Unpopular opinion: Crock pots are ruining fermentation starters

My buddy from the Austin Fermentation Guild kept telling me my kombucha SCOBY was weak because I was using a slow cooker to sterilize my jars. He said the heat cycling from the crock pot killed the beneficial bacteria before I even started. I switched to just boiling water on the stove at 212°F for 10 minutes flat, and now my batches are way more active. Anyone else ditch a convenience tool after getting called out like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

troyp371d agoTop Commenter

That bit about "heat cycling killing beneficial bacteria" really got me. I used to sanitize my jars in the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle, and my starter would always be sluggish. Then my buddy from the guild told me the same thing (he's a real purist, you know?). I switched to the stovetop boil method, and now my kombucha is bubbling like crazy. Funny how we trust these tools without thinking, like I used to microwave my honey for tea until someone told me it kills the enzymes. So yeah, getting called out can be a real eye opener, even if it stings a little at first.

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wade7671d ago

The dishwasher thing is just one example of how we let machines make decisions for us without really asking if they're the right ones. My sister used to run her cast iron skillet through the dishwasher because the machine had a "cast iron" setting, never stopped to think about what soap does to seasoning. Now she hand washes and oils it and says it cooks better than ever. It's like we see a setting on a device and just assume it was designed by someone who knew what they were doing. But half the time those settings are just marketing fluff or shortcuts that don't account for real world use. Kind of makes you want to question everything you think you know about everyday tools.