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My $30 pH meter from the hardware store gave me a false reading and wrecked a batch of kraut

I was making a big batch of sauerkraut and decided to check the acidity to be safe. The meter said the pH was 4.2, which seemed fine, so I let it ferment for another week. When I opened the jar, it smelled off and had a weird slimy texture. Has anyone else had a cheap tool fail them like this, and what's a good brand to trust?
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3 Comments
linda658
linda6582mo ago
Ugh that's rough, but honestly a pH meter from a hardware store for $30? That's basically a toy for fermenting. Those things are never reliable right out of the box, you gotta calibrate them constantly with the little solution packets. A slimy batch sucks, but it's more of a learning cost than the tool's total fault.
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nathan545
nathan5451mo ago
$30 meter cost me $30 more in cabbage and salt to learn my lesson lol.
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umabailey
umabailey2mo ago
Yeah linda658 is right about the calibration, I learned that the hard way too. My old meter was always drifting and I lost a batch of kimchi. I switched to an Apera PH20, it holds its calibration way better for my pickles.
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