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?
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.
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.
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.