LoxBox, Home Lox Maker

The best lox is Homemade, Custom-made and Fresh.
And YOU CAN do it.


Real lox is made by curing, not smoking.
Our patented kit perfects and simplifies the process.
     Step 1:      Put salt, sugar(natural sugars are fine to use like rapadura)  and spices in the LoxBox
     Step 2:      Put a salmon fillet in the patented PERFECURE Pouch.
     Step 3:      Put the Pouch in the LoxBox; refrigerate for 2 days – and ENJOY.
Turn a $5 salmon fillet into a $25 piece of lox.

The LoxBox comes with 5 Perfecure Pouches. That's five batches of lox. But you may want a few more Perfecure Pouches now rather then re-ordering later. Save the extra shipping charge and add a pack of 10 Perfecure Pouches to go with your order.
Use the LoxBox twice, and it pays for itself.


Our recipe book tells you how to tweak the salt, herbs & spices to your own special taste.
No more skimping on portions.
The LoxBox brings Sunday brunch to every day.


Lox contains more Omega-3-Fatty Acids than any other food.
And we even include a salt-free lox-making recipe.


Unique, useful and fun.
Beautifully packaged.

Lox and "Smoked Salmon"

Lox is another name for “smoked salmon,” commonly served as an appetizer in up-scale restaurants.  The term “lox” comes from Lachs, the German word for salmon.  But “smoked salmon” (or lox) is actually not smoked.  All “smoked salmon” (or lox) is actually prepared by curing in a salt/sugar/spice mixture, the exact process done by the LoxBox.  Some “smoked salmon” (or lox), in addition to being salt/sugar-cured, is briefly cold-smoked.  Such cold-smoking is done at room temperature for a few hours and does absolutely no cooking or preserving of the salmon.  It's sole purpose is to impart a slight smoky taste to the fish and thus mask the odor and taste that results from the fact that most store-bought and deli lox is not very fresh.  This slight smoky taste, if desired, is easily duplicated by the addition of a few drops of a liquid smoke product during the curing process.

(There is an actual smoked salmon product that is hot-smoked in the same way hams, turkeys, etc. are smoked.  This product, however, bears no resemblance to either lox or the “smoked salmon” commonly served in restaurants.  It has a dark reddish brown color and is rather dry and flaky.)

How the LoxBox Does Its Magic

During the ordinary curing process, salt passes into the fish flesh and water (brine) flows out of the flesh.  But the process goes in two directions, with some of the salt passing back out of the flesh and some of the water flowing back into the flesh.  It's like going two steps forward and one step back.  This two-directional flow makes the curing process unpredictable and inconsistent.  The PERFECURE Pouch is made of a custom material that uses the natural forces of osmosis to make the flow of salt and water one-directional.  The osmotic forces created by the Pouch thus make the curing process highly predictable and reproducible.  The result: even the most inexperienced user can get perfect curing the first time and every time.

The History of Lox

Our ancestors needed ways to preserve their food.  Meat, especially fish, was highly perishable and would last only a few days if not preserved.  Populations fortunate enough to live by the sea, however, discovered that they could make salt by the evaporation of sea water.  Such salt became not only a means of enhancing the taste of food but of preserving it as well.  Meat and fish were packed in salt and dried or, in some instances, were stored in a salt solution, or brine; food so kept would remain edible and safe for weeks.  Such salting was man's first method for the preservation of food, the earliest recording of which is found in the writings of Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, a Roman statesman from about 200 BC. While bacteria and the concept of germs were not known until the Nineteenth Century, ancient cultures unwittingly were killing harmful bacteria when they salt-cured their meat and fish and thus had developed one of the earliest disease prevention strategies.Over the centuries, salt-cured fish became more then just a dietary staple, as it assumed certain mystical qualities.  For instance, during the Middle Ages, a time when spiritual and supernatural beliefs abounded, cured fish was believed by the Jews to be an aphrodisiac and was an essential part of the post-Sabbath celebration.Anti-Semitism flourished in Europe in the centuries following the Middle Ages, and Jews fell on hard times.  Herring was the most abundant fish in the North Atlantic and was thus quite cheap.  Salt-cured herring thus became one of the staples of the Jewish diet but also became a symbol of bad times and a lesser class.  During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, however, when many Jews began to enjoy prosperity, they turned away from salted herring and its sad reminders and looked for foods that reflected their improved lives.  Salmon was a fish prized for the tables of royalty, and Jews soon applied the curing recipes they had used with herring to this more luxurious fish.  Salmon yielded a cured fish like nothing the Jews had ever experienced.  Its smooth, silky texture, its tender, delicate flesh and its subtle salty taste immediately made cured salmon a delicacy that is treasured to this day.Scandinavian cultures also developed a tradition of salt-curing fish.  They were great sailors and fishermen and enjoyed a proximity to the rich salmon runs from the North Atlantic.  Salt-cured salmon, which they called gravlax, became, and remains, a fine delicacy associated with good living, wealth and a high social class.

