Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [fermentation]

Desired chemical breakdown of a food by a microorganism (bacteria or yeast), and occurs when making foods such as bread, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, or wine.

Fermentation is the term for yeast and bacteria converting sugar in foods to acid, gas, or alcohol. This process is used for a number of kinds of foods, such as:

  • bread
  • yogurt
  • sauerkraut and kimchi
  • wine and beer

One key characteristic about fermentation is that it is microorganism activity that does not render food unsafe to eat. Any questions about an undesired or dangerous change in foods due to microorganisms should be tagged with .

314 questions
1
vote
1 answer

How can I increase bifido bacterium strain density in kefir

Both water and milk kefir contain Bifido strains and I would like a way to increase the density of bifido strains. If the variety of strains could also be increased, that would be a bonus. Bifido is anaerobic and consumes oligosaccharides (I think),…
Simon Lidster
  • 11
  • 1
1
vote
2 answers

Why slow ferment after shaping?

Many people say you have to slow ferment your bread after shaping to give it better flavor, but I can never understand that. Why not just slow ferment the whole batch then shape it when it is done fermenting? This way is way safer as you can't…
Maliohammad Jaafar
  • 41
  • 5
1
vote
1 answer

Completing an unattended to apple cider vinegar

Two and a half months ago, I started making apple cider vinegar using apples, honey and water; all were organic, filtered and no metallic utensils were used. I did, however, added a small piece of a cinnamon stick and some cloves for flavor. Covered…
Tamar
  • 11
  • 1
1
vote
2 answers

Why are fermented dairy products pasteurised?

Could it be for longer shelf life?How much longer does pasteurised dairy products last compared to non pasteurised one?It doesn't make much sense to me to destroy useful bacterias.I understand that pasteurisation destroys harmful bacterias, but…
JoeDough
  • 33
  • 1
  • 7
1
vote
0 answers

Brown streaking in cooked idli, from white looking batter - what gives?

Batter was made from "double horse" idli mix (which by label only contains rice and urad dal), plus a few fenugreek seeds, ground in a blender as the package recommends, fermented 24h, in european summer climate, then stored in fridge for a day,…
rackandboneman
  • 15,249
  • 3
  • 37
  • 54
1
vote
1 answer

Fermentation: volume vs. time

This is specifically a question about chiles, but I hope it can be (semi)universally applied. I was watching a documentary on how they make Tabasco and it was effectively: age chile pepper puree in oak (whiskey) barrels with salt poured over the top…
Jake
  • 375
  • 4
  • 10
1
vote
1 answer

Over-proofed pizza dough, pâté fermentee?

So I made this pizza dough. I started it with a biga, then put it into the fridge for cold rise. Then I got kinda sick, and the dough stayed in the fridge for, like, four days. I’m afraid it’s over-proofed, and the yeast has crossed that rainbow…
Just Joel
  • 630
  • 7
  • 15
1
vote
2 answers

Sourdough starter hydration

I’m making my first sourdough starter. Actually my second; the first one dried up and turned into cement. I figured that it wasn’t hydrated enough (the original directions called for 35g rye flour, 15g AP flour and 50g water), so in my new starter,…
Just Joel
  • 630
  • 7
  • 15
1
vote
1 answer

Making sourdough bread with just flour and water (and no starter)

Suppose I do not have a starter and I am not interested in creating one. Would the following recipe work to create an edible sourdough bread? If not, why not? Recipe: Mix 10 cups of flour with about 5 cups of warm water. Mix well. Store the…
eakbas
  • 111
  • 4
1
vote
1 answer

Making sauerkraut with fish sauce instead of salt?

Experimenting on an idea. So I can make the best Reuben. Making sauerkraut for the first time. Using a basic recipe, 1 head of cabbage(3lbs.) To 1 1/2 Tbl. Salt. + Aromatics Rid of surface bacteria, wash hands, julienne cabbage, massage salt in.…
Joseph O'Neal
  • 193
  • 1
  • 10
1
vote
1 answer

What's the difference between pickling and fermentation in cabbage?

I was discussing various "cabbage things" on Cooking chat, including coleslaw, sauerkraut, and kimchi. One thing I noticed that confused me was that coleslaw Wiki page mentioned "pickling" the cabbage; while most other products mention…
DVK
  • 1,190
  • 3
  • 13
  • 26
1
vote
1 answer

My hot sauce pops

I am a hot sauce producer and I'm dealing with some problems that I think have to do with the hot weather. When I finish my sauce (processed with a fruit-based paste and put in plastic bottles to funnel it into the sterilized glass jars) sometimes,…
user54817
  • 23
  • 2
1
vote
2 answers

What can I mix and store Kimchi in?

I'm looking for ways I can use containers to mix and store kimchi from the thrift store. I don't want to buy special containers, unless I have to. I've seen plastic bowls and the like used to mix kimchi or when you do that initial salting (I've…
johnny
  • 191
  • 1
  • 6
1
vote
2 answers

Is this batch of sauerkraut salvageable?

In researching sauerkraut recipes, I saw one could make it in a crock pot or jar covered with cheesecloth. Not having a suitable jar & not wanting to use my crock pot, I'm using a bowl & cheese cloth, checking for mold every day. I got on this site…
Linda Richard
  • 53
  • 6
1
vote
1 answer

Want vinegar taste!

I want to try fermenting sauerkraut but I love the vinegary taste. Can I add vinegar to the mix or is there another way to get a more vinegar taste?
Jackie Umstead
  • 11
  • 1
1 2 3
…
20 21