How do I use a Mortier Pilon fermentor jar?
May 21, 2017 4:04 PM Subscribe
My wife got me the 5L mortier pilon fermenting jar. I'm excited to use it. There are no instructions and I don't want us to die from botulism and I'm convinced this will happen.
I reached out to mortier pilon people in Canada and they responded in french so I'm lost. I grew up on a farm and i remember doing stuff with cabbage and heavy weights and jars, and I see a similar pattern with this mortier pilon stuff but there's no instructions - just recipes. I just want some basic instructions.
This is the email I sent them:
What is the ceramic weight for? Do I put it on the outside or the inside? Is it sanitary?
What is a "water seal"? Do I need to pour water on my crock? (I have the cookbook and it doesn't say anything about this. It says, "Put the beets and the salt and the water in the crock and then, voila.") I put the beets in with water and I assumed the water would just "percolate" into the seal.
Do I need to expose it to sunlight or protect it from sunlight?
I am 30 years old. I am a millennial. I want to love this product. But I swear to god it's like you're trying to kill us with botulism.
Please, just answer this one question - what is the ceramic weight for? My wife and I have been fighting all night about this. She says it goes outside, I say it goes inside.
Do I need to pour water over the crock? What is a "water seal"
BASIC INSTRUCTIONS NEEDED
Any help would be appreciated.
I reached out to mortier pilon people in Canada and they responded in french so I'm lost. I grew up on a farm and i remember doing stuff with cabbage and heavy weights and jars, and I see a similar pattern with this mortier pilon stuff but there's no instructions - just recipes. I just want some basic instructions.
This is the email I sent them:
What is the ceramic weight for? Do I put it on the outside or the inside? Is it sanitary?
What is a "water seal"? Do I need to pour water on my crock? (I have the cookbook and it doesn't say anything about this. It says, "Put the beets and the salt and the water in the crock and then, voila.") I put the beets in with water and I assumed the water would just "percolate" into the seal.
Do I need to expose it to sunlight or protect it from sunlight?
I am 30 years old. I am a millennial. I want to love this product. But I swear to god it's like you're trying to kill us with botulism.
Please, just answer this one question - what is the ceramic weight for? My wife and I have been fighting all night about this. She says it goes outside, I say it goes inside.
Do I need to pour water over the crock? What is a "water seal"
BASIC INSTRUCTIONS NEEDED
Any help would be appreciated.
All their recipes are pretty much the same. You could start with sauerkraut.
Or mixed vegetables.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:23 PM on May 21, 2017
Or mixed vegetables.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:23 PM on May 21, 2017
Best answer: Just in case you want a recipe: I've followed these instructions for sauerkraut (small batch) and it's worked great both times. One cabbage filled a quart jar, so for 5 liters you'd want...4 or 5 cabbages, I guess.
Weight goes inside. When I've made sauerkraut, I pack the salted cabbage in the jar, then put a saved cabbage leaf on top, *then* the weight, then the airlock, which in your case is formed by the water seal. (I thought hard about one of these jars, but decided to go with a mason jar setup; I'll be interested to know how it works out for you!)
Oh, you have to put the vegetables inside, then your weight, then the lid, then pour water into the groove at the top where the lid goes. And you have to keep the groove filled with water or the airlock doesn't work. See the diagram for the water seal.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:26 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Weight goes inside. When I've made sauerkraut, I pack the salted cabbage in the jar, then put a saved cabbage leaf on top, *then* the weight, then the airlock, which in your case is formed by the water seal. (I thought hard about one of these jars, but decided to go with a mason jar setup; I'll be interested to know how it works out for you!)
Oh, you have to put the vegetables inside, then your weight, then the lid, then pour water into the groove at the top where the lid goes. And you have to keep the groove filled with water or the airlock doesn't work. See the diagram for the water seal.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:26 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Check out Alton Brown's recipe for dill pickles. The video explains and shows all the stages of the process, including the water seal and skimming.
posted by hydra77 at 4:38 PM on May 21, 2017
posted by hydra77 at 4:38 PM on May 21, 2017
WILL LACTO-FERMENTED PICKLES OR SAUERKRAUT GIVE YOU BOTULISM? NO.
