Instant-read stainless steel dairy thermometer for kefir, yoghurt, and cheese making. No batteries required, simply place it in milk for accurate, real-time temperature readings.
Designed by KoruKai Herb Farm, drawing on over a decade of hands-on experience in cheesemaking and dairy fermentation, it reflects practical, real-world needs in a working kitchen.
13.5 cm long with clip for easy pot or jar attachment.
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This stainless steel dairy thermometer is a simple, reliable tool for accurately measuring milk temperatures when making kefir, yoghurt, cheese, and other cultured dairy products. It provides instant temperature readings without the need for batteries, switches, or digital settings—just place it into your liquid and read the temperature immediately.
Because precise temperature control is essential for successful fermentation and culturing, this thermometer helps ensure your milk is heated and cooled to the correct stages every time. It is especially useful for avoiding overheating or underheating, which can affect culture activity and final results.
The clear dial display allows you to monitor temperature at any moment, making it easy to follow recipes with confidence. A built-in clip allows the thermometer to be secured to the side of a pot or jar for hands-free use during heating and culturing.
Designed for practical, everyday kitchen use, this thermometer is durable, simple, and effective.
Care Instructions
Wash the measuring tip by hand using warm soapy water. Do not place in the dishwasher, as this may damage the thermometer.
Specifications
Length: 13.5 cm
Material: Stainless steel
Type: Instant-read, battery-free
Feature: Clip for pot/jar attachment
Temperature Guide (Blue, Green & Red Zones)
This dairy thermometer includes clearly marked colour zones to make culturing and cheese making easier, more consistent, and more reliable—especially when working with kefir, yoghurt, and fresh cheeses.
Designed by KoruKai Herb Farm, drawing on over a decade of hands-on experience in cheesemaking and dairy fermentation, it reflects practical, real-world needs in a working kitchen.
🔵 Blue Line (20–22°C)
Mesophilic cultures
Ideal for:
Mesophilic kefir
Caspian Sea yoghurt
Clabber
Lactic cheeses such as chèvre and Valencay
This range is especially useful for ensuring milk is at the correct temperature after heating and cooling. It has helped preserve kefir grains many times by preventing overheating and culture shock. It is also invaluable during fermentation, particularly in colder months, helping you monitor fluctuations and find the best warm spot in your home to keep cultures active and healthy.
🟢 Green Line (35°C)
Cheese making temperature
Most traditional cheeses begin culturing around “cow-warm” temperature (around 35°C), before rennet is added. This stage is critical for proper curd formation and texture development (excluding lactic cheeses, which ferment at lower temperatures).
Accurate temperature control at this stage helps ensure strong, clean curd set and more consistent cheese results.
🔴 Red Lines (40–45°C and 80–83°C)
Thermophilic yoghurt & milk heating
These ranges are essential for making thick, set yoghurts and thermophilic cultures.
80–83°C: Used to heat milk before yoghurt making. This step changes milk proteins to support a thicker final set.
40–45°C: The precise cooling range required before adding yoghurt culture.
Getting these temperatures right is crucial—too hot and cultures can be destroyed, too cool and fermentation may fail to set properly.
Why it matters
This thermometer has been a trusted tool in our kitchen for years. It helps protect live cultures, improve consistency, and take the guesswork out of fermentation—especially when working with sensitive dairy cultures like kefir and yoghurt.
It is particularly helpful for troubleshooting, seasonal temperature changes, and finding the most stable fermentation environment in your home.
Ingredients: 1 stainless steel dairy thermometer with colour zones.
Certified organic water kefir food containing sugar, molasses and micronutrients to feed your water kefir grains optimally. This pack contains the food for water kefir grains only, you need to have your own grains or buy them from us.
This way they stay healthy and produce a better probiotic fizzy drink for you and your family.
Available in 100g, 500g and 1kg bulk pack in a home-compostable, biodegradable pouch.
Containing only certified organic ingredients so that your water kefir grains can thrive (do not come with the grains). Without any roundup or other agricultural chemical residues, which could have a negative effect on the microbes in the water kefir.
Heavy-duty glass fermentation weight designed to keep vegetables fully submerged during lacto-fermentation. Fits most standard wide-mouth preserving jars including Mason, Kilner, Ball, and Agee jars. Easy to clean, reusable, and dishwasher safe.
Size: 70mm diameter x 25mm depth Weight: 170g ±10g
Always measure the top diameter of your jar before placing an order. Make sure that the diameter does not get narrower further down.
We’ve created this DIY kit for anyone wanting to make their own raw apple cider vinegar at home.
