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I was dead set against buying a crock pot for fermenting, but a $25 thrift store one changed my mind.
I always thought proper fermentation needed wide-mouth jars or those expensive ceramic crocks, so I ignored them for years. Then I found a 6-quart Crock-Pot at Goodwill and used it to keep my sauerkraut at a steady 68 degrees, and the texture came out way better than before. Has anyone else had luck using a cheap slow cooker as a temperature-controlled fermenter?
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jenny_sullivan974mo ago
Nah, slow cookers hold heat too well. They're made to keep things hot, not just warm. That 68 degrees could easily spike to 80+ if the thermostat kicks on. Cheap thermostats aren't reliable.
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spencer_perry774mo ago
Last winter I tested this exact thing with my old Crock-Pot and a digital thermometer. Left some water in it on the warm setting for about four hours and it climbed to 92 degrees before I caught it. The thermostat kicked on twice in that time and each time it shot up fast. My buddy lost a whole batch of chili at a Super Bowl party because his slow cooker turned it into a bubbling mess overnight. Those things are basically insulated cauldrons.
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