posted by ottereroticist at 5:27 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ottereroticist at 5:27 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Same principle as an air lock on a beer carboy. Pour the water in the groove and the gasses produced during fermentation bloop out, but air cannot get in.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:36 PM on May 21, 2017
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:36 PM on May 21, 2017
165 people per year on average die from botulism poisoning. Most are drug addicts using bad needles, many are babies whose systems cannot tolerate that bug, even in minute amounts. Around 20 people die per year, or less from bad canning methods. Considering how some people keep house, or read the directions, that number is surprisingly low. Just do your homework. Millions of people put up pickles and cabbage. It is safe if done correctly.
posted by Oyéah at 6:40 PM on May 21, 2017
posted by Oyéah at 6:40 PM on May 21, 2017
Botulism from lacto-fermentation is extremely unlikely. If it does go bad it will be obvious - mold or serious discoloration or an off smell.
That said, yes, the weight goes inside on top of whatever food you're fermenting. The food needs to be completely covered by brine. The most common brine strength is 2% for most vegetables (weigh the water, add 2% of that weight in salt). Dissolve the salt into the brine before pouring it over the vegetable. If you do not have a scale you can google measurements depending on the type of salt you use (just make sure it's non-iodized).
For the water seal there's a small groove that you fill with water before putting on the lid. As mentioned above this lets gas from the fermentation escape while not letting anything into the jar. Note that this water will evaporate over time, so make sure to top it off.
No direct sunlight. Filtered sunlight is fine. Total darkness not required.
posted by O9scar at 9:05 PM on May 21, 2017
That said, yes, the weight goes inside on top of whatever food you're fermenting. The food needs to be completely covered by brine. The most common brine strength is 2% for most vegetables (weigh the water, add 2% of that weight in salt). Dissolve the salt into the brine before pouring it over the vegetable. If you do not have a scale you can google measurements depending on the type of salt you use (just make sure it's non-iodized).
For the water seal there's a small groove that you fill with water before putting on the lid. As mentioned above this lets gas from the fermentation escape while not letting anything into the jar. Note that this water will evaporate over time, so make sure to top it off.
No direct sunlight. Filtered sunlight is fine. Total darkness not required.
posted by O9scar at 9:05 PM on May 21, 2017
Best answer: There are 2 things you are preventing when fermenting:
- Mold. Molds grow when your vegetables are exposed to air. The ceramic weight keeps veggies submerged in brine. This prevents mold growth on the veggies.
The water seal allows co2 to escape without letting oxygen in. Eventually, the air inside the container ends up being starved of oxygen. Without oxygen, molds will not grow.
- Rot. This is caused by bad bacteria. You fight them with salt. A 5% salt solution creates an atmosphere where bad bacteria are inhibited and good bacteria thrive. The good bacteria further create an acidic environment and crowd out the bad.
The appropriate amount of salt to add to get to 2-5% depends on the water content of your veggies. With beets for instance, you just can put them directly into a 5% salt solution. (With cabbage, you bruise them and you don't actually need to add any water) Follow a recipe and you'll be fine.
If your pickles go bad, they will smell like they've gone bad.
Botulism is a risk in canning, because the canned goods are preserved without salt or acid. You have a similar risk from contracting botulism from cheese -- which is to say, you are not at risk.
posted by cotterpin at 6:40 AM on May 22, 2017 [2 favorites]
- Mold. Molds grow when your vegetables are exposed to air. The ceramic weight keeps veggies submerged in brine. This prevents mold growth on the veggies.
The water seal allows co2 to escape without letting oxygen in. Eventually, the air inside the container ends up being starved of oxygen. Without oxygen, molds will not grow.
- Rot. This is caused by bad bacteria. You fight them with salt. A 5% salt solution creates an atmosphere where bad bacteria are inhibited and good bacteria thrive. The good bacteria further create an acidic environment and crowd out the bad.
The appropriate amount of salt to add to get to 2-5% depends on the water content of your veggies. With beets for instance, you just can put them directly into a 5% salt solution. (With cabbage, you bruise them and you don't actually need to add any water) Follow a recipe and you'll be fine.
If your pickles go bad, they will smell like they've gone bad.
Botulism is a risk in canning, because the canned goods are preserved without salt or acid. You have a similar risk from contracting botulism from cheese -- which is to say, you are not at risk.
posted by cotterpin at 6:40 AM on May 22, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all! I'm picklin' my beets.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 8:55 AM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Baby_Balrog at 8:55 AM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
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