Comparison of our DAIRY starter cultures

Posted by Cutting Edge Cultures on 2022 Apr 27th

Comparison of our DAIRY starter cultures

Cutting Edge Cultures specializes in dairy starter cultures for kefir, yogurt, L. Reuteri Superfood and L. Gasseri Superfood.

We've summarized the main features of our dairy starters, in terms of how to use them and what to expect of the resulting products. 

Your choice of starter will depend on what you're looking for. (For ingredient lists, click on the starter images below)

If you don't have much experience, we recommend you start with Easy Kefir, which, as the name suggests, is really easy, involving hardly any work on your part, aside from stirring the starter sachet into milk and placing the jar on the counter. Kefir is also suitable if your use your cultured dairy as a beverage, because it is pourable.

If you're looking for a rich, creamy, probiotic homemade yogurt, and you already have a yogurt maker, our probiotic Yogurt Plus is the way to go.

If it is specifically L. reuteri or L. gasseri bacteria that you're after, and you're comfortable fermenting your own dairy, go for the L. Reuteri Superfood or L. Gasseri Superfood starters. You'll soon be hooked.

Starter: Easy Kefir Easy Kefir
  • Makes: kefir
  • Starter form: powder (sachet)
  • Contains live beneficial bacteria? Yes
  • Pouch contains: 4 sachets of starter
  • Starter storage: fridge/freezer
  • Designed for dairy or vegan? Dairy
  • Needs pre-heating before culturing? No
  • Needs prebiotic fiber for culturing? No
  • Culturing temperature: room temperature
  • Culturing time: 18-24 hours
  • Taste of end-product: lightly effervescent, tart, lightly yeasty
  • Texture of end-product: akin to pourable yogurt, might be bubbly
  • Recultures? Yes (New batch can be made from previously-made batches)
  • Get our Easy Kefir starter here
Starter: Yogurt Plus Yogurt Plus
  • Makes: probiotic yogurt
  • Starter form: powder (sachet)
  • Contains live beneficial bacteria? Yes
  • Pouch contains: 4 sachets of starter
  • Starter storage: fridge/freezer
  • Designed for dairy or vegan? Dairy
  • Needs pre-heating before culturing? Yes
  • Needs prebiotic fiber for culturing? No
  • Culturing temperature: standard yogurt-maker temperatures (100-112 F)
  • Culturing time: around 8 hours
  • Taste of end-product: yogurt
  • Texture of end-product: yogurt
  • Recultures? Yes (New batches can be made from previously-made batches)
  • Get our Yogurt Plus starter here
Starter: L. Reuteri Superfood L. Reuteri Superfood
  • Makes: cultured dairy with various textures, high in L. reuteri bacteria
  • Starter form: powder (sachet)
  • Contains live beneficial bacteria? Yes
  • Pouch contains: 4 sachets of starter
  • Starter storage: fridge/freezer
  • Designed for dairy or vegan? Dairy 
  • Needs pre-heating before culturing? Only in the first batch and if dairy is not ultra-pasteurized
  • Needs prebiotic fiber for culturing? Yes, every batch
  • Culturing temperature: 100 F
  • Culturing time: 36 hours
  • Taste of end-product: tangy
  • Texture of end-product: depending on the dairy used, the solid could be anything between yogurt-like to soft-cheese like. Separation is very common.
  • Recultures? Yes (New batches can be made from previously-made batches)
  • Get our L. Reuteri Superfood starter here
Starter: L. Gasseri SuperfoodL. Gasseri Superfood
  • Makes: cultured dairy with various textures, high in L. gasseri bacteria
  • Starter form: powder (sachet)
  • Contains live beneficial bacteria? Yes
  • Pouch contains: 4 sachets of starter
  • Starter storage: fridge/freezer
  • Designed for dairy or vegan? Dairy
  • Needs pre-heating before culturing? Only in the first batch and if dairy is not ultra-pasteurized
  • Needs prebiotic fiber for culturing? Yes, every batch
  • Culturing temperature: 100 F
  • Culturing time: 36 hours
  • Taste of end-product: tangy
  • Texture of end-product: depending on the dairy used, the solid could be anything between yogurt-like to soft-cheese like. Separation is very common.
  • Recultures? Yes (New batches can be made from previously-made batches)
  • Get our L. Gasseri Superfood starter here