Kefir Separation - Why Isn't My kefir Separating?

Proper Separation

Ok, so you're new to making kefir and you can't seem to get complete separation into curd and whey.  Or maybe you have been consuming kefir for a while now and for one reason or another it just doesn't seem to happen with the batches you make.

The image on the left shows 3 jars all within 24 hours of being placed in the jars for a secondary fermentation.  Not one jar on the left had been fermenting for more than 48 hours.  Unlike Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, you don't have to taste the kefir to know when it's ready.  It should be very clear to you and this is how you will know.

The jar on the far left is still in the process of fermenting.  It has only a little whey on the bottom and still looks very smooth in texture.  The middle jar is ready to go.  It has good separation and the curd is breaking apart and starting to rise on top.  You will see a lot of air pockets and a mound on the top when it's ready.  The jar on the right is a clear sign it's getting overly fermented.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and its good to consume this type of kefir once in a while.  But you will know its overly fermented, when the curd starts to fall back to the bottom and the whey is visible in the middle.

Getting Started Or Starting Over Correctly

In order to determine the exact reasons that your kefir may not be separating, we need to start from scratch.  I have been running 3 jars at once but decided to strain them all off and show you how to set up a proper jar.

Once I strained all 3 batches, I put the grains into a glass jar to measure from and poured the kefir into a single jar to begin the secondary fermentation.  Remember, all you need is 24 hours with the grains for primary fermentation and 12-24 hours without the grains for secondary fermentation.  Unlike Kombucha, which requires air for aerobic fermentation, Kefir likes a lid for anaerobic fermentation.  

How Many Grains Do I Need?

As you can see here I am currently working with about 2 1/2 cups of kefir grains.  This is a lot of grains for the amount of kefir I want to cut back to.  I decided that I will be consuming about 5 cups a day for a while.  Let see how we can determine how many grains we need...

A general rule of thumb is 1:5 - 1:10

This means that for 5 cups of kefir, we need 1/10th or 1/2 cup of grains minimum and shouldn't need more than 1 cup maximum.

Although the angle on here makes it look like there are more grains then there are, I put about 3/4 of a cup of grains into the jar.  Some of the grains are very large now and it's hard to be exact.

Luckily, this isn't an exact science, which is why it's so easy to make kefir :)

 This shows the strained kefir shortly after I put it all into one jar.  You can already see on the very bottom of the jar, where it's begun to separate out into whey.  The whey will always form on the bottom during secondary fermentation.

Things To Make Sure You Do

Before you strain your kefir from the jar with the grains, make sure to give it a very good shake with a circular motion.  This is very important, as it will both make the grains easier to strain and will make sure separation happens correctly in the second jar.
This is the same Jar in less than 24 hours under secondary fermentation.  Notice that it is in the Goldilocks zone?

This means that the curd clearly has visible air pockets and holes throughout and there is a large amount of whey on the bottom.  When you start to see the curds falling in layer on the bottom of the jar, its becoming quite strong.

When I strain my kefir from the grains, the Ph is usually in the green zone or about 4.0

Once you have given the kefir and grains a good shaking, strain them by skaing them back and forth again in a circular motion inside a plastic strainer.  Try not to use any utensils to push on the grains or to "help" get and excess junk off of them.  Let them be and you will notice a lot of improvement.

Once strained, pour the kefir into another jar and leave untouched at room temperature for a second day.  If you want separation to occur, do not refrigerate this batch at this point in time.  I never refrigerate any of mine. 

Now comes the important part...Shake the grains right back into the same jar WITHOUT washing it first.  Don't be afraid of white buildup inside the jars.  As a general rule of thumb, washing the jars ONCE per week is all you will ever need to do.  The more you sterilize with soap and water, the harder the bacteria have to work to do their job.  We want to make their job easier, so don't be a neat freak with this stuff...It doesn't like it.

These things are the biggest components...Limit the amount of contact you have with the grains, limit jar cleaning to ONCE a week, don't refrigerate, use a secondary fermentation and keep an eye on the growth of the grains.  Eat them like pills with a little water and juice when they grow too quickly.

Good Luck!