Employing a Watertight Fermentation Cooking Pot for Preserving Foods
Whether you're a seasoned fermenter or a novice, you'll love learning about using a water-sealed fermentation crockpot! If you're new here, welcome to our blog! We've been passionate about simple fermenting for a while, and you can find more about it in our posts:
- Fermenting is Simple
- Homemade Sauerkraut the Easy Way
- How to Make Fermented Half-Sour Pickles
For smaller batches, DIY containers work great. But at some point, it's time to upgrade to a water-sealed fermentation crockpot.
The Big Leagues
I never expected the taste and texture difference between an open and a water-sealed fermentation crockpot. A fellow homesteader sold one, and I jumped at the chance.
This 10-liter pot took me by surprise—it held a lot of cabbage! But after tasting the sauerkraut, I knew we needed it. We got eight jars from our first batch, and we're already running low and preparing more!
What's a Fermentation Crock?
Fermentation crocks are stoneware vessels for fermenting veggies. They come in two shapes:
- The open crock: Anything can be an open fermentation crock—I've used an old slow cooker for years!
- The water-sealed fermentation crockpot: A sealed pot with a water moat around the opening, used for creating airtight conditions. Water keeps CO2 gasses produced during fermentation from escaping while blocking air from entering.
Yes, you can use fermentation lids for jars for small-scale fermentation. However, for bigger batches, water-sealed crocks offer better temperature consistency and seem to enhance the fermentation process's quality.
Using a Water-Sealed Fermentation Crockpot
While it took some getting used to, the water-sealed crock offers a significantly better product. With its ceramic construction and smaller opening, you might find it a bit inconvenient, but the end result is worth it.
Here's how to use a water-sealed fermentation crockpot for making sauerkraut:
- Weigh your cabbage and calculate the salt you'll need.
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, then use a couple more for the fermentation process.
- Slice the vegetables and mix them with salt. You can season with extras like carrots, ginger, or garlic.
- Allow the mixture to rest for an hour so the salt draws moisture out.
- Ensure the crock and weighing stones (if included) are clean and dry.
- Layer the vegetables in the pot, pressing them down, and cover them with the saved leaves.
- Add the weighing stones, making sure they press the cabbage mixture under the liquid.
- Fill the moat with water and place the lid on top.
- Keep the crock at room temperature and monitor it as it becomes more bubbly.
- After about a week, taste your sauerkraut. If it's to your liking, move it to jars and store it in the fridge.
Embrace the water-sealed fermentation crockpot and savor the improved taste and texture of your homemade fermented creations! 🥫🥬🌶️🍅
- In the realm of food-and-drink and cooking, water-sealed fermentation crockpots can elevate your homemade fermented recipes to a whole new level, as witnessed in our lifestyle blog.
- As you delve deeper into the science behind health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise, you might discover the benefits of fermented vegetables made with a water-sealed fermentation crockpot, perfect for your groceries and stanards.
- For those aiming to cultivate a garden and enjoy a simplified lifestyle, a water-sealed fermentation crockpot can become an essential tool, offering better fermentation results compared to open crocks or DIY containers.
- In the process of experimenting with various fermenting techniques, you may find the water-sealed crockpot to be the key ingredient in your homestead's health-and-wellness and food-and-drink recipes, transforming your pickles and sauerkraut the easy way into gourmet creations that your family and friends will admire.