Fermentation Brine Calculator

Why weigh salt instead of scooping it

Salt for fermentation is a ratio by weight, not by volume. A tablespoon of fluffy Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs barely half what a tablespoon of fine table or pickling salt weighs, so the same "1 tablespoon" can hand you a 1.5% brine or a 3% brine depending on the box in your cupboard. Under-salt and you invite mold and soft, slippery vegetables; over-salt and fermentation stalls. Weighing in grams removes the guesswork — the calculator gives you the spoon figure only as a sanity check.

Brine vs. dry salt

Use brine mode for vegetables submerged in salt water (cucumbers, beans, whole peppers, giardiniera): the percentage is figured on the weight of the water. Use dry salt mode for a mass ferment where salt is mixed straight into shredded or chopped vegetables that make their own brine (sauerkraut, kimchi): the percentage is figured on the weight of the vegetables.

Common salt strengths

• 2% — sauerkraut and most shredded-vegetable ferments.
• 2 to 2.5% — kimchi and general lacto-fermented vegetables.
• 3.5% — brined pickles, whole peppers, and warmer-weather batches that need extra protection.

These are the widely used home ranges; follow a tested recipe when you have one. Keep everything below the brine, ferment out of direct sun, and taste as you go.