Hey, Fermenters! Austin Durant here. We're excited to present the first ever
comprehensive fermentation device
Smackdown. We tested six different small
batch fermentation devices all of which
are designed to fit a wide mouth mason
jar as well as the "old-school" method
using a simple weight and a cloth cover.
What we've done is created a large batch
of curtido and we're gonna add to
the each of the seven different jars
from the same batch in order to keep
everything consistent. Then we're going to
apply the different lids to the
different jars, put them all in the same
area to ferment, and then test the
results. Here we go! I'm gonna leave about one
inch head-space or more at the top of
each jar, as the various devices need a
little extra room to do their thing.
Here are the criteria we will use to evaluate the contestants. The scale for each criterion will be between one and five, one being
poor and 5 being excellent. Before
fermentation we will look at how easy
each device is set up. We will also
measure the form factor that is, how "tall" the device sits when it's assembled. During
fermentation, we will examine surface
mold formation, how well the devices keep
the veggies under the brine, how much
brine is retained, and whether any
maintenance is required during the
fermentation period. After fermentation
we will look at the value which is how
well the device did relative to how much
it costs then we will clean each device
to measure the effort required and
finally-- the most fun part! We'll have
people taste the finished product and
select their favorite. We will average all
these scores together to get an overall
score and a final rating for each. Then
we will know the winner!
Check out this highly informative and
entertaining video series on our Youtube channel!
