Fermentation Crocks, Weights and Airlock Lids: What to Buy
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Fermenting is the low-tech end of food preservation: vegetables, salt and time. The gear's job is just to keep the vegetables under the brine and keep air and dirt out while the good bacteria do their thing.
How much container you need
NCHFP's rule of thumb: 1 gallon of capacity for every 5 pounds of fresh vegetables. So:
- Quart mason jar: small test batches
- 1/2-gallon crock: about 2-1/2 pounds by NCHFP's ratio
- 1-gallon crock: about 5 pounds
- 5-gallon crock: about 25 pounds of cabbage
Food-grade plastic and glass containers are also suitable, per NCHFP. Mason jars are fine too, though NCHFP notes they may result in more spoilage losses.
Keeping it under the brine
NCHFP says the cabbage should sit 1 to 2 inches under the brine. Its low-tech method is a plate weighed down with 2 or 3 sealed, water-filled quart jars, or a food-grade bag filled with 3 quarts of water and 4-1/2 tablespoons of salt, with a clean towel over the top. Crock kits and glass weights just make that tidier.
Kenley stoneware crocks: water seal, weights included
The 1-gallon Kenley crock holds about 5 to 6 pounds of vegetables, per the listing; NCHFP's ratio works out to about 5 pounds. Its water-seal lid lets fermentation gas escape while keeping air out, and it comes with unglazed weighting stones and a pounder.
Kenley 1-Gallon Fermentation Crock with Weights and Pounder
- Holds about 5 to 6 lb of vegetables, per the listing
- Water-seal lid lets gas out and keeps air out
- Unglazed weighting stones and a pounder included
The 1/2-gallon version is listed at about 3.2 pounds of vegetables (NCHFP's ratio works out to about 2-1/2 pounds) with the same water-seal lid, weights and pounder.
Kenley 1/2-Gallon Fermentation Crock with Weights and Pounder
- Holds about 3.2 lb of vegetables, per the listing
- Water-seal lid
- Weighting stones and a pounder included
Ohio Stoneware 5-gallon: the big batch
A traditional American-made crock with a full-width lid and two pressing stones, per the listing. Note the lid covers the whole top with no water channel, so it's not an airlock design. At about 25 pounds of cabbage capacity by NCHFP's ratio, this is for serious sauerkraut makers. It's heavy: the listing gives 28 lb for the crock, 6 lb for the weights and 9.1 lb for the lid.
Ohio Stoneware 5-Gallon Fermentation Crock with Lid and Stones
- 5-gallon crock, full-width lid and 2 pressing stones, per the listing
- Made in the USA; lead-free, food-safe glazes
- Lid covers the whole top (no water channel)
- Crock 28 lb; weight set 6 lb; lid 9.1 lb
Mason jar setups: Masontops
If you already have wide-mouth jars, Masontops turns them into fermenters. Pickle Pipes are silicone airlock lids with a one-way waterless valve that vents gas, and Pickle Pebbles are glass weights with finger grips, per the listings. The 8-piece kit gives you four of each.
Masontops Pickle Pebbles + Pickle Pipes, 8-Piece Kit (Wide Mouth)
- 4 wide-mouth Pickle Pipe airlock lids and 4 Pickle Pebble glass weights, per the listing
- Waterless one-way silicone valves
- Soda-lime glass weights with finger grips
Masontops Pickle Pipes Airlock Lids (Wide Mouth)
- One-way waterless valve vents fermentation gas, per the listing
- Food-safe silicone; BPA-free; dishwasher safe
- Low-profile for storage; jars not included
Want everything in one box? Masontops' complete kit adds an acacia tamper and a recipe book to 4 Pickle Pipes and 4 Pickle Pebbles, per the listing.
Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit (Wide Mouth)
- 4 Pickle Pipe airlock lids, 4 Pickle Pebble glass weights, an acacia tamper and a recipe book, per the listing
- Converts 4 wide-mouth jars
Ready to start a batch? Our step-by-step guides cover sauerkraut and kimchi.
Sauerkraut basics, per NCHFP
- Salt ratio: 3/4 cup of canning or pickling salt for 25 pounds of cabbage, worked in batches of about 5 pounds of cabbage to 3 tablespoons of salt. Don't cut the salt: NCHFP says it's vital to safety and texture.
- Temperature: 70–75°F ferments kraut in about 3 to 4 weeks. At 60–65°F it takes 5 to 6 weeks. Below 60°F it may not ferment, and above 75°F it may go soft.
- Storage: fully fermented kraut keeps several months tightly covered in the fridge, or it can be canned in a boiling-water canner (hot pack at 0–1,000 ft: 10 minutes for pints, 15 for quarts).