My neighbor swore by airlocks but my simple cloth cover worked better

We both started sauerkraut batches on the same day, and after two weeks mine had a cleaner, crisper taste while his had a slight off smell. I just used a clean tea towel and a rubber band over the jar, and he used a fancy three piece airlock setup. Is it possible that a little air exchange is actually better for some ferments?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas.sean1mo ago

Yeah that "cleaner, crisper taste" you got is exactly what I aim for. I had the same thing happen with my kimchi, my simple plate and cloth method beat my friend's fancy crock every time. Sometimes I wonder if those airlocks trap too much of the funk in there. A tiny bit of air moving over the top might just help keep things fresher.

shah.shane1mo ago

I get what you mean about trapped funk, but my airlock ferments always taste cleaner to me.

nina_ramirez20d ago

Wait, you ferment kimchi with an airlock? That's wild to me. The whole point is that it's supposed to breathe a little and get that tang. Locking it down tight sounds like it would kill the vibe completely.