Fermentation General

[Anonymous No.11694689]

>Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In the context of food production, it may more broadly refer to any process in which the activity of microorganisms brings about a desirable change to a foodstuff or beverage.[1] The science of fermentation is known as zymology.

What are your favorite fermented foods, /ck/? What projects have you tried? Tips/tricks?

Do you have any fermentation going right now? Today I jarred a bunch of red cabbage with black peppercorns, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and coriander seed, and my other jar's got a bunch of pumpernickel sitting in it to make kvass.

[Anonymous No.11694700]

VINCENZO

DA ALLICIN

[Anonymous No.11694704]

I've got piss jars fermenting in my closet rn

[Anonymous No.11694715]

There's something about buying homemade kombucha that scares the hell out of me.

Like there's a huge probability that it's just some guy who dips his taint in a bucket of sugar water and he gets off on the idea of retards drinking his fermented taint water

[Anonymous No.11694750]

>>11694689
beer

[Anonymous No.11694771]

I have a bunch of kombucha fermenting

I have fermented carrots, beans, cabbage in various forms, whole muscle, sausages, oat-based quadsi-beer, meade, and wild-fermented wine (which turned out surprisingly well).

One thing I've never pulled off well, though, is traditional cucumber pickles. They were mushy when I tried. Tips on keeping them crisp?

[Anonymous No.11694798]

>>11694771
>One thing I've never pulled off well, though, is traditional cucumber pickles. They were mushy when I tried. Tips on keeping them crisp?

Back in the old days they used Alum, but they don't really do that any more because ingesting high levels of aluminum may be linked to alzheimers or dementia.

Looks like most mainstream pickle companies use calcium chloride, it's a totally safe mineral salt, and you can buy it pretty much anywhere they sell canning supplies

[Anonymous No.11694831]

Going to start a gallon of mead soon. Any tips or online sources for quality honey? I've done some basic fermented beverages so I'm familiar with the sanitation procedures, just never done a mead.

[Anonymous No.11694848]

>>11694831
>not raising your own bees
enjoy your shit mead

[Anonymous No.11694859]

>>11694831
Any farmers' markets around you? Probably cheaper than buying online and you get to support a local business.

[Anonymous No.11694876]

>>11694859
I'm going to keep looking, but I dont have a car at the moment, so getting around to markets can be tough. Definitely my first source if I can find one.

[Anonymous No.11694889]

>>11694876
You should probably focus on getting a car before you focus on buying 25 lbs of local organic bee honey

[Anonymous No.11694927]

i have a jar of cabbage and chilis that's going right now. i plan on using it on hot dogs.

[Anonymous No.11694929]

>>11694689
I accidentally created a mother of vinegar in a big jug filled with water and a bit of apple cider vinegar. I left it standing in the window for a while and then discovered that some big transparent thing was floating around in it.
Anyway, I figured if it was that easy I'd make my own kombucha, so I bought some, made some tea and combined it all in a big jar. It's been standing there for a week now and I noticed something floating in it already. I have no clue what I'm doing though so I probably won't even drink whatever happens in there.

[Anonymous No.11694938]

My brine is getting very cloudy at the bottom. It's white and all collecting at the bottom. Is it still good?

[Anonymous No.11694945]

>>11694938
That's just dead bacteria and yeast, it's safe to consume and totally normal

[Anonymous No.11694962]

>>11694929
You're basically done. All that's left is to ferment to the desired sourness and then dilute with water or fruit juice.

[Anonymous No.11694970]

>>11694945
Cool thanks. I used it for peppers first now it's cabbage for some spicy sauerkraut. I'm going to try ginger ale next.

[Anonymous No.11694972]

>>11694927
>i have a jar of cabbage

[Anonymous No.11695050]

>>11694970
Sounds cool, I've wanted to try ginger ale/beer as well. I'll look for pics/progress in the future!

[Anonymous No.11695252]

Just did a batch of red sauerkraut with radish. Got a bit lazy with burping them during the first few days, and noticed that any veg that floated up turned brown real quick. Fished them out, paid more attention after, and it's turned out fine.

[Anonymous No.11695293]

Tip: use ziploc bags filled with water as weights

[Anonymous No.11696098]

Started sauerkraut and a few jars of mixed veggies today. Kinda worried I didn't use enough salt to get a proper brine.

[Anonymous No.11696736]

I’ve kept s sourdough starter a few times over the years, always end up drying it out when life gets busy and reviving it later. Currently reviving it right now, actually.
Also have a kefir culture that I make kefir with, drink it every day or two, makes a nice thick sour fizzy yoghurt.
Right now I’m making sauerkraut for the first time, but I think I put too much cabbage in the jar because every time I burp it, liquid spurts out. I’m probably going to pull some cabbage out tomorrow. It’s day four or five right now and is already started to smell pretty strongly fermented, so I’m feeling good about it in another couple weeks!

[Anonymous No.11696824]

>>11695293
>Tip: use ziploc bags filled with water as weights
This. A water filled bag seals so much better than anything else, highly recommended for making sauerkraut.

