TIL my sauerkraut got fizzy from a warm kitchen

I left a batch on the counter for an extra day because my kitchen was around 75 degrees. It got super fizzy and almost soda-like, which I wasn't expecting at all. Has anyone else had a ferment get really active from just a small temperature bump?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_vera2mo ago

Oh wow, that's not just a small bump, that's prime fermentation weather. Seventy-five degrees is like a turbo button for the bacteria. That fizz means it ate through the sugars way faster than usual. You might find it's gotten pretty sour already, maybe too sour for some tastes. It's wild how just a few degrees can change the whole game, right?

christopherwilliams2mo ago

Turns kombucha into battery acid.

cameron7631mo ago

Honestly I used to think temperature didn't matter that much but after what @the_vera said about 75 being a turbo button it makes total sense now. I had a batch of kimchi do the exact same thing last summer when my AC broke and it was around 80 in the kitchen for two days. It bubbled over the jar lid and tasted like someone dumped a whole lemon in there way faster than normal. That fizzy soda thing you got is proof the bacteria were partying hard on that counter.