My airlock blew out and flooded the kitchen counter

I was making a batch of hot sauce with habaneros last Tuesday, and I guess I filled the jar too full. The fermentation got really active, maybe because my kitchen was warmer than usual. I came home from work and found the little plastic airlock cap on the counter, with a ring of spicy brine all around the jar. It had shot off like a tiny rocket. I lost about a cup of liquid, which made a huge sticky mess. I had to wipe everything down fast before the pepper juice got on anything. In my experience, leaving more headspace is key for anything fizzy. Has anyone else had an airlock fail like that, and what do you do to keep it secure?

3 comments

3 Comments

drewjenkins28d ago

It's funny how the smallest things can make the biggest mess. I see that same pattern with my coffee maker or the sink sprayer, just a tiny oversight leading to a cleanup job. I've started using a rubber band to hold my airlock down after a similar blowout. That extra bit of pressure seems to keep everything in place when the fermentation gets rowdy.

jenkins.diana28d ago

Used to think those little things didn't matter, but a blown airlock will change your mind fast.

barbaraschmidt28d ago

My third batch of kimchi last fall did the exact same thing, painted my cupboard doors with chili paste. It really is a pattern with anything under pressure. I see it with my kid's soda bottle if he shakes it, or even the way a tiny crack in a garden hose fitting can soak you. The system looks sealed until the force finds the weakest point. I double up on rubber bands now too, one crossed over the lid in an X pattern. It doesn't stop the ferment but it keeps the lid from becoming a projectile.

-1