[Anonymous No.11696837]

>>11696098
How much did you use, and how much veggies are you trying to ferment?
>>11695293
I did this for a while, but I'd tend to get gaps/air pockets due to the shape of ziplocs. Now I just use clingfilm and water, works a lot better.

[Anonymous No.11696838]

>>11696824
Wouldn’t adding a plastic baggie just add bacteria?

[Anonymous No.11696857]

>>11696838
You don't have to go full turbo-sterile with vegetable ferments. A baggie fresh from its container is clean enough, though you could rinse it with water if you feel like it.

[Anonymous No.11696886]

>>11694689
Fermenting some ginger ale, great way to drink some low-concentration alcohol.

[Anonymous No.11696943]

>>11696838
>Wouldn’t adding a plastic baggie just add bacteria?
One of the reasons to use fermentation is to create an environment where harmful bacteria won't reproduce and/or survive.
I never had a problem with a clean bag right out of the box. You could wash it before use but you'd probably just introduce more bacteria from your hands.

[Anonymous No.11696960]

>>11696943
>>11696857
Interesting! It makes sense but I always thought if I didn’t sterilise first, harmful bacteria would grow faster than the LAB and overwhelm it before it grows. That’s really good to know.
I’m making some kraut right now and I didn’t leave any space at the top of my jar. Everything is under liquid right now but would it be better if I pulled out some cabbage and added a water baggie now just to be safe?

[Anonymous No.11696995]

>>11696960
>didn’t leave any space at the top of my jar
Pics? How little headspace are we talking about

[Anonymous No.11697071]

>>11696886
Queer.

[Anonymous No.11697098]

>>11696995
Very little. I had more space (1-2cm) when I first packed it, but it’s given off some more liquid, or expanded (probably from gases) so now it’s open to the brim.
I burped it this morning and liquid sprayed out.

[Anonymous No.11697303]

>>11697071
I mean, I'm a whiskey guy, but once in a while some lighter stuff is appreciated.
Especially since almost all types of beer really upset my GI-tract.

[Anonymous No.11697345]

>>11697098
I usually make sauerkraut in larger batches, so I use a small bucket instead of a jar. Using a water filled bag instead of anything else makes life so much easier - it's perfectly sealed but gases can still vent.
After preparing the kraut I just put the bag on it and let it ferment for four to six weeks in a cool place - nothing else to do.

[Anonymous No.11697955]

>>11695050
From all the ginger ales I've tried they tend to be way too sweet or not gingery enough. So i'm going to try and tune it to my tastes.

[Anonymous No.11698727]

Bampu
Kraut on the left, kvass on the right.
The kraut has red pepper flakes, black peppercorns, coriander seed and bay in it. Getting nice and bubbly.
I toasted pumpernickel and left it in sugar water for a day, but the lacto didn't seem to catch so I tossed the bread and just put in baking yeast. It comes out pretty good when I do it that way I guess

[Anonymous No.11698823]

>>11694700
Fpbp

I’m makin some sauerkraut from brads instructions atm. Just jarred it today so I’ve got some time before it’s ready

[Anonymous No.11699491]

>>11698727
I realized after reading this thread that the reason why my kraut is still crunchy is because I didn't weigh it down with something. Oh well.

[Anonymous No.11699527]

>>11694689
For me?
It's the McChicken.

[Anonymous No.11701340]

>>11694798
Firm cucumber pickles is tied to fermentation temperature (must not be above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, 70 degrees is close to ideal) and natural tannins from added grape leaves, tea leaves, or even oak leaves. Salinity can cause mushy pickles too if too high, as in 10 percent or so, from what I hear.

[Anonymous No.11701471]

>>11694689
Lmfao I remember making the hot sauce general almost 2 years ago and never once got any real traction. Hope this generalized method gets somewhere, but then again
>people on /ck/ cook

[Anonymous No.11701749]

>>11698823
Need to push it down so liquid releases and it covers the cabbage, my man.

[Anonymous No.11701754]

>>11701471
We still have a hot sauce frementation thread occasionally, but there's only a handful of us dojng it. Your threads are what got me into it and I'll never go back to vinegar based.

[Anonymous No.11701761]

>>11694771
put some black currant leaves into the jars

[Anonymous No.11701783]

>>11694798
How does CaCl2 inhibit mushing? Salt would further sway the osmotic pressure, pulling water out of the cells of the cucumber.

[Anonymous No.11701790]

>>11701340
>>11701761

Either of you know the chemical process by which tannins keep the pickles crunchy? I've only ever used them for protein precipitation.

[Anonymous No.11702752]

Bumpu
Anyone got a recipe for Worcestershire sauce?

>>11701754
Post your favorite recipes? :D

[Anonymous No.11702825]

>>11701754
How did you get everything to congeal so well? I made a hot sauce and it tends to separate from the fiber of the peppers and the liquid.

[Anonymous No.11702909]

Made Brad's mustard for part of a hamper for relatives at Christmas. Not sure how it'd taste now but after 5 days maturing it was still hot as fuck, like barely edible. Should have used hotter water at the start to mellow it out more.