If you’re new
Start with salt % and safety basics.
Author Carl – Carl Williams
Fermentation & Preserving Guides (UK)
If you want reliable fermented foods and preserves without the hype, you need two things: repeatable measurements and a conservative safety mindset. Most failures (soft veg, weird smells, surface films, dull flavour, runny jam) trace back to a handful of causes: salt level, oxygen exposure, temperature, and timing.
This hub is the “start here” page for fermentation and preserving on AuthorCarl.co.uk. It’s written for real UK kitchens: UK measurements, practical decision rules, and simple explanations that actually help when something looks “off”. Use the “Start here” path if you’re new, or jump straight to the problem you want to fix.
Start here (recommended order)
- Using Salt Correctly in Pickling & Fermentation — (the #1 fix for repeatability)
- The Difference Between Pickling and Fermenting — (choose the right method)
- Why Your Sauerkraut Goes Soft (and how to fix it) — (the most common failure)
On this page:
Quick start: the simplest safe workflow
Most “fermentation problems” aren’t mysterious. They’re basic process issues that compound. If you apply these rules, you stop guessing and your results become repeatable.
- Measure salt by percentage: it’s the difference between repeatable and random.
- Keep solids submerged: most surface issues come from oxygen at the top.
- Don’t ferment too warm: warm = soft texture and odd flavours.
- Give it enough time: under-fermenting tastes dull; flavour develops with time.
- Know what’s normal: bubbles, cloudy brine and tang are expected.
- Be conservative with uncertainty: when risk is unclear, don’t try to “save” it.
If it’s gone soft
Jump to soft sauerkraut fixes and salt & texture.
If you’re worried about safety
Use conservative rules via Safe Home Fermentation.
Fermentation safety basics
Safety in fermentation is mostly prevention. You’re creating conditions where beneficial microbes win: salt + low oxygen + time. If you get those right, most batches are safe and predictable.
What “normal” looks like
- Bubbles and fizz: active fermentation.
- Cloudy brine: suspended yeast/bacteria and vegetable particles.
- Sour/tangy aroma: lactic acid development.
What’s not normal
- Fuzzy/hairy mould: treat as a red flag.
- Rotten/meaty smell: stop and use strict discard rules.
- Repeated surface problems: indicates oxygen exposure and/or weak brine practice.
The Difference Between Pickling and Fermenting
What’s actually happening, what’s safer for which foods, and how to choose the right method.
Read →
Safe Home Fermentation (Premium PDF)
Conservative decision rules for real problems — when to continue, correct, or discard.
View →
Fermented Foods for Gut Health
What fermented foods can realistically do — without miracle claims.
Read →Mould vs kahm yeast (the practical rule)
A flat white film is often kahm yeast — usually caused by oxygen exposure at the surface. It can taste unpleasant and can lead to more issues, but it’s not the same as fuzzy mould. Fuzzy/hairy growth is your “don’t mess about” sign. If you want strict, conservative rules for uncertain cases, use Safe Home Fermentation.
Salt %, brine, and texture
Salt does three jobs at once: it slows the wrong microbes, helps pull water from vegetables to create brine, and protects texture. That’s why “a spoon of salt” advice fails — the jar size and veg weight change the outcome.
Two methods (use the right one)
- Dry-salting (by weight): shredded veg like sauerkraut and kimchi-style mixes.
- Brine (by percentage): pieces like cucumbers, carrots, chillies, garlic.
Texture killers to avoid
- Too warm: encourages softness and “odd” flavours.
- Too much oxygen: surface films, scum, and repeated spoilage signs.
- Old produce: limp cabbage often gives limp kraut.
- Not enough time: under-fermented = dull flavour and weak tang.
Using Salt Correctly in Pickling & Fermentation
Salt percentage explained simply — the fastest way to improve results.
Read →
Why Your Sauerkraut Goes Soft
The real causes of soft kraut — and the changes that bring crunch back.
Read →If you’re doing salt % correctly and still getting repeated surface issues, focus on oxygen control: keep solids submerged and tighten your lid/airlock routine.
Troubleshooting: the problems people actually get
Most “is this ruined?” moments fit into a small set of patterns. This is the practical way to think about it: identify the category first, then apply the right fix.
Soft / mushy
Usually: low salt, warm ferment, old produce.
Fix: salt % + cooler temp + fresher veg.
Surface film / scum
Usually: oxygen exposure at the surface.
Fix: keep solids submerged; improve lid/airlock practice.
Dull flavour
Usually: too short/too cold, weak process.
Fix: give it time; use correct salt %; avoid under-fermenting.
