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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!

user110084
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Andrea
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    See related: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/5976/how-to-properly-freeze-kefir-grains One answer suggests that this accidental freezing should work, but that you may have to begin the process of balancing the kefir again, and it may take some time. – SAJ14SAJ Oct 02 '13 at 04:58

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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.

SourDoh
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My kefir has been frozen approx 18 months and I just made a new batch and it looks great.

Maureen
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