Vent: I used to think my kraut setup was fine until I saw a friend's in Portland

I visited my buddy in Portland last month and he showed me his basement. He had a whole wall of shelves with maybe 15 jars of different ferments, all with airlocks and weights. I just use a plate and a rock in a crock. He pulled a jar of carrots he started 6 weeks ago and they were perfect, no kahm yeast at all. My stuff at home always gets a little scum on top after 3 weeks. It made me realize my simple way was letting in too much air. Has anyone else switched from a basic crock to a full airlock system and seen a big change?

4 comments

4 Comments

hall.joel2mo ago

Switching to airlocks was a total game changer for me. That little bit of air under a plate is enough to let in the wrong stuff. You can get a simple airlock lid kit for a wide mouth jar for a few bucks, why not try one batch? It cuts down on the scum so much you'll wonder why you waited.

emma_flores2mo ago

That bit about trapped air causing the problem really hits home. I once tried to ferment pickles in a fancy crock with a water seal, but the lid wasn't quite heavy enough. The whole top turned into a weird, slippery mess that smelled off. Sometimes the simplest gear, like those airlock lids, just works better.

violar352mo ago

So you're seeing that scum too, huh? I had the same plate and rock setup and my kraut always got that film. After reading what hall.joel said about air, I grabbed a cheap airlock lid for one jar as a test. That batch came out totally clean, no weird stuff on top at all. It really is just that little bit of trapped air causing the problem.

henryp401mo ago

My buddy spent 400 bucks on a fancy crock with a water seal and still got mold, meanwhile my cheap airlock jar setup from the hardware store has been going strong for a year. It's funny how the simple fix is always the one we overlook, like how I used to clean my bar mats with fancy spray until I realized plain hot water and bleach did the same thing.