Curd Cheese from Frozen Kefir

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make curd cheese from frozen kefir? Get your ingredient ready. You'll need just one thing - kefir. Choose it carefully, since the taste and quality of the kefir determine the taste of the finished cheese. The most delicious cheese comes from full-fat kefir, and since it's thicker, you'll also get more of it. Use fresh kefir that isn't sour - that matters too.

2. Step 2:

   

   First, freeze the kefir. I had several cartons, so I poured them all into one and put it in the freezer overnight. If your kefir is in a paper or plastic carton, freeze it right in there. But I wouldn't put bottles in the freezer - they can burst. After a night in the freezer, take out the frozen kefir and leave it at room temperature for 5-6 hours to thaw.

3. Step 3:

   

   Once the kefir is fully thawed, pour it into a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth or a sturdy cloth napkin. Set the colander over a suitable bowl to catch the whey. Let the kefir sit like this for about 2 hours; it'll thicken a bit.

4. Step 4:

   

   Then fold the edges of the cloth over the mass and set a flat plate on top. Add a weight. Jars filled with something - water, jam, or preserves - work well. Put the whole setup in the fridge for 8 hours.

5. Step 5:

   

   In that time the whey drains through the cloth into the bowl, and what stays behind is the most delicate curd mass, very much like a soft cheese. I squeezed the cheese a little more right in the cloth, since the linen had soaked up a lot of liquid. The whey, by the way, can be used to make other things - pancakes, bread, dough.

6. Step 6:

   

   Transfer the cheese from the cloth into a glass container - that keeps it best. Store the cheese in the fridge for 5 days at most. A liter of kefir gave me about 250 grams of cheese. If you'll use it as a sandwich spread, you can add a little salt and herbs. For sweet baking, salt isn't necessary.