Had an old-timer tell me I was overcleaning my crock and it messed up my ferment

I was scrubbing my fermentation crock with hot soapy water between every batch of sauerkraut. A guy at my local homebrew shop said I was stripping the good bacteria colony that lives in the clay. I switched to just rinsing with hot water and letting it air dry, and my last 3 batches of kraut have had way more consistent bubbles and flavor. My kimchi still turned out fine too with that same method. Has anyone else gotten similar feedback about not being too aggressive with cleaning?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sage20d ago

Yeah it's the same thing with cast iron pans and good leather boots. People think scrubbing the hell out of stuff makes it clean but you're really just fighting against the thing that made it work in the first place. Less is usually more with stuff that builds up its own protection over time.

taylor_moore19d ago

Cast iron and leather have different biology than a crock used for lacto-fermentation though. The old-timer had a point about the hot soapy water being harsh, but calling those bacteria a "colony" that lives in the clay is a stretch. The glaze on most crocks is non-porous, so there's not much for bacteria to cling to long term compared to unglazed clay. Rinsing with hot water is fine between batches, but I'd still do a quick vinegar rinse every few cycles to knock back any mold spores that might be floating around. @the_sage I think the comparison falls apart when you factor in food safety with ferments vs. seasoning a skillet.