1. The Curing Vessel. A specially molded polycarbonate device that can safely be soaked in a salt brine for days and can go through repeated cycles in the refrigerator and the dishwasher without warping or losing its shape in any way. Its full transparency allows you the fun of observing the lox as it forms. The Vessel, moreover, has been perfectly sized to facilitate contact between the brine and the salmon. Finally, the top of the Vessel provides a perfect seal that keeps the various odors in the refrigerator from reaching your forming lox. Its thumb tab facilitates removal to spare your nails.


2. The Granite Compressor Stone. Granite is one a very few materials that are both heavy enough to act as a weight and are safe to leave in contact with food for several days. Traditional lox-making procedures often use a brick, but bricks, and most stones, such as marble, are too porous and/or can allow unsafe minerals to leach into the fish.  We have also designed special grooves on the non-polished surface of our granite to allow the brine to circulate under the stone. The polished surface and the beveled edges add to the elegance and the general utility of the piece.


3. Five PERFECURE™ Pouches. This is the heart of the LoxBox. The Perfecure Pouch is custom-made from a unique, semi-permeable, FDA-approved, food-compatible material that has been specifically chosen to optimize and standardize the osmotic pressure that is the basis of the curing process. The Perfecure Pouch, likewise, protects the delicate flesh of the forming lox from being embedded with particles of salt, pepper and the other herbs and spices used in the curing recipe. It is the Perfecure Pouch that takes both the guesswork and the mess out of lox-making.


4. The Instruction and Recipe Booklet. This contains all the information you will need to make, in your own home, the finest lox you have ever had. The booklet contains instructions for making lox exactly to your taste and teaches you all the tricks and procedures you will ever need for making lox. The booklet also contains a variety of recipes for serving lox and a brief history of lox

Health Benefits of Lox

Why is Lox Higher in Omega-3-Fatty Acids (OFA's) than Any Other Food?
Your body does not make its own OFA's.  The only source is your diet.  Fish, especially cold water fish, such as salmon, are the richest sources of OFA's.  But the heat of cooking destroys OFA's and reduces their beneficial effects.  Lox, however, is cured, not cooked; so lox retains all of its OFA activity, and the curing process actually concentrates the OFA's in the flesh of the fish.

Cardiovascular Benefits
Omega-3 fatty acids (OFA's) can decrease the formation of blood clots, thus decreasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.  While the exact mechanism of the beneficial effect of OFA's in combating cardiovascular disease is probably more complex then simply reducing clot formation, there is general agreement that a heart-healthy diet should include a consistent source of OFA's.  Even the FDA, known to be conservative in its statements, has concluded that “consumption of omega-3-fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.” (FDA Letter 91N-0103).Anti-arthritic Effects
OFA's also have a natural anti-inflammatory activity, which may lessen the severity of arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.  This activity is related, at least in part, to an effect on substances called prostaglandins, prostacyclins and leukotrienes, all important mediators of inflammation.  Indeed, it is these same mediators of inflammation that are the target of drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen and even the new COX-2 inhibitors, such as Vioxx and Celebrex

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  What is lox?
A:  Lox is identical to the “smoked salmon” commonly served as an appetizer in up-scale restaurants.  The term “lox” comes from Lachs, the German word for salmon.

Q:  Does the LoxBox make the same lox that is sold in delis or served in restaurants?
A:  Yes, except that the lox you make with the LoxBox is much fresher and made exactly to your taste.

