Fermenting Crockpot 20L

This is a 20 L crockpot made by Zaklady Ceramiczne Boleslawiec at their factory in Boleslawiec, Poland. The crockpots are available in traditional brown only. They are made of porcelain clay with a food safe glaze, guaranteed to be lead and cadmium free. This is the only fermenting crockpot we have with the curved sides. Like the others it has a moat into which the lid is placed. This moat is filled with water and is a natural way of ensuring the pots are air tight, yet allows the carbon dioxide, which is produced during fermentation, to escape.

Crockpots and fermented food have a history of being part of peasants’ fare. The pots have a slightly rustic appearance. Although they are beautifully finished, often they have tiny unevenness in the glaze. This in no way interferes with the functioning or hygiene of the pots, but to our mind adds character and charm.

Crockpot Weights

All crockpots come with 2 heavy unglazed ceramic weights to hold the vegetables down under the brine. Some people keep a couple of the outer cabbage leaves to lay on top of the cabbage and brine to hold down any tiny bits of shredded cabbage that float to the surface. This is not necessary, but you do end up with a couple of beautifully fermented cabbage leaves that you can use to make cabbage rolls.

How many cabbages in a 20 L crockpot?

Often we are asked how many cabbages fit in a 20 L crockpot. A reasonable question for people about to venture on their first sauerkraut making exercise with their new pot. However, the question is a bit difficult to answer as it depends on the size of your cabbages. As a rough estimate, I would say that you need about 20 medium to large sized cabbages to fill a 20 L pot. You’ll either be making sauerkraut for a small community or selling your sauerkraut commercially.

Another, related, question is whether it is necessary to fill a pot. Our answer is that it is advisable to do so. The more cabbage you have in the pot, then the less air. Turning cabbage into sauerkraut is an anaerobic process, that is the process requires no air. Mould however grows on the surface of moist organic material that has contact with air. To give the lactobacillus the chance to grow a good sauerkraut making environment that is hostile to moulds, you need to exclude as much air as possible.

Recipes

Look in the Recipe section of our Blog to find our collection of fermentation recipes.

Dimensions and weight of 20 L crockpot

• height with lid on: 48.5 cm
• approx. dry weight with lid on: 8.65 kg
• height without lid on: 39.5 cm
• approx. dry weight without lid on: 7.34 kg
• outer diameter : 29.5 cm
• outer diameter plus handles: 35 cm
• moat depth: 4 cm
• diameter of opening: 15.5 cm
• approx. fill height: 31 cm
• diameter of ceramic weights: 25 cm
• approx. weight of ceramic weights: 3.7 kg

Note: The weights given here are approximate because there is a large component of the crockpot making process which is hand made. Our pots therefore vary in weight.