A messy kitchen spill led me to try fermenting without airlocks. Now I'm converted. Any advice for open jar methods?

4 comments

4 Comments

In my basement fermenting station, I keep a few jars going with just cheesecloth tied over the top. This lets in wild yeasts from the air, which can give more interesting tastes than locked setups. @xena_rodriguez39, it sounds risky, but the real trick is to keep everything under the brine so it doesn't go bad. I use a clean rock as a weight and check daily to remove any fuzzy stuff on top. After a dozen batches, I've only lost one to bad mold, and the taste is worth the extra watch.

xena_rodriguez392d ago

Wait, you ferment stuff without any airlocks?

chen.richard2d ago

My grandma used a mason jar with the lid just resting on top, not even screwed down. I do my kimchi the same way now, just burp it every couple days. Airlocks feel like overkill for small batches where you're checking on it anyway. Maybe it's just me but I've never had anything explode doing it that way.

logan_patel14h ago

A small dinner plate on my fermentation jar lets gases escape but keeps dust away.