There is plenty of evidence that says fermented foods are very beneficial to our health. What if you harness the health benefits to a financial incentive of saving money and then add to that having the choice of using your own ingredients. You can, if you were to start making your own sauerkraut or kimchi.
The above comment is a call to action for you to start down this path, with this process having very little downside. You can collect your desired vegetables for a particular flavor and start to make your own fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, or pickled vegetables. Making your own fermented vegetable mixes also puts you outside of the supply-chain issues we are all facing more frequently these days.
You will need some tools to begin with, and we can help with a packing tool (packers listed below). We need to point out that all packing tools are far from equal, and they are often called different names, like sauerkraut pounders, kimchi tampers, fermenting packers, and other things. This is not important though; what is important is how the packer is made, particularly how it is finished, and finally how easy it is for you to use.
Our Sauerkraut Packer is Different.
If you were to go on other shopping platforms, you will find multiple product listings for different packing tools, and while they look ok in the images, we suggest checking the reviews in depth. Almost all product listings have issues with end-splitting, and this is because the wood is raw (unsealed).
Some claim that moisture will not affect the wood, this is complete nonsense. Raw wood acts like a sponge and swells. This swelling is what keeps old wooden boats afloat. The wood swells and closes the gaps, and as long as the boat is in water, all is good. Take it out and let it dry, the gaps open up again. If this happens enough times, the wood eventually splits.
We think the primary reason our competitors’ tools are raw is to avoid cost (to manufacture). The real cost (end user) is passed onto the purchaser if/when the tool splits on the packing end after some use.
To address this problem, we seal our packers with pure tung oil, a natural, completely safe, food-grade finish. This helps protect the packer from moisture getting into the wood and creating problems. This is one of several design points that set our packers apart and we list our differences below.
Our Design Difference.
- Shape: we have designed the handle to be comfortable and slip resistant. When you push down on the packer to compress your ingredients into a jar, your hand can easily grip without sliding onto the rim of the jar. There is no taper that you must fight as you use it, like other designs have.
- Green credentials: the wood we commonly use is Australian Plantation Hoop Pine. It is sustainable, grown locally, and helps employ Australians. We do offer other timber species at times for those of you who like a bit of character in the wood.
- Food Safety: having sealed wood helps prevent harmful bacteria from getting into the sauerkraut packer, these bacteria can get into your ferment and create unwelcome side effects. They can even kill the fermentation process is some cases.
- Easy to use: our packing tool has one end for pressing food into jars. Other designs are double ended, with that problematic taper between them that can cause your hands to slide and hit the jar top.
- Food-safe Finish: we seal the wood with tung oil for safety, longevity, and reputation. It costs us a little extra to apply the finish, but this is what sets us apart from others. We will always go the extra mile for a safe happy customer.
Our prices are competitive, and the products are Made in Australia.