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The week my hot sauce ferment grew a weird fuzzy mold cap

Everyone online says to just skim off the kahm yeast and keep going, but I had a batch of habanero mango ferment last summer that grew this thick white fuzzy layer on top. I mean it looked like a fuzzy sweater sitting on top of my brine. I posted in a Facebook group and half the people said toss it, other half said skim it and taste. I ended up tossing the whole thing because the smell was off, like old gym socks mixed with vinegar. Lost about $35 in peppers and mangoes plus 3 weeks of waiting. Made me realize that not every mold is salvageable and that trusting random internet advice over my nose was a mistake. Has anyone else here tossed a whole batch based on smell alone even when the photos looked borderline okay?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicecooper1mo agoMost Upvoted

Kahm yeast is that wrinkly film, not fuzzy mold. Fuzzy means toss it every time, no question. Your nose was right to ditch that batch.

riley_schmidt1mo ago

Remember when my buddy ignored @alicecooper's rule and got really sick?

the_robin23d ago

Saved a batch of kraut last month that had that exact same wrinkly film on top. Scooped it off about an inch down, made sure none of the film touched the rest, and the kraut underneath was totally fine and crunchy. After that I started using an airlock lid setup and I haven't seen kahm yeast since. Definitely worth the swap if you're annoyed by it.