The whey can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for a few weeks. If you get any mold, you can strain it out. As long as they whey doesn't bubble or smell bad it useful. The amount to use depends on the recipe you're following. For the kimchi recipe I did I used 1/4 c for what yielded 1 qt. I HIGHLY recomment the Idiot's Guide to Fermenting because it has many recipes. After you get that down, it makes easier to understand Sandor Katz's Wild Fermentation & his newer encylopeadic tome, The Art of Fermentation.

Honestly & noticed it's usually 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of whey for a quart. But I could be wrong, so... less

The whey can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for a few weeks. If you get any mold, you can strain it out. As long as they whey doesn't bubble or smell bad it useful. The amount to use depends on the recipe you're following. For the kimchi recipe I did I used 1/4 c for what yielded 1 qt. I HIGHLY recomment the Idiot's Guide to Fermenting because it has many recipes. After you get that down, it makes easier to understand Sandor Katz's Wild Fermentation & his newer encylopeadic tome, The Art of Fermentation.

Honestly & noticed it's usually 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of whey for a quart. But I could be wrong, so... less

I use mine mostly in cooking - I let it get sour, and then add it to everything from pasta sauce to marinade for chicken (it's like yogurt chicken.)

Just a pinch of cardamom is great to flavor it as a drink, or blended with whatever fresh fruit you have in the house. Of course, fresh mint from the garden is pretty good, too less

This is just added insurance that the correct microbes are in abundance when you do lacto fermented veggies. Of, course the salt is used to make an inhospitable enviro for bad microbes. Technically, the microbes exist on the veggies, but as a beginner & maybe someone who doesn't grow her own organic produce, I would recommend hedging your bets. less

I use mine mostly in cooking - I let it get sour, and then add it to everything from pasta sauce to marinade for chicken (it's like yogurt chicken.)

Just a pinch of cardamom is great to flavor it as a drink, or blended with whatever fresh fruit you have in the house. Of course, fresh mint from the garden is pretty good, too less

Pour your quart of kefir into a fine strainer (or into a cheesecloth, if you like) with a large enough container underneath to catch everything.


Obviously a little different from the milk you started with!
If you like your kefir thick, like I do, it won't go through your strainer without a little help.


So roll the grains with a spoon to force the kefir through---just scrape the edge of the spoon across the surface of the strainer. Be gentle with your grains, though.


Before long, only the grains will remain---


put them back in a quart jar, and fill half-full with milk... and the cycle continues.

My kefir grains double about every week to week and a half. When I have too many grains, I usually separate out some extras, keeping about 3-4 Tablespoons to use again. I either give the extra to friends, or throw them out.

It's a good idea, also, the first time your batch of grains doubles, to save some as a backup. Put the backup grains in fresh milk in your refridgerator. Change the milk once a week. The cool fridge temps will prevent the grains from producing too much, and in case your cat ever gets on the counter and knocks over your kefir jar, you won't be left out in the cold!
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I can usually extract more or less whey depending on what kind of acid I curdle with... lemon juice is usually more complete than a bacterial culture in my experience.

When I collect whey that way (usually after making paneer), I boil it down for gjetost. Any of you with Swedish immigrants in your area? Man, that brown cheese the the best thing. less

YES it is as sweet, YES it is as caramel-tasting... mine never becomes as firm, so it is spread-able instead of slice-able. But I don't care, it's delicious! I followed tips from Fankhauser's cheesemaking page originally, I think... but you will work the details out with a little experimenting link less

I meant, not everyone has produce that they know is organic, if you do, then you have a better chance of success without the whey. The whey is just a cheat, like using commercial cultures, you're making sure you will overwhelm bad microbes with good. And if you have whey, why not use it? That said, if I don't have it, I have never had any problem with just using salt. But it's nice to make use of something you would otherwise throw out, no? Some people drink the whey. less

YES it is as sweet, YES it is as caramel-tasting... mine never becomes as firm, so it is spread-able instead of slice-able. But I don't care, it's delicious! I followed tips from Fankhauser's cheesemaking page originally, I think... but you will work the details out with a little experimenting link less

Heat your skillet well---add a little bit of oil, in the Russian fashion. (My mom always made pancakes on a dry skillet. The difference winds up being a light crispiness when there is oil used. It's tasty and stands up well to fruit syrups (because fruit syrups are usually pretty wet, the way I make them, and mom's style pancakes can get soaked).
Spoon/pour your batter onto the sweet spots on your griddle. (Mine is just heated by my gas stove, so there are only really two places that cook well. If you have an electric skillet, the heat is probably more evenly distributed and you can make six at a time.)


Flip them over to let them become golden brown on each side. Repeat until all your batter has been transformed into oladi.
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