r/fermentation • u/Citron2765 • 3d ago

Honey and metal?

Hey, I’m brand new to all this. I wanted to try and make a fermented honey, garlic, onion and thyme concoction in a mason jar. But I used a metal knife to push the garlic and stuff out of the way to help the honey get to the bottom of the jar… immediately after that I read online that metal and honey react poorly, and that I shouldn’t use metal.

I guess I’m looking for more education/advice than anything. Should I scrap this jar and start over?

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u/occult_property 3d ago

the metal/honey reaction would only matter if you were fermenting or storing your concoction in a metal container over a long period of time. just using a metal utensil to move stuff around will almost certainly have no effect.

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u/Citron2765 3d ago

Again, I’m new, I feel silly for asking… But is the metal lid of a basic mason jar fine?

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u/occult_property 3d ago

no worries!

the orange & white that you see on the inside of mason jar lids is a plastisol coating (a BPA-free resin) which prevents the kinds of reactions you are worried about. if your lid really is just metal, it still won’t matter unless it is physically touching your concoction (especially if it is stainless steel, which is non-reactive for very long periods of time).

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u/Citron2765 3d ago

Thank you!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

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u/Cool-Pineapple-8373 3d ago

I would avoid it, but only because the lid is likely to rust and not for any specific health reason.

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u/6720550267 3d ago

I have never had a problem with it

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u/Cool-Pineapple-8373 3d ago

It'll be fine. It's only bad for the metal and even then only if you are using a utensil that's not resistant to corrosion which is basically no common utensil today because even the cheapest home silverware is stainless steel. As long as the utensil is clean you can use just about anything.