Spent $60 on fancy fermentation weights and my mason jar lids work better

Bought those glass weights with the little handles last month after seeing them in a YouTube video. They kept sliding off my cabbage and letting mold form on top. My brother laughed at me and said just use a clean jar lid with the rubber seal removed. Tried it on my next batch of sauerkraut and it stayed under the brine perfectly. Wish I had asked around first before dropping that cash. Anyone else have kitchen items that worked better than the overpriced stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

bell.emma6d ago

Stick a small plate or a ceramic ramekin on top of the cabbage next time, that's what I do now. Those glass weights are a joke, they just float around like they're lost. I had the same problem with the handle making them top heavy and tipping right over. The bag trick works too but I got tired of worrying about leaks. Anything flat and heavy that fits inside the jar will work better than those overpriced pieces of glass. Honestly just use a clean rock if you wrap it in a plastic bag, that's what my neighbor does.

matthewross6d ago

Yeah, "they kept sliding off my cabbage" is exactly what happened to me too. I bought those same glass weights with the little handles from a fermenting supply site and they were useless. The handle made them top heavy so they always tipped. I switched to just putting a ziplock bag full of brine on top like my grandma taught me. Works perfect every time and costs basically nothing. Those fancy fermentation products are a total scam for most home cooks. Glad I'm not the only one who wasted money on them.