Basic Fermentation Rules

– Clean the jar, lid, airlock, and press element thoroughly with dish soap and hot water (70 to 75 degrees Celsius; don't go higher, or the jar might deform). Ingredients only need to be rinsed.
– Use clean produce, free from mold and spoilage. Fermentation can't bring products back to life, so only use ingredients you'd eat fresh.
– Product + water + 2% sea salt of the total fermentation weight. It's important that the salt is pure and unprocessed, which is why we recommend sea salt.
– Fill the jar until the products are submerged and no oxygen can get in. Do this using the press element.
– It's best to keep the fermentation between 20 and 28 °C in a dark place. If the temperature is too cold, your hot sauce won't ferment, and too high a temperature can spoil the fermentation.
– Let the jar ferment for at least 10 days at room temperature in the dark (away from direct sunlight). Longer than 10 days is also possible; it takes about 5 days for the fermentation process to kick off.

Extra tip: Failing is part of success. If it didn't quite work out... Awesome! Then you've got a good reason to try again. Fermenting is a learning process, and every failure is a step closer to your ultimate hot sauce.