Wednesday, June 10, 2015

a great new fermenting tool that we highly recommend to make the process of fermenting food a hassle-free breeze!

as you all know, we do not have advertisements on our blog (except for listing other great blogs in our blog list!). however, when we come across a product that we feel is fantastic and might interest some of our blog readers, we do a review. for this review, we have not received any compensation or product other than what we purchased. a very thoughtful free gift was included but with no obligation. i'll get to that in a minute.

first off - let's talk about fermenting. it's a topic that is getting a lot of interest and that is a very good thing. lots of people are thinking about, reading about and learning about the incredible health benefits of fermented food - and the benefits are nothing short of amazing! jambaloney and i have been making sauerkraut, sauerruben, carrot and daikon kimchi, regular spicy kimchi and a variety of other kimchis, and other veg for years now. we loooooove fermented food! but although a lot of people are interested in fermenting - lots of them are scared of trying it. well - have i got a tool for you that takes all of those fears away!

so on to this great new fermenting tool that we recently purchased, have used and are thrilled with! have a gander at this funny looking baby:


to me - it looks like a crazy science experiment! but that's because whenever i made fermented foods in the past, i simply used regular mason jars, stuffed them full of whatever, put lids on them, stored them under the bed where it is dark and cool to ferment them and then HAD TO UNSCREW THE LIDS 3-4 TIMES A DAY TO LET THE GASSES OUT!!! i always put the jars on a tray because sometimes they would fizzle, bubble and overflow. no big whoop but really kind of a pain in the "you know where"! this way of fermenting food has been done for thousands of years in crocks, mason jars, bottles - you name it. and it works! it's just a pain to be worried about unscrewing jars several times a day!!!

well those days of unscrewing lids are over - woohooo! i am not sure how i stumbled across fermentools.com but it was probably while searching for crocks, ferment recipes, etc.

this company has an unique product that makes fermenting foods a breeze! i am here to testify that their product works and provides delicious results!!!! here is the 6-pack kit that we ordered for $72.90 USD - it may seem like a lot but, we saved for it as we suspected it would pay for itself in only a short time.


this kit contains an instruction/recipe manual, 6 stainless steel lids with holes in the centre, 6 glass weights (ingenious i say!), 6 3-piece fermentation locks, 6 plugs with holes for use during fermentation, and 6 plugs to use after fermentation (i just use our regular mason jar plastic lids when storing).

jambaloney and i love to buy canadian-made and us-made products and do so whenever we can. imagine my surprise to see that the fermentation locks are made in canada and that the boxes are made in the us!!!!





so once you put the little contraption together on top of say, your sauerkraut, what makes this contraption exceptionally easy to use is it takes out all of the guess work for you. the fermentation lock does all of the work releasing gases and the glass ring submerges your vegetables in the brine. no more wrapping cabbage leaves on top of the jar, or using clean rocks to keep your veggies submerged and no more worrying about mold forming on top - it's ingenious!



last but not least - NO MORE UNSCREWING LIDS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY - WOOHOO!

when i first contacted the company with questions about the product and questions about shipping, i received a very prompt response answering all of my questions. i love and appreciate good customer service and this company has that in spades!!!

Matt, the person who responded alerted me to the fact that the standard shipping rate to canada was quite expensive ($44) and made recommendations on which of their products we should buy in order to make the shipping rate worth it. we bit the bullet as the product was much less expensive than any crocks we have ever found and i have priced close to millions of crocks.

and this is where over-the-top fantastic customer service comes in to play. we received our product, beautifully-packaged and a personal hand-written note on the sales slip.


the note reads - "james and kymber - Thanks for your order. I hope you get a life time of use from this kit. I feel bad about the shipping cost, but there is nothing I can do...but add extra product. I hope you enjoy the salt."

and included in the package was a 1 lb pound bag of Ancient Himalayan Salt. now THAT is customer service!!!


