I thought the whole 'burp your ferments' thing was just for show until my sauerkraut jar exploded

For my first three batches, I just screwed the lid on tight and left it alone. I figured the pressure would be fine. Then, two weeks into a big jar of red cabbage kraut, I heard a loud pop from the pantry. Glass and brine everywhere. That mess convinced me. Now I burp my jars once a day for the first week, no exceptions. Has anyone else had a ferment go off like a bomb?

2 comments

2 Comments

harris.emma17d ago

Learned a similar lesson with beet kvass. The pressure built up so slowly I didn't notice until the plastic lid bulged into a perfect dome. Now I use those little silicone airlock lids for anything over a quart. They let the gas out without letting anything in, so you can just forget about it.

elizabethhunt17d ago

My friend's kimchi did that dome thing too, @harris.emma, scared her half to death.