Pickling vs fermentation
Vinegar pickles and lacto-fermented pickles are different tools. Vinegar gives instant acidity and predictable shelf life. Fermentation builds acidity over time and creates deeper flavour, but it’s more process-sensitive. Choosing the right method makes everything easier.
Vinegar: flavour, “mother”, and food vs cleaning vinegar
Vinegar advice online is often vague. The practical issues are: starting liquid quality, oxygen, time, and knowing what’s safe for food. These guides cover the parts that actually change results.
Benefits of Homemade Vinegar
Why homemade tastes better and the key ideas behind making it reliably.
Read →
Why Your Homemade Vinegar Tastes Better Than Shop-Bought
Why flavour is richer at home: time, starting liquids, and less standardisation.
Read →
Do You Need a Vinegar Mother?
When it helps, when it doesn’t, and the mistakes that ruin batches.
Read →
Jam setting: pectin, failures, and fixes
Jam is “simple” until it isn’t. Failed sets usually come from pectin level, boiling time, and sugar/acid balance. The best fix is understanding what pectin needs, so you stop reboiling blindly.
Why Homemade Jam Sometimes Fails
Runny set, burnt flavour, crystallisation and mould — causes and fixes that work.
Read →Fermented drinks
Fermented drinks should be enjoyable first — then any “gut health” benefit is a bonus. Water kefir is a great entry point because it’s fast, forgiving, and easy to flavour.
Fermented chilli sauce (done properly)
Proper fermented chilli sauce is one of the most rewarding ferments — and one of the easiest to mess up if salt and oxygen control are sloppy. If you’ve only made vinegar-first sauces, fermented sauces are where flavour becomes deeper and rounder.
Fermented Chilli Sauce Beginner’s Guide
A start-to-finish method: salt %, oxygen control, time, blending and storage.
Read →
Fermented Hot Sauce vs Vinegar Hot Sauce
Flavour, shelf-life, acidity, and why fermentation tastes deeper than vinegar-first recipes.
Read →Fermented foods and gut health (without hype)
Fermented foods can support gut health, but the topic is full of exaggerated claims. The useful approach is simple: treat fermented foods as part of a normal diet, prioritise consistency, and avoid miracle thinking.
Selling preserves (UK)
If you’re thinking about selling jam, chutney or preserves, you need two things: basic UK compliance and pricing that actually covers your costs. These guides are UK-focused and written in plain English.
How to Legally Sell Homemade Preserves (UK)
What matters in practice: hygiene, labelling, allergens, and safe processes.
Read →
How to Price Your Homemade Preserves for Profit
Costing, jar sizes, margins, and a simple pricing approach that works.
Read →
Selling Homemade Preserves Legally (UK) — Book
The complete step-by-step guide if you want to do it properly and safely.
Read →All Fermentation & Preserving Blog Posts
Every post in this hub. This list updates automatically when you publish a new fermentation/preserving article.
Why Fermented Hot Sauce Tastes Better Than Vinegar Sauces (Science Explained)
A lot of hot sauces are basically chilli + vinegar + salt (sometimes with sugar and thickener). They can be sharp and enjoyable, but they often taste one-dimensional. Fermented hot sauce tastes different because the acidity isn’t just “added” — it’s created. During lactic fermentation, microbes convert sugars into lactic acid and a whole set of flavour compounds that add depth, aroma and savoury complexity. That’s why fermented sauces often taste rounder, richer and more “alive”.
Read →
Is Indian Food Bad for Your Gut? (The Truth About Curry, Spices and Fermentation)
Indian food isn’t bad for the gut. The problem is often modern takeaway-style curry: large portions, lots of oil, refined carbs, alcohol, and eating late. Traditional Indian cooking is rich in fibre, polyphenols, legumes and fermented foods (dahi, lassi, dosa/idli batters, pickles) — all of which support the microbiome. This article explains why curry gets blamed, what actually causes discomfort, and how to make gut-friendlier curry at home without losing flavour.
Read →
Why Your Sauerkraut Goes Soft (and How to Keep It Crunchy)
Floppy sauerkraut is one of the most common beginner complaints. The taste might be fine, but that squeaky crunch you were hoping for just isn’t there. The good news: a soggy jar is nearly always fixable next time once you know what went wrong.
Read →
Why Your Homemade Vinegar Tastes Better Than Shop-Bought
If you’ve ever made a successful batch of homemade vinegar, you’ll know the difference immediately. It’s not just “sharp” – it’s rounded, fruity and surprisingly complex. There are good reasons for that, and they have nothing to do with fancy equipment.
Read →
Why UK Bacon Is Different Abroad
If you’ve ever ordered bacon on holiday and thought, “This isn’t like home,” you’re not imagining things. UK bacon really is different—in the cut, the cure and how it cooks.
