My brother told me to skip the airlock for my first batch of sauerkraut

He said just a loose lid on the jar in my kitchen cabinet for 5 days would be fine, but it ended up smelling really bad and I had to throw the whole thing out. I followed his advice because he's been making pickles for years, but I guess cabbage needs that airlock to keep the bad stuff out. Has anyone else had a family member give them fermentation advice that just didn't work at all?

4 comments

4 Comments

jamiesullivan2mo ago

Ugh, that's the worst. I mean, it's like everyone has that one relative who's an "expert" because they did something once in 1998. My aunt told me to just leave yogurt on the counter overnight to culture, no thermometer or anything, and I got a science experiment instead of breakfast. Makes you wonder how many family recipes are just pure luck.

kevin_williams2mo agoMost Upvoted

Sometimes that old-school luck is what makes a family recipe special though.

ben_fisher1d ago

Wait, your aunt seriously told you to just leave yogurt out with nothing to monitor it? That's a disaster waiting to happen, and I'm sorry you ended up with a science experiment. I totally get what you mean about family recipes being mostly luck. My grandma's "foolproof" pie crust recipe literally says "add flour until it feels right" which is impossible to follow. Her pies are amazing, but every time I try I just get a sticky mess or a brick. Makes you wonder how many of those old methods were just people getting lucky over and over until they hit on something that worked by accident.

the_ben2mo ago

My uncle's whole thing was sourdough starter, swore you could keep it alive in a cupboard with just a weekly spoon of sugar. Not flour, sugar. Ended up with this black, boozy sludge that smelled like a bad brewery. He still claims it was "almost there" and I just didn't have the patience for his method. Some of that old knowledge gets a little twisted over time, I guess.