My $40 airlock bubbler was a total waste for my kimchi

I got a fancy glass bubbler for my big kimchi jar thinking it would help, but it just got clogged with chili paste in two days. I had to take it off and go back to the old burp-the-lid method, which works fine. Has anyone found a good airlock for really thick ferments like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessacarter5d ago

Actually that bubbler sounds like it was working exactly as designed. The whole point is to let gas out without letting air in, and a clog means it was catching all that chili gunk before it could mess up your ferment. Maybe you just needed to clean it more often, like every other day, instead of expecting a set and forget system. Thick ferments are messy by nature, so any airlock will need some extra attention. Going back to burping is fine, but that introduces oxygen every time you open it, which is the exact problem a good airlock is meant to solve.

the_felix5d ago

Yeah but didn't I see someone say a clogged airlock can build up pressure and pop the lid? That seems worse than burping.