Finishing the Kefir Cheese - August 27, 2026 @goldenoakfarm

On Wednesday we left the kefir draining the whey off.

This is what it should look like. There should be no loose or jelly like areas. The cheese should be solid enough that it peels off the buttercloth when turned upside down. You can scrape the remainder off the buttercloth by laying it flat and using the plastic spoon.

The cheese is fine just as it is, or you can add salt, or chives, or herbs, or nuts, just as you would cream cheese, sour cream, or cottage cheese.

If you plan to use fruit or anything sweet, it’s best to add it at the time of eating. Added earlier will allow the kefir to generate alcohol.

I was going to make a garlic version.

Ingredients

It’s a bit stiff to mix with the plastic spoon. I have a small wooden spoon I used for mixing.

I’d suggest keeping the sides of the bowl scraped into the main mass. It dries out pretty quickly if left on the sides. I do keep it covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. If left at room temperature, the flavor will slowly get more sour.

Both kefir and cheese will keep for very long periods in the fridge.

The whey from the cheese can be saved and used in cooking, much as you would use milk. But be aware it’s a bit sour. It also will keep for long periods in the fridge. Both kefir, cheese, and whey can be frozen. But if you freeze the kefir, it may not make good cheese.

Touching kefir with metal damages some of the organisms. It’s important to not touch it with metal, except to eat it.

For more info about kefir: http://users.sa.chariot.net.au or type in Dom’s kefir in search and you will get his site.