Spent $120 on a fancy fermentation crock and it cracked on day three

I bought this nice stoneware crock from a local shop in Denver for $120. Set up a batch of sauerkraut, weighed everything down, and on day three I saw a hairline crack running up the side. The brine started leaking out and the whole thing was ruined. Anyone else had bad luck with those expensive crocks or found a cheaper alternative that works?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean78213d ago

Had you checked if the shop offered a warranty on their stoneware before you bought it? Some of those local potters stand behind their work and might replace a flawed piece, especially if it's a production defect. I've had decent luck with plain glass jars for kraut and pickles, the wide-mouth ones that cost maybe $5 at a grocery store. They wont win any beauty contests but they don't crack and you can see through them to check for gas bubbles or mold. Might be worth trying a few of those before dropping big money on ceramic again.

karen_roberts413d ago

Three days and it cracked? That's insane for $120. Honestly a flea market pickle jar would have lasted longer. I've been using old half-gallon mason jars I got for free from a neighbor who was cleaning out her basement, and they've held up through years of kraut and pickles without a single crack. Did the shop at least offer you store credit or something? That kind of defect sounds like the clay wasn't fired right, not something you did wrong.

jesse_williams6213d ago

Man, that's rough. 120 bucks for a crock that didn't even make it through the weekend is a total bummer. I feel for you, seriously. I had a similar thing happen with a fancy sourdough starter crock I bought online, cracked on day two after I put the dough in. The shop didn't offer me anything, just said it was "normal wear," which felt like a total cop out. Hope the store you got it from is more understanding, that really sounds like a firing issue, not something you did.