12" Sauerkraut Pounder for Mason Jars Vegetable Fermentation

EDIT: After an *amazing* customer service experience, I want to change my rating of this product to 5 stars. Shortly after leaving the review below, I was contacted by the company and sent a replacement at absolutely no cost. The new pounder has a slightly more pronounced bevel than the first one and after using it to make another batch of kraut this weekend, I'm happy to say it performed beautifully! Wood is a natural product and some variation is to be expected from piece to piece, which I believe is what caused the cracking in my first pounder - NOT craftsmanship. Absolutely love my replacement and have nothing but good things to say about the customer service experience!!! I really wanted to like this kraut pounder as it was one of the only reasonably affordable options made out of solid wood rather than laminated or glued planks. Prior to using it, I briefly washed the pounder (no soaking in water!) and oiled it with food grade mineral oil as suggested by the tag in the box. During the first use, I absolutely loved the shape and heft of this pounder, it's a great fit for both my 2 liter and 1 gallon crocks! However, when I went to wash it again immediately after use, I noticed several small to medium cracks in the wide end which are great breeding grounds for bacteria - something I don't want in my ferments. I don't know how I could have taken any better care of this tool and am quite disappointed by how easily even the solid wood design started cracking.

A simple product, but the quality is so exceptional that I had to aknowledge it. It has the level of quality I look for in any tool I buy.

I make sauerkraut and I make kimchi. I don't know how I lived without this little wooden bat looking thing. This has helped me so much to make much higher quality products. Every time I make kimchi or sauerkraut I make it in its own special container that has its own special airtight seal and a lid that goes over the top. So at the beginning stages of every ferment I will open up the box that it comes in and I will take this tamper and push all the air out of it by just simply pushing down on the product until all the air comes out. This has been so helpful in maintaining an anaerobic environment that I cannot believe I ever made ferments without it before. So if you're looking at making kimchi sauerkraut or any kind of pickled, vegetable etc. And you need to be able to remove all the air out of your product. This little tamper is incredible. Never in my wildest imagination did. I think that I would ever condone or recommend a specifically shaped piece of wood to somebody at this price point. Lol but it is something that should be an absolute part of your fermentation arsenal. 5 out of 5 Stars completely totally honestly recommend

If you are going to package kraut after fermentation in a crock, this tool is perfect. It is substantial enough to do the job but small enough for my wife to use easily. Solid wood and very smooth.

Fantastic, great quality wood, and perfectly sized for standard and wide mouth mason jars. Easy to clean.

Update 2 (4/1/2022): After using the replacement sent to me by the seller for a week while also sealing with refined coconut oil, no more cracking. Each time I use it, I wash, towel dry and then apply coconut oil by hand until the whole stomper is glossy- making sure to coat the ends. I then leave it on the counter to allow it to absorb the oil effectively sealing it. This has prevented cracking, although, it's more effort than I originally planned on going through. Be sure to seal, or it will crack. Update 1 (3/23/2022): Went from 1 star to 3 stars. The seller reached out soon after my review and offered to send me a new pounder, free of charge. I'm going to take the reccomendation from the Q&A on this item and seal my new pounder with coconut oil after each use. There is no instruction on doing this provided by the seller and no mention of needing to do it on the product packaging. I'll see how the sealing goes and see if cracking is prevented. Original review: I've had this for about 3 days and it's already splitting.. It's sturdy, has great weight to it and is ergonomically shaped but all of that means little if it's splitting so soon. The cracks aren't ideal because they can harbor undesired bacteria and you don't want that in your ferments.

Excellent product well made. Worked perfectly would buy again, but I will never need to. It will last forever.

I use this nearly every time I am fermenting something. Not only is it great for pounding kraut, but fantstic for all sorts of pounding. Miso pounding, salsa pounding, carrot pounding. It works in both regular and wide mouth jars, easy to clean, and super solid.

The story: I’ve been looking for a descent pestle and mortar for ages; something that had been used, so was perusing online auctions. The majority of mortars I found were small, 3-4” high and not that much more across. When I did find something size wise, it was extraordinarily expensive. Invariably it was something used by apothecaries from days gone by, which meant it was made to last (and has) and the asking price was set accordingly. So I turned to Amazon to see what was available. And Voila! The Soligt 12” Sauerkraut Pounder... You’re obviously puzzled at my decision I know... I came to the conclusion that as I can’t find exactly what I am looking for at a price I am willing to pay, that the quest should be viewed from a different perspective; I have many sturdy substantial bowls which could fit the bill, so all I really require is a descent size pestle Ü The product: A 12” solid and substantial, ergonomically crafted piece of equipment in beech wood, which sits in the hand comfortably and will come in handy when I start fermenting; so will have a dual purpose in my kitchen. It is heavy enough to use as a pestle, which is the main reason I purchased it; having two different sized ends it is practical too. The verdict: Excellent for crushing wet aromatics (garlic, ginger etc) and spices that require a little crushing after dry toasting, without difficulty... And no doubt packing ferments when I get around to it; at a cost of £11.99 it is money well spent and very Highly Recommended.

No company brand name show.Its like local product.

The weight make it easy to pound the cabbage without having to use much force.

Tenía mis reservas. Efectivamente me ayudó a comprimir toda la verdura al 50% de su volumen!! Vale la pena! Costoso, pero vale la pena :)

Perfect for pressing sauerkraut into a mason jar. One size fits small mouth and the other fits large mouth.