Choosing a Humidifier
- Ultrasonic is Important (fine, filtered cool mist)
- Size of the tank – depends on the size of the chamber (dimensions it takes up will vary)
- How easy to clean inside the tank
(Below are links to products; buying through a link doesn’t cost you anything, but it supports my site)
Probably the most important part of the curing chamber on top of the temperature/humidity controller; once you have these components, and if you get a “plug and play” controller like the inkbird or Auber instruments, it’s really easy to start, and just takes a bit of time, learning how it reacts. Expect a bit of a learning curve!
I have had a few different humidifiers going into my curing chambers for 11 years, and you will pick up pretty quick it’s not that complicated, the one below I suggest has been upgraded since I bought mine. I have got 2-4 years so far out of each one.
I try to remember to clean out the water tank if the chamber is unoccupied with any meat or other foods for some time, which keeps things clean.
If you keep it on, conditions stay the same, since you have a healthy penicillin culture in the chamber, you will find – once a fresh batch goes in, it will pick up the good stuff.
Every 1 to 4 weeks, ensuring the humidifier is clean helps; they tend to start to get impurities, depending on what the tap water is like (filter may work better, but I have never bothered).
My first curing chamber was big, so having the humidifier inside the chamber works great. But for some of my meat-curing friends, the best option has been to have the humidifier operating outside the fridge, using a short exhaust pipe into the chamber (duct-taped to the top or any other method you choose).
Ultrasonic humidifiers are important and produce a filtered, fine, moist mist.
Don’t get a warm mist or cool air design; it won’t work well.
Humidifier for Drying Charcuterie Fridge
Humidifier
The units I use aren’t stocked or available anymore, but here are the criteria you need and some links to the right ones:
- No standby mode, or else when the controller turns the unit on – it won’t start automatically
- Ultrasonic
- Size – compact, so it doesn’t take up too much area inside the fridge
- Hopefully designed to clean the tank (growth inside the water tank will occur over time)
The most compact I could find is 1.5″ / 0.5G
Compact units are often 2.2L. This Humidifier -pretty certain some of these are coming from the same company and then badged differently.
2.6L – but nice and easy to clean
You’ll see the designs are similar for many.
Large Tank Size – SPT Humidifier
Size: 8.40 x 12.60 x 13.75 inches
Weight: 5 pounds – heavy!
Tank Capacity: 2 gallon / 4 L
Warranty: 1 Year
Huge capacity, we need a decent amount of space for this.
It has a ‘hard switch’ too, so when the power goes on from the controller – it will start humidifying – which is key to these setups working properly.
Variable dial so you can tweak the moisture, large but cost-effective.
Check it out on Amazon here.