FERMENTATION IN YOUR KITCHEN

THE PICTURE IS TAKEN FROM SPARKLETTE.NET


The kitchen or the 'dapur' is one of the best place to learn about fermentation and making fermented foods.The best thing about doing fermentation in the kitchen is that you don't need to have a PhD in fermentation, neither do you need sophisticated laboratory fermentors. Everything is there just around you in the kitchen.

You need not order expensive cultures from Culture Collection; you can get those cultures easily from your surroundings or even from the common corner shops.

Kitchen fermentation boils down to 'GREAT FUN!' for all and might even make you more interested in the fermentation process later

In this blog we will discuss the various kitchen utensils which are commonly found in the average kitchen and how to use them in preparing fermented foods. We will also discuss the various physical, chemical and microbiological process that can be handled by the 'kitchen laboratory fermentation'


In carrying out home fermentation in the kitchen, we are often faced with the limitation of fermentation resources that are often found in laboratories or industries. That does not mean that we cannot carry out fermentations succesfully in the kitchen. To be honest most fermentations started in the homes or cottage industries before they turn into multi million industries.

Before we start discussing further on this topic it must be stressed here that in most home fermentations the conditions are:
1 Not really sterile or aseptic environment
2 Both solid substrate and liquid fermentations are often carried out
3 Most of the fermentations are natural or mixed culture fermentations
4 The fermentation substrate are common food materials commonly used by the family
5 The common utensils and ingredients are often used for various other cooking
purposes
6 The fermentation recipes are traditional and hand me downs
7 Most involved in the fermentation are not trained in the fermentation techniques
and microbiology of the process
8 Home fermentation is still considered more an art and craft rather than science.
Taboos are still aplenty in the 'do's and don't s' of successful fermentation

There are many kitchen utensils or tools which can be exploited to carry out the fermentations.

KITCHEN FERMENTORS
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There are many common kitchen utensils which can be used to carry out or hold the fermentation vessels such as bottles, kilner jars, earthen wares such as vases. The best bet is kilner jars as these jars are equipped with air tight lids to carry out fermentation

KITCHEN STERILIZERS
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In this modern times it is very easy to sterilize or kill the microorganisms. There are the modern microwaves to the ancient and tested steamers. Electric rice cookers are easily adapted to become steamers for sterilizations

KITCHEN INOCULA
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The inocula can be obtained by natural inoculation or stater kits such as yeasts and koji easily obtained from supermarkets

KITCHEN INCUBATORS
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There are simple ovens which are easily temperature controlled for making bread dough and home made yogurt

KITCHEN MIXERS
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We have all sorts of electrical mixers and blenders in the market for the purpose


MEASURING UTENSILS
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We have simple weighing machines and balances easily available. Good thermometer and probes are easily obtained too. Volumes of liquids can be easily measured by various calibrated or measured vessels

REFRIGERATORS
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For cooler fermentation or slow down fermentations are available

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN KITCHEN FERMENTATION
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The success and failures of kitchen fermentations are often dictated by the techniques used by the operators/ It is most important in most kitchen fermentations the operators and utensils and even the substrate materials be cleaned to minimize the introduction of unwanted microorganisms. Certain procedures that might introduce microbial contaminants should be examined