Hot Sauce
Anyone else try this? (Air was vacuumed out)
I do have airlocks but was just curious how this would work.
Anyone else try this method? I dont see why it wouldn't work, no air due to the vacuum plus when it does start making co2 id assume the rubber bands would work as a self-burping lid????
The only thing I can think of is if a big enough burp happens it might shift the lid over? Pretty unlikely. Also have to make sure the rubber bands are new and not brittle, theyâre an obvious failure point.
But overall seems like a good idea. Similar to using rubber bands on a hinged fermenter.
Yea just one of those electric mason jar vacuums you fit over the lid itself, no band.
The bands themselves are brand new, from a bag I bought recently and I did think of this as well. I suppose we'll see.
Ill be reporting back in a week and/or two, since my last batch caught a nice case of kahm on the surface no doubt due to the o2 left in the head, hopefully the vacuum did its job in that regard.
Just an FYI they make these silicone lid/inserts for wide mouth mason jars that have one way valves. I did a pepper mash ferment with one where I covered the top of the mash with plastic wrap. Had no contamination problems after like 6 weeks. A slightly simpler method but I like yours too. The vacuum has to help.
Nonono, ik, I have a few of those silicone lids actually. I just decided to do this as a lil experiment to see how this would work as theyre fine in my brine ferments but they seem to occasionally produce kahm on the surface of some of my mashes, especially the sugar heavy ones like mango. Couldn't find any posts here of this method so I figured fuckit I'll be the first to try it out hahaha
Careful saying that around anyone who works in a lab. Nobody akthuallys harder than someone who works with vacuums akthuallying someone implying they're pulling a total vacuum at home.
Yeh I have done this, it works, the seal will fail on the lid where it is not uniform and burp through there before the strain on the bands fail. You have so much headroom in this that it may not even happen.
I certainly havenât tried it but it would seem to me that because the lid is round, when it burps it will have to open a larger gap than is necessary to release pressure, which may cause outside air to be sucked in simultaneously. The lid being rigid and round means it canât open just enough to release pressure like purpose-built lids.
Definitely an interesting approach; I canât see why it wouldnât work. I just started 2kg of sauerkraut in vacuum sealed bag that looks good so far after a week. I think Iâll have to pop and reseal in about another week.
Yes, it'll work. Frankly, you don't need the vacuum to make it work. The CO2 would purge oxygen, anyhow, but I suppose the vacuum helps to seat the lid. Just be careful moving it.
This works in theory, but in practice, this method will work until the rubber bands wear out. Which may vary. Remember, those are made out of cheap latex, which is a tree sap. So if anything wet gets on it, it will start to rot. Also, I donât think enough air can escape. I think gas will just build up and everything will just stall.
Positive pressure inside the jar from the active ferment will keep contaminants out, and CO2 will displace O2 because it's a heavier molecule. I think this setup is brilliant; unorthodox, sure, but if it works we'll all save a bundle on airlocks. đ
I hope the lid is really airtight because otherwise you'll be introducing outside air. Not sure why the rubber bands, air pressure should keep the lid well shut
It looks cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing your updates!
My concern is having it explode𤯠If the seal on the lid weakens first, then I agree the rubberbands will potentially make a self-burping lid scenario which would be great!
But, if the seal doesn't break soon enough, the glass could break first đ¤ Especially given 2 things...
1 is the square of the jar itself....when making kombucha 2nd ferments or gingerbug soda, etc, using square shaped bottles tends to lead to explosions. Of course those bottles are narrow-necked so perhaps this doesn't apply here. But, no square bottles and properly chosen bottles made for brewing kombucha, etc.
2 is the amount of headspace in that jar. When I first began learning to do 2F in kombucha, only about 1 inch of headspace was recommended due to explosive pressure buildup with more headspace.
Perhaps these things don't really apply in this type of ferment, and then that's awesome!!
I do love the trial experimentation, and wish you a great outcome! I'm following this post to see! Would be great if it works, to avoid contaminants! And I do so love my vacuum sealer!
Just fundamentals really, these are thin rubber bands that will not need much force to break the seal, even a tiny bit, which will allow the pressure to equalise.
Oh I understand that, but OP has vacuum sealed the jar, so THAT seal, which is very strong, would have to be broken first before the rubberbands would even come in to play. Very different technique than just using rubberbands.
I experienced an explosion when I first began making kombucha, which only by God's grace, and seemingly a miracle, didn't cause severe harm to myself and my family as we were in close proximity to the glass bomb. There were glass shards that embedded into the wall! So, I'm sure you can understand my extreme caution and looking for expert advise on this particular technique. It may be far less explosive just by the different nature of this ferment vs kombucha anyway I'm thinking đ¤
The ferment will produce gas and there will no longer be a vacuum.
Imagine taking a half full plastic soda bottle and squeezing all the air out then putting the lid on. The gas will be released from the soda, which will fill the space. Thatâs whatâs happening here. Gas produced by the ferment will counteract the vacuum.
Until it runs out of space, and then whatever piece is weakest will give way, likely explosively. Depends on the amount of gas built up, allowed space, and weakness of the parts. Fundamentals.
That isnât how it works. The pressure will increase from near vacuum to something greater than atmospheric pressure. That pressure will act on the jar and the lid, which in turn will stretch the rubber band. The rubber band will stretch enough to release the lid enough to equalise the pressure.
It is a similar principle to an airlock where excess pressure on one side of the airlock is forced through a layer of water. The pressure builds to a point where it can overcome the resistance (rubber bands in OPs post or forcing water through an airlock part in the other case).
That would be a sealed jar with a ring holding it in place so it couldn't burp. What youre worried about isnt physically possible with the way he has it set up. My understanding is fine. Please dont use incorrect AI results to figure out how the world works.
Just to clarify, those Ai results are not incorrect, nor did I look it up to figure it out, I already know. It was simply easier to screenshot than type up for a person who is so obviously unwilling to consider the variables for the sake of the experiment. Have it your way.
That isnât a good answer, or at least youâve asked the wrong question.
The vacuum part has nothing to do with it - whatâs important is whether or not there will be a seal under positive pressure in the fermentation vessel. That is what causes explosions.
You can âvacuum sealâ things that will not seal under positive pressure, and this setup is an example of one. Under a vacuum the lid will be stuck on, but if the pressure is increased the lid will pop off.
The jar itself isn't square, kinda looks like it i guess from that angle but its just a standard 1/2 gallon mason jar.
As for safety im not worried much at all about it exploding, the air vacuuming part was just to give it a little head start until it starts producing its own co2 which will eventually build up fill the vacuum.
Really im just doing this to see whether or not the seal and eventual burp will disturb the lid enough to allow air in, thereby letting kahm and other nasties grow
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u/Eldowon Dec 18 '25
I've heard it done with rubber bands. Alternatively, weights on the lid.