Rant: I spent $75 on a fancy airlock system that was a total waste

Everyone in here seems to swear by those complex multi-chamber airlocks for sauerkraut. I bought the 'FermentMaster Pro' kit last fall, thinking it would stop mold and make things foolproof. After three batches, I can say it did nothing my old jar and a simple weight couldn't do. The plastic parts were a pain to clean, one of the little valves got clogged with kraut bits, and the whole setup just added more things that could go wrong. My regular wide-mouth jar with a cabbage leaf on top worked just as well, if not better. I feel like I paid for a solution to a problem I never really had. Has anyone else gone back to basics after trying one of these systems?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_viola1mo ago

Funny enough, I was right there with you for a long time. My kitchen counter looked like a science lab with all the gadgets. It took a batch of perfect, simple kimchi in an old crock to change my mind. All that extra gear just gave me more parts to wash and check. The basics have worked for generations for a good reason. Now my only must-have is a good glass weight.

jamesf411mo ago

Yeah, that glass weight is a total game changer for keeping things simple.

joel9561mo ago

That "more parts to wash" line really hit home for me too.