The first two chapters are beginner friendly (lacto-fermentation and kombucha), then there’s a steep nose dive into intermediate (vinegar) and advanced ferments (koji, miso, shoyu, garum). Koji is a huge topic that lays the foundation for the chapters on miso and shoyu (soy sauce), so if you’re interested in koji, you’ll love the majority of content. Cover with the cap, and lightly screw on the cap, allowing nothing to enter, but loose enough that gas produced from fermentation can still escape. Absolutely! We wouldn’t have fermented foods today if home cooks hadn’t carried on these traditions for millennia! I totally understand that fermentation may seem daunting, or challenging, or unapproachable, but it really isn’t beyond reach! In our book, we make a conscious effort to ease people into fermentation by beginning with the simplest practices. If you’re eager to dive into the wonderful, funky world of fermented food (and you should be, as the effects on your health and taste buds will be nothing short of extraordinary), this book will be your new go-to guide.” A wildly practical and fascinating examination of one of the world’s oldest methods of food preservation.”

Although the ferments covered in this book can be achieved in a home kitchen, most of them are definitely not suited to beginner home fermenters; hence the book being viewed as “complicated and impractical”. What's particularly nice about the book is that it takes the time to go into in-depth explanations. Many of its recipes have photos that illustrate what your ferment should look like over days, weeks, and even months, which is really helpful if you're worried that what you're making is going sideways. It also gives Redzepi and Zilber room to talk about their more unique creations. When they make vinegar out of celery, or miso out of peas (usually it's soybeans), they understand that we're going to need some suggestions on what to do with them. Celery vinegar, it turns out, makes an intriguing topping for fresh cheese when combined with herbs and olive oil. Miso made with with peas, or "peaso," as they call it, can be folded into butter to adorn mashed potatoes, or it can be combined with garlic oil and used as a beef marinade. One particularly helpful pairing note is to simply use the fermented product with the same foods you'd pair their unfermented versions with.A wildly practical and fascinating examination of one of the world's oldest methods of food preservation."

On Saturdays, Noma’s chefs are invited to present ideas they could see on the menu there. “I would just go completely left field. I’d make dishes of food that required artist’s statements.” What the book makes clear is that [Redzepi's] secret isn't fermentation, it is the ways in which he's elevated it to a fine art. . . . Penned with the lightness, humor and journalistic acumen of a Michael Pollan tome." Calculate 2% of that weight, and weigh out that much salt into a bowl. (MAKE SURE you calculate and weigh exactly for safety, you can go above 2% but do not go below.) This book is written in a way that does not overwhelm or confuse, which beginners will find helpful. The Noma Guide to Fermentation table of contents. For lacto fermentation, no! Obviously, make sure they are clean of visible dirt and grime, but since LAB exists naturally on our skin, there is no need to use gloves as that may actually help the LAB population thrive.

About the Authors

There’s more and more evidence coming in that human beings are less human than we think. By that I mean that we turn out to be more like human ecosystems, playing host within our bodies to billions of microbes that span hundreds of species. Many of them are essential to our survival, aiding in bodily functions that keep us running smooth. Without question, you need this book. Even if you already have a basic understanding about lacto-fermenting; fermenting kombucha, vinegar, and working with koji; and making your own vinegars, this volume is a treasure trove of inspiration. . . . Beyond the fermentations themselves, Redzepi and Zilber share clever ideas for using each ingredient, such as a blended fermented blueberry paste to smear on fresh corn [and] a coffee kombucha soaked into ladyfingers for tiramisu. . . . Indispensable." Techniques for achieving the tangy, deeply savory, overall extraordinary flavor that fermentation can bring to a dish." He relates his fascination with evolution to fermentation: “There are fundamental truths about the way Earth works that absolutely manifest themselves in any facet of life, especially in the wild and chaotic biological ones that you see in fermentation,” he says.

Reveals] the foodie secret of the world's top chef. . . . Promises to be the canonical western work on microbial terroir." Smartass in his case means polymath, with some of that encyclopedic databank spilling on to his skin: a tattoo of a map of the solar system within the Milky Way on his right arm, the Schrödinger equation, a description of wave function in physics, on his left. If you're eager to dive into the wonderful, funky world of fermented food (and you should be, as the effects on your health and taste buds will be nothing short of extraordinary), this book will be your new go-to guide."An edible chemistry experiment. . . . Fascinating reading for armchair cooks - or a novel challenge for intrepid culinary adventurers." If you’re wanting to learn any of these four fermentations methods, then you’ve got the wrong book. But that doesn’t mean this book is subpar. Noma simply gives these topics the respect they deserve by not including them.

What the book makes clear is that [Redzepi’s] secret isn’t fermentation, it is the ways in which he’s elevated it to a fine art. . . . Penned with the lightness, humor and journalistic acumen of a Michael Pollan tome.” If fermenting in a vacuum bag: Place the frozen mushrooms and salt in the vacuum bag and toss to mix the contents thoroughly. Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer, then seal the bag on maximum suction. Be sure to seal the bag as close to the opening as possible, leaving headroom that will allow you to cut open the bag to vent any gas that accumulates and then reseal it. Lacto Cep Mushrooms, day one. Photo by Evan Sung Step 2Clostridium botulinum (the bacteria that causes botulism) that thrives in the absence of oxygen. Sounds similar to LAB right? Here is a huge difference though. Clostridium botulinum struggles in the presence of salt or acid, which both exist in our lacto fermentation through salt and the LAB turning sugar to acetic acid. An indispensable glimpse into how the four-time world’s best restaurant approaches fermented foods, all adapted for the home kitchen. . . . Once you’ve made your first ferment, you’ll understand first-hand how intuitive the methods are and how applicable they are to limitless raw ingredients.” My understanding is that the authors probably wanted to offer something new and different and not just repeat what many have already said in other books. For example, you will not find a sauerkraut recipe or a ginger beer with a ginger bug recipe. Instead, the basics of lacto-fermentation are established with a recipe for lacto-fermented plums. The Lacto Plums recipe is used as the reference recipe when it comes to lacto fermented vegetables and fruits.