresh berries or nuts.

People who prepare and consume kefir on their own on a regular basis rarely use store-bought sourdough, since you can ferment new kefir by adding old sour milk to fresh. The proportion of such a homemade starter is approximately 1:6 or 1:7, depending on one's own preferences, the degree of acidity of the starter, and the desired rate of preparation of the new kefir.

Fresh milk is prepared in the same way as in the case of factory sourdough., however, it should be remembered that when mixing the kefir used as a starter, it must be at the same temperature (about 40 degrees) as milk. Secondary kefir is usually infused a little longer - its readiness should be expected in about 12 hours. Although old kefir as new starter can be used repeatedly, it must be said that the “degree” of such a starter decreases over time, and therefore, after 5-6 cycles, such kefir will no longer be suitable as a starter.

In a slow cooker

For those who like to trust even the most difficult culinary delights favorite slow cooker, there is a recipe for making kefir using this miracle of technology. In a slow cooker, milk is fermented using ready-made kefir, which can also be used as a store-bought one, provided that the fat content is not lower than 2.5%. The proportion is traditionally 1:8.

Before cooking, milk must be carefully sterilized, for this it is brought to a boil in a saucepan on a conventional stove. So that the liquid does not “run away”, the fire must be reduced immediately after the first bubbles appear on the surface - milk continues to be heated at this power for about 10 minutes more. Interestingly, homemade cow's milk is advised to be diluted with water in a ratio of approximately 3: 1 before such boiling, and the languishing time on low heat is reduced by about half.

After the procedure is completed, the milk must be given time to cool naturally. Then, pre-purchased kefir is added to the cooled liquid and the mixture is thoroughly mixed. The multicooker must be pre-washed. It is even recommended to scald it with boiling water to prevent foreign microorganisms from entering the mass.

The cooled and thoroughly mixed mixture is placed in a slow cooker and heated (this mode is present in most models) for about 12 minutes. But the drink is not ready yet, so the lid cannot be opened. The heated liquid is allowed to brew in a slow cooker for about an hour, and then heated again, reducing the duration of the procedure to about 10 minutes. After that, kefir is cooled and sent to the refrigerator, where it should stand for at least six hours before use. Kefir from a slow cooker, even in the refrigerator, is stored for no more than three days, so you should not cook it in too large quantities.

Because kefir home cooking allows a certain variability of actions to obtain different result, it should be understood that different recipes provide not only different tastes, but also a different effect on the body. For this reason, you should consider the advice of people who cook kefir at home regularly.

Kefir of a weak strength (the one whose exposure is no more than one day) has the most pronounced effect of a comprehensive cleansing of the body, therefore it is recommended as a useful health product. It should be understood that such an effect is largely possible due to a strong laxative and diuretic effect on the body, because such by-effect inevitable. Despite some inconveniences, low-aged kefir should be drunk regularly, as it allows you to quickly cleanse the intestines, bladder, liver and kidneys.

Two-day kefir has a less pronounced cleansing effect, but its use is not accompanied by such regular urge to go to the toilet. For diabetics, such a drink is very useful, since it contains practically no sugar. A strong fermented milk drink is recommended for many diseases. internal organs a wide variety of systems. Although cleansing the body of toxins and toxins with such kefir will not be so obvious, it is also very useful for weight loss due to the fact that it prevents the development of cholesterol plaques.

Three-day kefir is relatively rare and differs most sour taste. For most categories of consumers, the use of such a drink is appropriate in the first half of the day, although the older generation is recommended to drink it, on the contrary, at night - its calming effect affects sound sleep. Because of his hyperacidity such a drink is strictly prohibited for use by patients with peptic ulcer stomach or kidney disease.

Kefir has a noticeable sedative effect, which is why it is recommended for those who have regular problems with insomnia. A fermented milk product will also help those who cannot fall asleep due to an irregular working day. For a noticeable effect, kefir should be drunk immediately before bedtime, but be prepared for the laxative effect of the drink to affect the body overnight. To offset this shortcoming, the morning must be started with strong brewed tea, which has the opposite effect.

Sugar is widely known as an ingredient that speeds up the fermentation process, so it is often used for a richer result. For a noticeable difference, it is enough to add 20 grams of sugar per liter of potential kefir. The final result will have a sweet aftertaste and make ready drink thicker.

Although heat is required to make kefir, exposure to direct sun rays he is contraindicated. Ultraviolet renders destructive impact on the useful components of the drink, besides, the taste will probably deteriorate, which will become more sour and no longer very pleasant. In the process of preparation, kefir is permissible to put on the windowsill. If there are no other obviously warm places in the room, then the jar must be securely wrapped with a thick towel in order to exclude the penetration of light.

Metal appliances and utensils in the process of preparing kefir are contraindicated, and it is also undesirable to drink a finished drink from them. Kefir itself can acquire an unpleasant metallic taste, besides, metal dishes slow down the fermentation processes somewhat, which is why the finished drink will turn out to be unexpectedly weak. It should be noted that the combination of kefir and metal is harmful not only for the first, but also for the second, because iron utensils oxidize under the influence of sour milk and can become unusable, losing integrity and tightness.

How to cook kefir at home, see the following video.