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 .

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How do I identify the fermentation process in a wild ferment?

TL;DR - How do I go about to identify the microbiological processes in a wild ferment? Background I have a recipe for rose hip wine based on wild (spontaneous) fermentation, that I got from a Swedish wine/beer makers forum. The recipe is simple…
LudvigH
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Is Nattou safe to eat when it has white dots on it?

I bought a couple packs of Nattou (fermented soybeans) and stored it in my refrigerator. They come sealed in plastic, so I opened the plastic and only ate about half of one container. I wrapped it back up in plastic and stored it in the fridge…
starmandeluxe
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Why is it that veggies, fruit, and meat need to be salted or sugared when fermented to avoid pathogens, but milk and yogurt don't?

Haven't been able to find a clear enough explanation for this. When it comes to fermented milk products like clabber and milk kefir, you don't seem to need to do anything other than in the first case, let it sit at room temperature in a clean jar,…
FBHSIE
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Can I use live yoghurt to kick-start fermentation?

I am making a type of fermented sausage from the Faroe Islands. The recipe says to keep them above 20 degrees (Celsius) for the first 12 hours, to make sure the lactobacilli multiply enough to initiate lactic acid fermentation. Included in the…
canardgras
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Why are all sour cream cultures I've found for sale online labeled as direct set? Why can't I reuse like I do yogurt?

I've realized we go through a lot of sour cream in my household, and I want to start making probably about a pint or two a week during the summer months. I've been researching for a few hours, and while I haven't found any reusable sour cream…
Kavi Siegel
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Will my results differ when using a sourdough starter vs poolish for pizza dough?

I've read about differing techniques for getting the best flavor, texture, and chewiness in my pizza crust. One of the commonly suggested routes is to include a sourdough starter as part of the process, but I also find suggestions to use a poolish…
dpollitt
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Exploding or alcoholic soda

Well, I tried to follow a very simple recipe from "Cooking for Geeks" for Ginger Lemon Soda. I made a simple ginger syrup by cooking ~200g of chopped ginger together with 2 cups of sugar, then I used half of that syrup together with 1/2 a teaspoon…
Lagerbaer
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What is the difference between a poolish and a biga?

Both poolish and biga are pre-ferments. Poolish is a French name, biga an Italian term. What other differences are there between the two? Just to give some direction: are there differences in making them? Can you both keep them as long? How does the…
Mien
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If pickling destroys Vitamin C, how is Sauerkraut rich in Vitamin C?

My understanding is that pickling destroys Vitamin C. However, apparently Sauerkraut is very rich in Vitamin C and is used by the German Navy to offset scurvy. What am I missing here? Because early sailors suffered from scurvy and I must assume they…
DKNguyen
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What stops my pickles from turning into alcohol?

Just trying to learn the difference between lactic fermentation and alcoholic fermentation.. I'm a bit confused - is the only thing stopping my pickles from becoming an alcoholic beverage is the salt? If not, what is the difference causing the final…
user78875
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Why is it hard to ferment fennel?

Fennel seemed like a natural for lacto-fermentation. There are many recipes with fennel as an ingredient (especially in cabbage kraut), but no one seemed to talk about just fermenting up a big ol' batch of fennel. So I gave it a spin using my…
Andy Giesler
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Mason jar stuck inside another

I need help! I just finished making sauerkraut and was using a mason jar inside of a larger mason jar to weigh down the cabbage. Now, I can't get the inner mason jar out. I've tried soap around the rim of the jars. Any suggestions?
jmdg125
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Possible dangers of home fermentation of vegetables

I bought this FARMcurious Fermentation kit on Kickstarter. Once I got it and started making it I found their claims of it being "super easy" were a little exaggerated. When looking around online I found that other people recommended weighing your…
cmcculloh
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How do I control the quality of a kombucha SCOBY?

I'm starting to make my own Kombucha and have seen scoby with many different colors, shapes, textures, etc. My goal is to have a scoby that produces good probiotics and a taste that is acceptable to the average bud. There are many elements that…
Justin Nathanael Waters
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Techniques for making sourdough starter in cold/altitude

I want to try my hand at making sourdough starter but live in high altitude and cold weather. I'm not sure if the altitude is an issue but I don't think my house is warm enough on its own to allow a starter to properly rise and ferment. Aside from…
Bryn
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