(Part 3) Top products from r/fermentation

Amazon might not be ideal for anything but the airlocks, but here goes:

Airlocks, pack of 3 for $5.39 at the moment.

Lids, probably available for the same or less at your grocery store.

As for grommets, the hardware store is your best bet. They're classed by their internal and external diameters. Internal diameter (ID) is what you're going to squeeze the airlock stem into, external (ED) is the size of the hole you've drilled in your lid. The ones I use have an ED of .5 inches. I don't remember the ID, but that's more flexible. Easier to jam a tapered stem into a rubber hole than it is to make the grommet fit into an inflexible hole in a plastic lid.

Just match the ED to whatever drill bit you're using, and you'll be fine. Oh, speaking of, none of this is going to work without a drill. But the cheapest drill you can find will work just fine. I like a spade drill bit for making clean holes in plastic lids, but other types will work just fine. If need be, you can remove burrs left in the hole with a hobby knife or file.

I'm afraid I'm made this all sounds harder than it actually is. It comes down to:

1. Drill hole
   
   
2. Put grommet in hole
   
   
3. Put airlock in grommet
   
   If you attempt this and have any trouble, feel free to PM me. I stumbled a bit with this at first and would be happy to help you DIY it.

I also try to minimize leaving the house. I like DIY projects so I made airlocks using plastic mason jar lids.

You can also get the entire mason jar fermenting lids pre-fab ready to go

I got silicone seals to make them airtight.

I drilled 9/16" holes and inserted plastic grommets.

Then I use 3 piece acrylic airlocks. I think that 3piece makes it easier to clean and acrylic is sturdier than plastic but that's just me. They make plastic ones.

I found this to be pretty cost-effective especially since I don't already own any reCAP lids. It was an easy-peasy project. Just be sure to clamp the lids to something otherwise you can't drill proper holes.

I am super happy with them; they work great and I didn't have to leave the house ;)

Edited because I hit "save" prematurely

This is great feedback and I definitely understand that the lack of weight/salt ratio doesn't help. Ultimately I was worried that a vinegar taste meant bad sauerkraut. I'll hang tight and wait a week or two before digging back in to check.

A quick follow up question. My reasoning for checking daily is usually two fold. The first being to taste it like I said earlier, but the second is to reapply the saran wrap b/c on some days the weights push the liquid above the wrap. I use an open crock similar to this and have always struggled with sealing it off and this method has worked best for me. Do you have a recommendation on how to better seal it so I don't have to reseal it every day or two?

Sorry, one more quick follow up. The three gallon crock that I have is essentially filled to the top and packed tight. Do I need to be concerned about the different between what's on the top and what's on the bottom in terms of mixing it up? I've always made smaller batches in this crock so I've never had to worry.

Ok, so this is a an inexpensive DIY milk kefire recipe that has worked 100% without fail for about 5 yrs for me.

In a quart of milk, empty 1-2 capsules of Megafoods Multiflora into the container. Shake and then put on top of fridge for 2-3 days, shaking once daily.

For a 1/2 gallon, I use 3-4 capsules. I prefer to make this amount, and I usually choose the milk that is in glass; but I've done it in cardboard and hdpe also. I suggest at least plastic.

Why this megafoods? Do I work for megafoods? No. I like this product because it has 14 or more strains of LABs/other microorganisms, which absolutely guarantee that one or more is going to colonize quickly. Chances are, that some number of these strains make a consortium that tastes more like real Kefir (made from real kefir grains) than regular acidophilus.

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Also, this technique can be used with whole coconut milk as well, and results in a happy-producing, slighly psychoactive fermentation reminescent of pina colada that a group of friends and I have concluded cannot simply be 'low amounts of alcohol'.

I've tried probably 6 or 8 strainers in various plastics and metals, and this is the best I've found: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001VZERX4

They even come out easily from kefir that's nearly cheese and the super thick coconut stuff I make.

