READER REVIEW: Debra's Review of Lifeway Plain Frozen Kefir

Debra wrote in to us a few weeks ago inquiring about whether or not she could write a review of her favorite frozen dessert: LIfeway's Plain Frozen Kefir. Here at The Ice Cream Informant, we do not discriminate so feel free to submit a Reader Review on anything you choose. Enjoy!

I like cultured/fermented dairy for what it is. For me, I don't need it to be flavored, masquerading as ice cream. The tartness and the mouth feel are fine for me. When I visit self-serve yogurt shops, I go straight for the tart (sometimes mint of they do have it). Kefir (if you're not familiar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir) is to frozen yogurt what a fine, silky gelato is to ice cream. It's 30lbs of frozen yogurt in a 5lb bag. It's everything I could want and more from a frozen dairy dessert.

I've had but one type of kefir and that's plain. Lifeway Kefir offers several other flavors, all which sit beside the plain, but I pay them no mind. I reach for the ol' blue and while, give it a squeeze to make sure it's not freezer burnt (this can happen easily - if your pint has space between the cardboard and the kefir then you should choose another) and walk to the checkout out line with a smile on my face.

Photo courtesy of http://blog.lolalobato.com/frozen-kefir/

In my house, this happens once per week. My husband and I share "pint night" on Saturdays. He goes for Talenti's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and I get Frozen Kefir. Our local natural food store offers close to 100 high quality frozen dairy desserts but I ignore them all. I want my kefir. My plain, white, boring kefir. At first glance, the top has a slight sheen. It's not terribly crystalline as Lifeway has managed to make a fat free kefir devoid of such things. My recommendation would be to wait a little bit and let it melt because it *is* slightly harder than ice cream. When it can be easy scraped around the rim, it is the perfect time to break into it. The mouth feel is smooth, though not silky. It's a sacrifice I am willing to make because the tartness, while not overpowering, is very satisfying. There are no mix-ins in the plain. It's just smooth all the way around.

One thing that makes me sad about eating a pint of anything, ice cream or otherwise, is when it's finished. Kefir takes twice as long as ice cream to finish. While my husband's spoon sits idle in his empty container of Talenti, I am turning over a creamy lump of kefir, gently scraping it and eating perfect semi frozen spoonfuls of my favorite tartness. Sometimes I do like to add a little excitement to my kefir, so I've emptied the whole pint into a bowl, covered in cereal and a little bit of milk; I've added chocolate chips, I've added fruit. Plain, however is my favorite. I give Lifeway's Kefir an A. I give it an A because there is nothing in this world stopping me from indulging in the almost infinite number of ice cream choices a person has a on Saturday night. With a full tank of gas and a map, I can make 16oz of anything possible I think. I choose Kefir because, to me, it's the greatest frozen dessert on God's Green Earth.

Photo courtesy of http://blog.fooducate.com/2012/10/06/lifeway-frozen-kefir-probiotics-for-dessert/

Where Debra Found It: Lifeway Foods
Debra's Grade: A