Fermentation Process Kit Review: Perfect Pickler or Easy Fermenter?

This blog will be a fermentation process kit review. I often ferment vegetables to maintain a high level of probiotics in our diet. They are so good for gut health, which increases our immunity! The fermentation process supplies far more enzymes, probiotics, and many more species than any supplement could possibly provide. I use two different tools to do this, but which one is the best? Although there are several tools on the market, including crock pots, I will review the pros and cons of the Perfect Pickler and the Easy Fermenter. They seem to be the easiest to use overall.

Easy Fermenter Kit

The Easy Fermenter Kit comes with three wide-mouth fermenting lids and an extractor vacuum pump, along with some recipes. The pump is to extract air from the jars after tasting.

Pros of the Easy Fermenter

• It’s very inexpensive.
• The lids have a date wheel to adjust so that you know when your ferment is done.
• The lids also have a release tab to make the jar easier to open, since they can get quite tight.
• The lids will vent carbon dioxide while fermenting, but will not allow any air or contaminates to enter.
• Brine does not bubble out of the jar, during the process.
• The lids are BPA free.
• This kit allows for three ferments at one time.

Cons of the Easy Fermenter

• You have to buy wide-mouth jars separately.
• You have to purchase glass weights separately, which range from ten to thirty dollars.
• You have to buy sea salt separately to get started.
• The pump needs to be used at the beginning of the ferment and anytime you open the jar to taste it.
• Many reviewers complained about faulty lids that leaked or cracked.
• Several reviewers complained of mold forming on their fermenting vegetables, which also happened to us.
• Some reviewers complained that the pump either broke or didn’t work well.

Perfect Pickler Fermentation Value Package

The Perfect Pickler Fermentation Value Package comes with two wide-mouth fermenting lids, two wide-mouth storage lids, gaskets for each lid, two clear airlocks, ¼ pound of Celtic Sea Salt, along with some recipes and an educational DVD.

Pros of the Perfect Pickler

• It’s very inexpensive.
• Your purchase goes toward reducing world hunger by supporting their efforts to teach fermenting in Africa. They’ve been very successful so far!
• The DVD has lectures and video demonstrations.
• The lids and components are BPA free.
• No pump is necessary.
• The brine catch cups are stainless steel and keep the vegetables below the brine, so no weight is necessary.
• The brine catch cups also aid in preventing leakage and overspill.
• The new gaskets also prevent overspill.
• The airlock and gaskets are airtight to prevent air and contaminates from getting into the jar.

Cons of the Perfect Pickler

• You have to buy wide-mouth jars separately.
• It’s about six dollars more than the Easy Fermenter.
• This kit only allows for two ferments at one time.
• You have to make a note for when the fermenting will be done.
• Some reviewers complained about the mess of overspill, but the new gaskets seem to prevent that.

Fermentation Process Kit Review Results

Both kits are very inexpensive and easy to use. Both take about the same amount of time to ferment, anywhere from four days to a week or so. The Perfect Pickler is a little more expensive than the Easy Fermenter and has one less jar lid. However, the Perfect Pickler does not need a weight, since the brine catch cup pushes the vegetables beneath the brine. Weights are a good idea for the Easy Fermenter, but they cost almost as much as the kit itself. So, the price is really a wash between the two.

Overspill is a moot point, since the new gaskets seem to prevent it now for the Perfect Pickler. Just in case, I still put a bowl underneath each jar, but have not really needed it. I really like that the Perfect Pickler Company uses part of their profits to help starving orphans in Africa. I also like that they provide a small bag of sea salt to get you started, as well as an instructional DVD.

Recommendation

I have never experienced mold with the Perfect Pickler, but I have with the Easy Fermenter. I could have done something wrong, but other reviewers complained about it, too. Overall, the only downside to the Perfect Pickler in comparison is that it only allows two ferments at a time, while the Easy Fermenter allows three. Still, that’s not enough to unseat it as my favorite. I prefer the Perfect Pickler, but I still use the Easy Fermenter when I need additional batches. So, those are the results of my fermentation process kit review.

Let me know your favorite in the comments below. Be sure and subscribe to our email newsletter to get notified of new blogs, recipes, and videos. Let’s get to fermenting!