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My kefir grains were frozen by accident when the temp in my fridge was turned way down. I turned the temp back up, and after a couple of days took my grains out to culture a fresh batch of milk. After two days, however, I still have milk with kefir grains at the bottom. They don't seem to be doing their job anymore. Should I throw them out or wash them off and try again with new milk?
I don't have any more grains, so I'd hate to lose this batch! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
During the freezing process, ice crystals can cause cell damage to microorganisms. This means that a lot of the bacteria in your kefir may have died in the freezing process, leaving your culture significantly weakened. It may take a few batches to get it back up to full strength.
My kefir has been frozen approx 18 months and I just made a new batch and it looks great.