Making apple cider vinegar is simple, rewarding, and a great way to enjoy its many natural health benefits. Unlike many supermarket varieties that are pasteurised and filtered, homemade vinegar retains the “mother” — the living culture and beneficial microbiome that give raw apple cider vinegar its full character and potential benefits.
Learn how to make delicious, probiotic-rich sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and fermented vegetables at home with our comprehensive Lacto-Fermentation Guide.
Drawing on more than 10 years of hands-on fermentation experience at KoruKai Herb Farm, this practical guide teaches traditional lacto-fermentation methods to help preserve seasonal harvests while supporting gut health naturally.
Perfect for turning an abundance of cabbages, carrots, beetroot, and other vegetables into vibrant, living foods packed with beneficial microbes.
Fresh water kefir grains are shipped every Monday (or Tuesday following a public holiday). Orders must be placed and paid for by 4 pm Saturday for shipment the following week.
A must-have for cheesemaking and dairy fermentation.
This high-quality cheesecloth is made from certified organic cotton and is ideal for straining curds, making kefir cheese, yoghurt cheese, labneh, soft cheeses, and other cultured dairy products.
Reusable, washable, and free from synthetic fibres, it provides excellent drainage while remaining gentle on delicate curds.
Silicone fermentation airlock for safe, reliable home fermenting. Allows gases to escape while keeping oxygen out, helping protect your pickles, vegetables, and drinks during lacto-fermentation. Reusable, durable, and dishwasher safe. Available in blue, green, purple, red/pink, and white.
Everything you need to start making refreshing, probiotic water kefir at home. This complete kit includes dried water kefir grains, a glass fermentation jar, airlock system, strainer, kefir food, and a detailed guide with instructions and recipes.
Water kefir is the vegan cousin of milk kefir and the caffeine-free alternative to kombucha. These live cultures can be used again and again to create refreshing, naturally fizzy probiotic drinks at home.
Easy to make and endlessly versatile, water kefir is a great way to support gut health while creating delicious homemade sodas, fruit ferments, and flavoured drinks.
Fully booked! To go onto the waiting list please sign up below.
This is an informative workshop for anyone interested in healthy food. No cooking skills are required. You will walk away with some easy recipes that you can implement in your own kitchen using basic equipment.
Date: Saturday, 2nd May 2026 Time: 10am-2:30pm
Location: KoruKai Herb Farm, Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula 1 hour from Halswell, Carpooling from Chch is usually possible.
UNAVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT. Sign up below to get an email once it is available again.
We are excited to bring our very popular fermentation workshop to your home!
Classes consist of videos, online lectures, step-by-step instructions, recipes and tips and tricks. We will also answer all your questions and help you along the way. You can join anytime and watch the content at your own pace. You get 6 months to view the contents and ask questions in the forum.
This Yoghurt Maker from Culture Cupboard is great for making homemade yoghurt - without the need for an electric yoghurt maker. It also helps maintain a steady fermentation temperature year-round, protecting kefir and cultures from cold winter nights and fluctuating summer heat.
The insulated flask includes a glass jar and recipe booklet with instructions for both dairy and dairy-free yoghurts, making it an easy and energy-efficient tool for home fermentation.
One portion of organic milk kefir grains cultures approximately 1 cup of milk every 24 hours and can multiply to culture up to 1 litre within two weeks under good conditions. Available in hydrated or dehydrated form (please select below).
Easy to use and endlessly reusable, milk kefir grains allow you to make fresh, probiotic-rich kefir.
Shipping Information
NZ-wide shipping available to urban and rural addresses, including PO Boxes.
Fresh milk kefir grains are shipped every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday). Orders and payment must be received by 4pm Saturday for dispatch the following Monday.
This guide covers all the essentials you need to create delicious, probiotic, and naturally fizzy water kefir sodas at home. Learn how to successfully make both the first and second ferment, along with flavouring ideas, recipes, and helpful tips for creating delicious homemade kefir sodas.
Perfect for beginners and experienced fermenters alike.
Billions of probiotics per tablespoon for gut health.
Everything you need to start making delicious, probiotic-rich milk kefir at home.
This beginner-friendly Milk Kefir Making Kit includes organic milk kefir grains, a wide-mouth glass jar, stainless steel strainer, dairy thermometer, and our comprehensive Milk Kefir eGuide with step-by-step instructions.
A simple and affordable way to make fresh kefir again and again from your own kitchen.
An additional glass jar for keeping ready kefir milk in the fridge can be purchased here: 500ml glass jar.
Shipment of fresh milk kefir grains every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday). Orders and payments need to be in by 4pm Saturday to get shipped the following Monday.
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