i have always used sea salt in all of my ferments and was really glad to get a chance to try the Himalayan salt. the Himalayan Salt is high in trace minerals which is very good and produces a very good product but if you can't get access to Himalayan salt - sea salt and kosher salt work just as well in fermenting foods.

as with all fermented foods - you adjust for taste. some people like their fermented food at 3 days, 7 days, 280 days - it's all a matter of testing and tasting your fermented food until it tastes good to you!

here's our first bottle using our fantastic new product:


i tested it at 3 days (couldn't help myself - too excited!), at 5 days (still too excited!), at 7 days (getting close but not quite there), 9 days (ooooh almost!) and then at 12 days. we have decided that we like this the best.


i have been making fermented veg in mason jars for years without my nifty tools from fermentools.com and they have been jim-dandy and delicious! IS my sauerkraut made with the ferment tools better - YES! YES! AND YES! it is crispy, crunchy, tart, delicious and using these tools takes all of the guesswork out of fermentation! I LOVE THIS NEW PRODUCT!

i can now be fermenting 6 different things all at the same time or at different times and there is no need to worry about remembering to unscrew lids.

if you are interested in fermenting foods for yourself, but are hesitant to try and don't have a crock and don't want the burden of unscrewing lids - THIS IS THE TOOL FOR YOU!

if you follow the very easy instructions - you will be successfully fermenting your own veg for the rest of your life!

i can't recommend this product highly enough.

check them out at fermentools.com

26 comments:

  1. Sounds really nifty. I love kimchi so I really need to learn how to do this someday.

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    1. Ed - i haven't made kimchi using my new fermentool contraption yet but it will be coming soon. however, i do have a recipe for quick kimchi, using a regular mason jar and cabbage here:

      http://fmgoodeats.blogspot.ca/2014/07/the-bestest-easiest-fastest-kimchi-yet.html

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  2. I developed a taste for kimchi when I was stationed in Korea. I remember the Korean peasants buried a clay pot full of the"makings"and let it ferment. This new system you have found is really impressive. I might start trying to make my own kimchi now instead of buying little cans of it at the store.

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    1. Harry - you were exposed to proper Korean kimchi - they buried the pots for a minimum of 3 months. and that kind of kimchi is to die for. i haven't made kimchi using my new ferment tools yet - but it is next on the list and i will definitely do a review here on the blog as to how it turns out.

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  3. Hey Kymber,

    Like I've said before, I so want to learn to like fermeneted food. I believe it is very good for us. Pickels are as close I we come. I have actually looked at this product & am glad to hear from an expert, that it works as advertized.

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    1. DFW - this is the kind of tool that you would probably love! because it dissipates the gasses all of the time (through the fermentation locks), a smell never builds up. my sauerkraut never smelled fermented the whole time i was checking it - which worried m, because when i did it using just mason jars, it did have a smell. but now using the ferment tool - no smell - just the absolute delicious taste. if you want hassle, non-smelling delicious fermented food - give these a try. they have a a 1 package system which isn't costly so you could order that, give it a try and see if you like it.

      but putting my word on the line - this system is wonderful. and i try not to put my word on too many things as you know. xox

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  4. Good information, Kymber, thanks for the link to a new site that I haven't been to before. Frank and I are really glad we finally started fermenting vegetables.

    By the way, I really like your new header. It looks great! Take care.