I recommend sauerkraut, sourdough starter (I add a tsp of honey to mine starter), kombucha, rejuvelac, pickles, and / or kimchi.

Also Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, this is a great book full of a great store of fermentation wisdom.

This one:

https://smile.amazon.com/Fermented-Vegetables-Creative-Fermenting-Chutneys/dp/1612124259/

Got it for Christmas a couple years back, it's a really great resource with some good recipes. If you're into spicy foods, the same authors also wrote this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Fiery-Ferments-Stimulating-Fermented-Condiments/dp/1612127282/

Yes. This is entirely fine. If you're not opposed to snagging a book, Fiery Ferments has lots of good info.

Not so good for recipes or for a cookbook, but a beautiful coffee table book:(Preserved)
https://www.amazon.com/Preserved-Nick-Sandler/dp/1904920012/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517941348&sr=1-1&keywords=preserved+sandler

I've got one too and am just about to start fermenting. In their brilliant book 'Miso, Tempeh, Natto and Other Tasty Ferments' Kirsten and Christopher Shockey give lots of tips for using a bread proofer, as well as other methods.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tempeh-Natto-Other-Tasty-Ferments/dp/1612129889/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1574363244&refinements=p_27%3A+K.%5CcKirsten+Shockey&s=books&sr=1-3&text=Kirsten+Shockey%2C+K.

Just remembered there are instructions for how to make tempeh on the Brod and Taylor website.

https://brodandtaylor.com/how-to-make-tempeh/

find the table of contents :)

Try weighing your ingredients instead of measuring volume. Volume-based measurements don't work well for repeatable results. This $18 scale weighs fractions of a gram/oz close enough to dial in the amount of salt you prefer while still using enough to encourage lactic acid bacteria:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RF3XJ2

This one is good: https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Pickles-Fermented-Preserves-Beyond/dp/1607744767
Also: https://www.amazon.ca/Batch-Recipes-Techniques-Preserved-Kitchen/dp/044901665X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505959438&sr=1-4&keywords=well+preserved

It's an S type airlock. You can find them at any homebrew store for less than a buck. I drilled a half inch hole in the center of the lid and attached a rubber grommet to create the seal.

It's a lot cheaper than buying the pre-made airlock lids.

These are the ones I bought

It took some searching to find ones that weren't ridiculously pricey.

The silicone lid gaskets I have

I don't recall if I used 1/2" or 9/16" as recommended on the grommet packaging.

I would like to change your life

Yep, go ahead and get the kraut mandolin, cuts the time down to nothing.

I have this one and I make kraut by the bucket full. Everything in easily less than an hour.

It's a Japanese Pickle Press. Excellent for quick pickles but anything going more than a day or two I'd use a ceramic crock. This is the book I use with my press. You can, obviously, use any recipe with it though.

The Yogourmet stuff they sell at my health food store is not real kefir, order grains (not starter) off Amazon or eBay for the real deal.

Haven't grown my koji yet because I'm on vacation, but here's what I purchased and it all works:

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- Humidistat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071ND7N8L/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o00\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- Perforated pan: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E95D6H0/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o02\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- Pan: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VZ6Y4O/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o01\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- Humidistat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J1E5LWM/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o04\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- Thermostat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015FKG4CC/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o04\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- Heating pad (I fold it in half): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P7U259C/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o04\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- Styrofoam container: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NO6F8E/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o05\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fido Jars are just the flip-top jars that close with a little lever style clasp. They have a round rubber seal that sits between the lid and jar.

May I point you towards the book Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods.

https://www.amazon.com/Lactic-Acid-Vegetable-Sauerkraut-Fermenter/dp/B00IPQTVEW

I basically follow this recepie:
https://www.tempeh.info/maketempeh/how-to-make-tempeh.php

But I learned how to make tempeh from the book Miso, Tempeh, Natto

As an Incubator I use a reptile heating mat and a thermostat. I place the tempeh directly on the mat and the temperature sensor directly onto the tempeh to maintain a internal temperature of 30 Deg Celsius. It took about 44h