I was dead wrong about using whey instead of commercial starters for my hot sauce

Adam Thompson · 2026-05-28T22:55:03.747774+00:00

For 2 years I swore by those $15 starter packets for my habanero ferments, thought my buddy was crazy using the liquid from his yogurt. Finally tried it on a 5 gallon batch of serrano mash last month and the flavor depth was honestly night and day better with the whey. Anyone else had a similar experience with a cheaper alternative blowing the pro stuff out of the water?

leelewis3mo ago

Strained the whey through a coffee filter (took forever but worth it) and got that same crazy flavor boost on a ghost pepper batch last fall. Your buddy was right, the yogurt liquid brings something the fancy packets just can't touch.

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simon_coleman4mo ago

Did you strain the whey or just dump it straight in with the curds still in it?

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the_thomas4mo ago

Nah, starters give you way more control. Whey is just gambling with your batch.

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