    Fern

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    1. Fern - i am so glad that you and Frank are loving your fermented veggies - it is so good for our overall health! and thank you for saying you like our new header - it means much coming from you! xox

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  5. Sweet Kymber,

    I really love.love.love.your new header and the format. Great pictures embedded in the background :-)

    This tool looks interesting, kind of the same thing they use on the top of the glass container when making wine. I'm going to have to go check out the site you provided and see if there's something I have to have........or could use. I like this idea of using this device for fermenting.
    Himalayan Salt is a must have in my house, we always have a large container of it for cooking, and medicinal purposes. I've made a salt sole (medicinal) which is loaded full of vital minerals to help with sleeping, stress, deficiencies, skin, and digestion issues.
    Sending hugs and love to you both!
    Your Friend,
    Sandy

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    1. oh Sweet Sandy - thank you for that! we are trying to make the blog more personal and for us but we want to make sure that all of our friends will like it, too.

      and you are so right about the fermentation lock thingy - it is just like the ones they use to ferment wine and spirits and the like. go check out the site, hon, - they are an american company - their customer service is superb and their product is top quality!

      we have only used himalayan salt in some of our fancy meals - for the rest we use sea salt as it is so abundant and cheap here - and very good for you. you MUST do a post about your salt sole as i am sure that a lot of people will learn much from it!

      we are always sending love and hugs back! xoxoxoxoxo

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  6. Good to know, kymber - thanks. Bit pricey for me, especially if I add the postage to South Africa to the cost.

    We only use Himalayan salt - have done for years.

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    1. Dani, hon - it would be a bit pricey for you with the shipping costs! Himalayan salt is something we use only for fancy cooking - we get pure, delicious sea salt for very cheap here so that is what we stock up on. hmmmm....you've just given me an idea about something...more on that later. xoxox

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  7. Sauerkraut I love! Have been told by Grandma how she made Kraut and have yet to try it. Like you, the crocks are a bit pricey. I thank you for fhis post.... will check it out!
    By the by love the header!

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    1. oh M.E. - i have been pricing crocks forever and just can't justify the price - not to mention the outrageous shipping! i swear that the delicious sauerkraut that came out of using these ferment tools - deevine! i highly recommend them...and i don't highly recommend much.

      thank you for saying you love the new header - we are just trying to make the blog more personal. xox

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  8. I like the new look of the home page!

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  9. I also like the new look. As for the fermenting thing, I've never tried it. How would it be for doing fish? I'm going to be checking this out for sure.
    Thanks.

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    1. Flier - i somehow missed your comment buddy - so sorry! and as for fermenting fish? ick. did you somehow just turn norwegian on me??? they make a thing called lutefisk and it is gawd-awful! so glad to be seeing you around these parts buddy! give kathi our love!

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  10. I like the new look of your blog. I see you even included half of a picture of your naked self in the top left corner. I couldn't get away with that if I still wanted people to read my blog!

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  11. I adjusted my screen size and saw there is more to the picture. Still wouldn't do it on my blog!

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    1. ack! Ed - i am in a 1950's era bathing suit that is black with little red cherries on it in that picture! i am not nekkid! i would never put a nekkid pic of myself up on the blog except for that one time when we accidentally put up pics of our bums while diving into the river! i am going to have to start calling you Pioneer Preppy because you are starting to sound like a nutter like he is!!!!! xox

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    2. I guess I will have to blame the poor resolution on my 20 year old computer monitor and my partial color blindness. I can't pick up anything but shadows. Next time I upgrade my computer, I plan to splurge and get a new monitor too.

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  12. Thank you for the pictures! They are great (always like pictures). And that you for the review. It looks pretty smart - the airlocks make sense, but the glass to keep the items submerged is sheer genius. Nighean Gheal, the Oldest, likes kimchi very much so maybe this is something we will have to investigate.

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    1. TB - with your extensive background, it does not surprise me that you can see the sheer genius of the design so i thank you very much for your comment! i have posts about how we make several kimchis on our food blog which is linked up on the right hand side of the blog if you are interested. one is for traditional kimchi using nappa cabbage and one is for normal cabbage. let me know if you have any questions. xox

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    2. Thanks Kymber. These I will definitely check out. I love Kimchi: Spicy, ridiculously good for you, and low cal.

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  13. Gosh, aren't I lucky to have your blog address. Such good info on it, I'll be looking into your fermenting tool today, and will be back soon for J's post on de rutting driveways by redirection the water. Thanks!!

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