Question about keeping brine ratios consistent between batches

I've been making fermented hot sauce for about 6 months now and I noticed something keeps tripping me up. My first batch at 3% salt came out perfect, but the next two batches at the same percentage got mold on top. Turns out I was measuring salt by volume instead of weight, and the difference between coarse sea salt and fine table salt is way bigger than I thought. I lost a whole gallon of habanero mash because of that mistake. Has anyone else had trouble with salt measurements messing up their ferments?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewp521mo ago

@james_martin93 is absolutely right about weighing being the way to go. I was one of those people who thought a cup is a cup is a cup, you know? Then I lost a batch of my own because I used diamond crystal kosher salt instead of morton's and the volume difference is ridiculous (like nearly double the salt by weight). Weighing everything on a cheap kitchen scale took all the guesswork out, and my brine ratios have been rock solid ever since. It is genuinely frustrating to learn the hard way, but once you switch to grams you never go back.

james_martin931mo ago

Yeah I read somewhere that weighing salt is way more accurate than measuring it.