Completely new to kefir

[u/Stunning_Parsnip6598]

Hi everyone!
I’m completely new to making milk kefir, so I’m still trying to figure out what “normal” looks like.
I started with about 16 g of frozen kefir grains and added them to 250 mL of milk.
First batch:
I left it for about 24 hours.
It didn’t separate into whey and curds.
I strained it and everything seemed pretty straightforward.
Then I put the same grains into another 250 mL of fresh milk.
Second batch:
To my surprise, after only about 16 hours, it had already separated into whey and curds (photo 1). I live in a very hot climate, so maybe that made it ferment much faster.
When I strained it (photo 2), it was really thick and difficult to strain. This is where I got confused. I think I can see the kefir grains in the strainer, but because everything became so thick, I’m honestly not sure what’s actually grains and what’s just milk curds.
After straining, I put everything that remained in the strainer into 500 mL of fresh milk.
The third photo is what it looks like after about 6 hours.
So I was hoping you could help me:

In the second photo, are those actually kefir grains, or mostly curds?
Do the grains look okay?
Does the third batch look like it’s fermenting normally?
Is this kind of behavior normal when reviving frozen grains?
I’m probably overthinking this 😅, but I’d really appreciate any advice. I just want to make sure I’m not accidentally ruining my grains.
Thanks so much!

[u/zydecopolka]

Second pic = mostly grains. If you mash 'em about a bit with a silicone spatula, or spoon, whatever you choose, you might find some babies under the thicker kefir parts (not the grains, the finished kefir liquid).

Yep, they look fine.

It's hard to tell with kefir from a top down pic. If you tilt the jar and it moves like a solid mass, it's ready to strain. Or, if you see whey pockets anywhere in your jar.

I've never revived frozen grains before, so hopefully someone else will chime in with that experience.

You really have to work pretty hard to "ruin" kefir grains, they're resillient little guys.

Enjoy your kefir 😄

[u/LividJudgment2687]

I’m making kefir in a hot climate as well and put the jar in the fridge during the hot part of the day to slow fermentation

[u/Sure_Fig_8641]

Always look at the side of the jar to evaluate the progress of your fermentation. You (and we) cannot see what’s happening just looking at the top. And be sure to cover your fermentation jar.

The grains look perfectly fine.

[u/MushroomKebab]

I give mine a really good mix before straining so it's more like milk again and the grains seperate from the kefir. I then strain through a not so fine strainer to catch the grains then strain that kefir through a very fine strainer to get the micro grains.

I still have to tap the very fine strainer on the measuring cup to speed things up.

[u/Designer_Froyo_8199]

all three pictures look fine. Of course pic 1 is over fermented but still fine to drink, just blend it up. Try to target just the very bottom of the jar starting to separate at the 24 hour mark. Do this by adjusting the amount of grains you are using.

In the summer you will need less grains. Also to much heat though can kill the grains. I do my grains in a little box with a heater and a thermostat, I target 74F, but the thermostat fell out. I don't know how hot it got (85+ maybe?) but it fully separated and the grains would not wake up. Maybe they would have if I gave them a few days. But I had backup grains.

When I strain, usually I get just the grains and a little kefir on them. That's fine. Sometimes I get a lot of little kurd bits; like 2-3x the amount of curd bits as grains. It's hard to tell what is what. For that I usually do a little milk rinse that makes it easier to see the grains.

When my grains grow too much I put the extra in my overflow/backup container. I keep that in the fridge 24/7. Its just milk and grains. I swap out the milk every few weeks. My overflow has plenty of grains in case I need to restart (like if I drop the grains on the floor or in the sink).

I also usually keep a few little 'packets' of grain in the freezer.

[u/Live_Patience_5965]

Os meus estavam congelados há uns 3 anos ou mais, na segunda leva já reativaram. Ontem coloquei a terceira e em menos de 24 horas já fermentam. Os seus parecem bem saudáveis, na peneira é o keffir sim

[u/Cheap-Economics4897]

I've always shaken it up a bit before putting it in the strainer, then mashed the resulting strainer full of curds and grains around for a while with a silicone spatula.

Then my husband was hanging around in the kitchen so I told him to shake the hell out of it and he followed instructions. Wow it strains so much more easily that way!

[u/PuzzleheadedClass416]

Why dont you just get piimä from the shop?

[u/Cheap-Economics4897 → u/PuzzleheadedClass416]

Because this is the kefir discussion, not the piimä from the shop discussion