[DIY] Sprout drainer using 3D printer and IKEA NOJIG

13 Apr, 2024

I like eating sprouts. They are a nice add-on to salads or to eat with Nachos with a bit of sprouty Pico de Gallo. These sprouts are a popular street food and popular in many asian countries.

But making them needs a bit of effort and patience. They need to be kept moist but not in water. Once a few days, they need to be washed to keep them hygienic.

So, I wanted to drainer that keeps those seeds moist, but not watery.

Anyways, there are commercial sprouters available do the job with water evaporating and there are many models on printables for the sprout drainers. But most of them have plastic parts touching the seeds and I was not really sure if the plastic I am using is food grade. So, I decided to build my own.

I had a few IKEA NOJIG lying around that I use as project cases to store parts while working on something. If I could make something that allows me to rest the mason jars upside down it should work.

I modelled it quickly and used this Canvas feature on Fusion 360. Then constrained the canvas to my dimensions and made a cool looking part. This allows me to use those usual 60mm jars most supermarkets in Spain sell (for pre-cooked stuff like beans) with a rubber-band cheese cloth to it.

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