Ask Allie
What is “Ask Allie”?
Ask Allie is our fermenting-related advice column, where you can ask all your fermenting-related questions and get digestible answers! No question about fermenting is off limits! Once we consistently have enough questions to do this column weekly, it’ll move from being a periodic Sunday post to a regular Friday post!
To have your question answered in Ask Allie posts, please use the form on our website. If you prefer to be anonymous, just say so in the form and we’ll leave your name out when we answer it in the blog!
For troubleshooting active issues with a culture you’re working with, please write us at support@positivelyprobiotic.com - you’ll get your answer faster that way!
Why are your recipes always in metric?
— Anonymous
I do all my measurements in metric because it’s more accurate. With US/Imperial measuring systems, your scale might not be able to give you a read that is quite so precise. Consider the following (measurements rounded to nearest 100th):
8 grams of salt is the same as 0.282 ounces
9 grams of salt is the same as 0.317 ounces
10 grams of salt is the same as 0.353 ounces
11 grams of salt is the same as 0.388 ounces.
12 ounces of salt is the same as 0.423 ounces
When you are looking at large quantities of whatever you’re weighing (likely flours in this instance), that over/under doesn’t really matter that much. But when you’re looking at the small things you add to a baked good: salt, baking powder or soda, commercial yeast, spices, you have to evaluate the scale’s margin of error. Every scale I’ve ever used does a “fun” thing where it experiences indecision about the number it wants to settle on if a weight isn’t exact. So let’s say you’re in need of 10g of yeast, and you’ve converted this over to ounces. Most scales are going to let you figure out if it’s 0.2, 0.3, or 0.4 ounces, because most kitchen scales aren’t sensitive enough to track more nuanced differences in weight. For small quantity measuring, you want to be as accurate as possible. Your scale is more likely to be able to do that with grams than ounces. Ideally, the bigger quantity ingredients will also be measured with precision, but it’s in the finer details that this matters most.
Although I am actually a “by feel” baker, when I am creating recipes for y’all, my goal is to refrain from my more typical haphazard practices so you can actually replicate what I made. I don’t want y’all to be approximating what I made. Metric gives us a better guarantee that your final product will be the same as mine, and that sameness is why we use recipes to begin with, yeah?
This question reminds me, though: when I use tablespoons, I’m using 3 teaspoons as a tablespoon. This is important for you Aussies to know, because your tablespoons are 4 teaspoons.
By request, I have added US/Imperial measurements and volumetric (where possible) to all recipes. Please be aware that these conversions may not be accurate and you may need to use your own adjustments beyond my conversions. I have super limited kitchen space, so I keep my scale hanging on the wall while not in use so as to aid me in accurate measuring without giving up counter or shelf space.
I rarely drink kombucha, so do I really need to do all the work to keep a SCOBY alive for those rare occasions when I decide to brew?
— Sarah
You do not need to do all the work, nope! WOO HOO you’ve got more free time now! You do, however, need a starter “hotel.” I keep a litre in the back of my fridge for when I’m starting anew.
Whaaaaat?!
No, seriously. You don’t need a SCOBY at all to brew your kombucha! SCOBYs are really a byproduct produced by the fermentation process, not the facilitator of the process. Everything you need to brew a batch is contained in your starter fluid.
Literally the only reason we include a SCOBY in your kombucha culture shipment is because y’all seem to like them so much. We assume y’all like them either due to having a tangible thing to look at to see fermentation is happening or because the of the conventional wisdom you’ve learnt that is just plain false.
I know this is a lot to take in, because the focus is always on the SCOBY. But it’s really just a big, fat lie that you need a SCOBY. I’ve actually tested this, and more than once (because I too was astonished initially). Without a SCOBY, it takes kombucha the same amount of time as it takes the starter to make your new batch as it does with SCOBY + starter. With SCOBY and no starter, you’re looking at upwards of 3 months to ferment your tea. I had a batch once take 4 months with SCOBY only. It was super frustrating because I had people I was sharing with and they all had to wait forever!
Puts a whole different spin on that hotel you’re stuck with, doesn’t it? Cut them up and feed them to your dog, or make jerky from them. Dogs like to eat stuff like that. Humans too, if you do something with them first. I recommend a honey or maple syrup soak for your cut SCOBYs before drying.
So you know, if y’all no longer want your kombucha or jun orders to come with a SCOBY now that you know this little secret, we’ll send you just the starter! We’ve considered not sending SCOBYs with the starter anymore, but figured we should just let y’all decide what you want instead. The drop down menu, when you’re picking out your kombucha or jun, will allow you to choose if you want the starter tea with or without the SCOBY - we offer a discount on kombucha and jun starters that don’t come with a SCOBY, too!
I left a jar of milk kefir in the back of my fridge for about 6 months. The grains are still in there, and it smells like puke. Do I have to throw it away and buy a new one?
— Jess
NO! Do not throw the grains away!
Actually, maybe. Is there anything fuzzy, pink, or orange in there? If so, you’ve got mold and should throw it away. Otherwise, big fat nope. Don’t throw those grains out!
Milk kefir is hardy. Really, really hardy. Milk kefir grains (MKG) are essentially the Evander Holyfield of the fermenting world, willing keep on keepin’ on, even after you’ve bitten off its ears. It’s not like water kefir, which is so prima donna it’ll throw toddler-sized tantrums if you happen to look at it the wrong way.
Here’s what you should do if there are no signs of mold:
Strain the grains. This might be nightmarish, because mk keeps fermenting in the fridge (just more slowly), so I recommend that you close your jar tightly and shake it up really well before you strain. Shaking it up reintegrates the curds and whey so it strains more easily. Not straining means you may struggle to strain curds while you’re trying to locate the grains. Sometimes the grains get trapped in those curds, for an extra bit of fun and games.
Make a new batch! The first batch or two might smell or taste yeasty. It’s okay to feed it to your cats or dogs, put it in mashed potatoes, or even just toss it if it's not palatable to you. After it readjusts to an active social life, your kefir will be as it was before it went on vacation!
Moving forward, if you think you might take a super long break from mk again, go on ahead and strain your grains and freeze them. I set “super long” as more than 2-3 months. I personally favor breast milk bags for things like this, but any freezer-safe bag or container will do the trick! If you think it will be a particularly long time, it won’t hurt it to pack it in milk powder to help avoid freezer burn. That said, I’ve kept grains in the freezer without powder added for over a year and had them making perfect kefir again within 2-3 batches.
