Remember on Monday when I hinted that the folks at Masontop were about to launch a really awesome new fermentation product? Well, today’s the day. May I introduce you to the Pickle Pipe.
This little device is a waterless silicone airlock designed to fit onto a wide mouth mason jar. All you do is fill up your jar, set the Pickle Pipe on top and fix it in place with a regular old band. The valve has a small slit in it that allows the CO2 to escape from the jar, without allowing any oxygen back in.
I’ve used the Pickle Pipe on several recent ferments and I’ve been really impressed with its performance. I also really appreciate the fact that it’s just one piece (I’m always misplacing pieces of multi-part airlocks).
To learn more about the Pickle Pipe and to reserve a few for yourself, check out their Kickstarter.
Disclosure: Masontops is a Food in Jars sponsor and gave me one of their Pickle Pipes a few months ago so that I could play with it. However, I do mean every word of what I said here.
Oh, and while we’re on the topic of Kickstarter campaigns, there are two really awesome cookbook projects currently being crowdfunded that you might be interested in. Hank Shaw’s Buck, Buck, Moose and Kathy Strahs The 8×8 Cookbook.
Just pledged! I love this idea, and I’m excited to be part of this. Kimchi, here we come 🙂
Yep. I’m in. This looks great!
I pledged and a few hours later got an email that they fully funded in one day. I’m really excited to try it out.
Ahhhh, I just purchased a multi-piece airlock to make the fermented hot sauce for Christmas gifts! Would this work for that application, or do you still recommend the multi-piece? This just looks so easy.
I used it for my most recent batch of hot sauce.
Would this work for sauerkraut? I tried your quart jar method earlier this year with the one small head of cabbage that survived the hungry bunnies and groundhog (a more secure location is planned for next year!) — it was quite tasty. Always happy to see these accessories that add to the fun experience of preserving!
It works beautifully for sauerkraut.
What an idea! I’ll get some for sure.
Thanks, Marisa! I’m so glad you helped to publicize this – I doubt that I would have seen it otherwise. I’ve never made a fermented pickle because I thought it was complicated. Can’t wait to try it!
Just pledged $39 for the early bird special. Its a deal. I had gone to the masontop website the other day and just about ordered a combo set of weights and pounder…but this early bird pledge is a better deal cause now I’ll get 3 pickle pipes for around $10.
p.s. I wrote masontops a note that I learned about their kickstarter from foodinjars.com.
Thanks so much for sharing about my cookbook, Marisa!!
You’re quite welcome!
Oh how much simpler than the multi piece! And it looks to be a much lower profile.
I just backed my first Kickstarter campaign! Thanks for sharing the info!
I’d be curious to know how it’s been going with the pickle pipe since you wrote this post last year. I’ve done some research about fermentation and spoke to an expert in the field. He said that the waterless airlocks do indeed let oxygen back in even though it might be in trace amounts. Thus the water airlocks are more effective because zero oxygen creeps back in.
What’s you’re experience now that you’ve had the pickle pipe for awhile? Do you notice a difference in fermented batches between the pickle pipe and the traditional water airlocks? Thanks for info!