Designing software for things that rot
6 months ago
- #fermentation
- #food-safety
- #DIY
- The author shares their journey into fermentation, starting from basic attempts to more complex projects like curing meats, highlighting the challenges of monitoring and ensuring safety.
- Initial monitoring methods evolved from paper notes to digital tracking, but the real issue was understanding what metrics to track and when they mattered, especially for safety.
- The setup included a larder fridge modified with controllers and a dehumidifier for precise environmental control, emphasizing the importance of bidirectional humidity control to prevent case-hardening in meats.
- The realization that fermentation should be treated like infrastructure led to the development of a dashboard in Home Assistant for monitoring, but the lack of context for measurements was a significant gap.
- Adopting the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) framework provided a structured approach to identifying and mitigating risks in fermentation, especially for high-risk items like 'nduja.
- The author developed a custom iOS app, Fermento, to manage fermentation projects, incorporating fermentation profiles with hazards, limits, and check schedules, effectively creating a decision tree for safety.
- The app features phase-specific constraints and automated checks, optimizing for efficiency by caching relevant constraints for the current phase and managing time-bound checks.
- Beyond monitoring, the app generates HACCP documents automatically, providing tangible proof of safety and compliance, useful for reassuring concerned observers.
- The philosophy shifts from precision to traceability, valuing honest logs of observations and measurements over rigid adherence to ideal conditions, acknowledging the variability inherent in fermentation.
- Despite the advanced setup, some processes remain manual, like entering pH measurements, highlighting a balance between automation and practicality.
- The article concludes with reflections on the nature of designing software for processes that change over time, emphasizing the importance of trends over absolute values and the acceptance of variance.
- Even without the full setup, the principles of observation, documentation, and patience apply to smaller-scale fermentation projects, demonstrating the universality of the approach.
- Fermento is presented as a tool adaptable to various fermentation needs, from simple tracking to comprehensive HACCP planning, with a call to action for like-minded enthusiasts to try it.