Read →
Why Homemade Jam Sometimes Fails (And How to Get It Right Every Time)
Jam looks simple: fruit + sugar + heat. But small mistakes can cause the classic disasters — runny jam, burnt flavour, crystallised sugar, mouldy jars, or “nice but weak” fruit taste. Below are the most common failure points and the fixes that make jam reliable, batch after batch.
Read →
Water Kefir: A Crisp Summer Guide
Lightly sweet, gently fizzy, and endlessly customisable—water kefir is the perfect probiotic refresher for warm days. Use this quick-start guide to understand the basics of fizz, flavour and grain care.
Read →
Using Salt Correctly in Pickling and Fermentation
Salt isn’t just about taste—it controls texture, draws water and sets the right conditions for safe, predictable ferments and crisp pickles. Here’s what you need to know about salt types, weighing and common mistakes, without giving away full ratios.
Read →
Selling Homemade Preserves Legally in the UK – Book Guide
Plenty of people in the UK quietly sell homemade jams, chutneys and pickles at markets and from home. Some do it fully compliant. Others are trading on guesswork and Facebook rumours. If you’re serious about selling homemade preserves legally – and sleeping at night – you need to understand a few basics properly.
Read →
The Science Behind Jam Setting: Pectin Explained
Jam sets when pectin molecules link up in the right conditions. Sugar and acidity help the gel to form and hold. Here’s the science in plain English—no full recipes given, just enough to understand what’s going on in the pan.
Read →
How to Price Your Homemade Jams, Pickles & Ferments for Profit
Most home producers underprice their jars. Not because their food isn’t good enough—far from it—but because they guess instead of using a simple structure. Here’s a clear way to think about pricing so you can cover costs and actually earn money.
Read →
How to Legally Sell Homemade Jams, Pickles & Ferments in the UK
Selling your jam, chutney or fermented veg can feel intimidating – especially when you start reading about “regulations”. The good news is that, in the UK, the basics are clear and achievable from a normal home kitchen.
Read →
Fermented Foods for Gut Health – Book Guide
Everywhere you look, someone is promising that a spoonful of this or a shot of that will “heal your gut” overnight. On the other side, you have people saying it’s all nonsense. The truth – as usual – sits quietly in the middle. Fermented foods can support a healthy gut, but they aren’t a magic fix and they only work if you use them properly
Read →
Fermented Chilli Sauce: A Beginner’s Guide (UK)
Fermented hot sauce delivers a deeper, rounder flavour than straight vinegar sauces—thanks to lactic acid, gentle funk and natural complexity. Here’s what makes it special, the kit you actually need, and the key safety basics, without giving away a full recipe.
Read →
Do You Need a Vinegar “Mother” to Make Homemade Vinegar?
If you’ve ever searched for homemade vinegar recipes, you’ve probably seen photos of a strange jelly-like disc floating in the jar. That’s the vinegar “mother”. Some people treat it like magic; others are quietly horrified by it. So what is it, and do you actually need one to make good vinegar at home?
Read →
Pickling vs Fermentation: What’s the Real Difference?
People often use the words interchangeably—but they’re not the same. This guide explains the differences so you can choose the right method for flavour, texture and storage.
Read →
Cleaning vs Food-Grade Vinegar: What’s Safe to Eat?
Food-grade vinegar is made for eating and preserving under food safety rules, typically around 5% acidity, and is labelled for culinary use. Cleaning vinegar is made for household cleaning, is often stronger, and is not intended for eating or pickling. If the label doesn’t clearly say it’s for food use, don’t consume it.
Read →
5 Benefits of Homemade Vinegar (and Why It Beats Shop-Bought)
Most of us treat vinegar as a background ingredient – something sharp from a bottle. But when you ferment your own vinegar at home, you unlock far more flavour and flexibility than most supermarket options can offer.
Read →FAQ: quick answers
What salt % should I use?
It depends on the food and method. Use salt by percentage and you’ll get repeatable results.
Is a white film on top mould?
Not always. Flat white films are often kahm yeast (linked to oxygen exposure). Fuzzy growth is more concerning.
Why is my sauerkraut soft?
Usually low salt, warm fermentation, oxygen exposure, or old cabbage. The fixes are straightforward.
Can I use cleaning vinegar in food?
No. Cleaning vinegar is not food-grade. Use food-grade vinegar for pickling and cooking.
Why won’t my jam set?
Usually pectin level, boiling time, or sugar/acid balance. Start with the pectin guide.
If I want to sell preserves, where do I start?
Start with UK compliance basics and then pricing. Both guides are linked above.