Spent $40 on a fancy fermentation crock and the airlock never sealed right

I bought this nice stoneware crock from a local kitchen shop in Akron back in July. Followed the setup guide exactly, but water just dripped out of the channel every time I tried to burp it. After three batches of sauerkraut that all grew mold, I tossed the whole thing. Lost about $50 in cabbage and salt on top of the crock cost. Anyone got a cheap plastic bucket method that actually works without all the hassle?

2 comments

2 Comments

kaiharris11d ago

Burping it wrong, you're supposed to burp that kind through the airlock not the channel.

richard11011d ago

Ngl, I think that's part of the problem - those fancy stoneware crocks are more about looks than function, and the cheap plastic bucket method is actually way more forgiving. Just grab a food-grade bucket from the hardware store and drill a hole for a rubber grommet and airlock, it costs like $15 total and you can actually see if the seal is working.