Q:  Will the lox from the LoxBox taste as good as what I normally buy?
A:  Almost everyone who has tasted lox from the LoxBox has said that it is the best lox they have ever tasted.  This is quite a claim, but it comes from both lox experts and ordinary people, from New York to Chicago to San Francisco. 

Q:  Why does LoxBox lox taste better?
A:  It is much fresher.  (Deli lox is at least 3-5 days old when it arrives at the deli.)
It is totally natural.  (Much deli lox and most supermarket lox are loaded with preservatives and artificial food coloring.)

Q:  What is the difference between lox and smoked salmon?
A:  Nothing.  Neither lox nor “smoked salmon” is smoked; they are actually prepared by curing in a salt/sugar/spice mixture, the exact process done by the LoxBox.  Some lox and “smoked salmon,” in addition to being salt/sugar-cured, are briefly cold-smoked.  Such cold-smoking is done at room temperature for a few hours and does absolutely no cooking or preserving of the salmon.  Its sole purpose is to impart a slight smoky taste to the fish, largely to mask the odor and taste of commercial lox, which is rarely fresh.  This slight smoky taste, if desired, is easily duplicated by the addition of a few drops of a liquid smoke product during the curing process.

(There is an actual smoked salmon product that is hot-smoked in the same way hams, turkeys, etc. are smoked.  This product, however, bears no resemblance to either lox or the “smoked salmon” commonly served in restaurants.  It has a dark reddish brown color and is rather dry and flaky.)
                                                                                        
Q:  What are the advantages of using the LoxBox?
A:  1. The LoxBox was developed to simplify and perfect the curing process. 
 Ordinarily, there are two major problems in making lox:
  • It is very difficult to know when the curing process is finished.
  • It is a very messy process because the salt and spices become embedded in the flesh of the fish and must be scrubbed off.

The LoxBox is designed to produce perfect curing in two days, regardless of the size fillet you use.  All the guesswork has been removed.  And, because the fillet is physically separated from the salt and spice by the PERFECURE™ Pouch, cleanup is very simple and easy.

  2. You can fine-tune the taste of the lox by varying the salt, sugar, herbs and spices.

  3. Cost.  Lox now becomes as cheap as plain salmon.  Use the LoxBox twice, and it pays for itself (2 batches makes lox that would cost about $50-60 in a deli.)

Q: Can I cure other things besides salmon in the LoxBox?
A: We have done trout and sturgeon, both of which make elegant-tasting dishes.  Herring also works well.  We also include recipes for corned beef, pastrami, jerky, poultry and game.  Indeed, one of the "trade secrets" of the finest restaurants is to cure poultry or game before cooking.  This can be done easily with the LoxBox.  Curing and pickling vegetables would also be very nicely facilitated by the PERFECURE™ Pouches.

Q: Does the LoxBox make “nova” lox or “belly” lox?
A: All lox is made by a salt/sugar curing process.  At the end of the curing, commercial lox is washed and scrubbed to remove embedded salt.  If the lox is less extensively washed, it is saltier and is called “belly” lox.  Belly lox is cheaper because the expense of washing out the salt is reduced.  With the LoxBox, you can easily control the saltiness of the lox by varying the amount of sugar that is used in the curing process. 
                                                                                                  
Q: Does lox have any particular health benefits?
A: Lox may be the healthiest of all fish products.  The well-known health benefits of fish oils are due to substances called omega-3 fatty acids.  These are “good fats” that have been shown to reduce heart attacks and to inhibit the inflammation of arthritis.  Salmon has more omega-3 fatty acids than any other fish.  Unfortunately, omega-3 fatty acids are destroyed by cooking.  Lox, however, since it is cured, not cooked, retains all the natural omega-3 fatty acids of salmon.  Please see the Health Benefits page on this website.

Q: Who invented the LoxBox?
A: It was invented by two scientist lox-lovers, one with both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, the other with a Ph.D. degree, and they own the company and all the patents.

Q: How does the LoxBox work?
A: With ordinary curing, salt passes into the fish flesh, and water (brine) flows out of the flesh.  But the process goes in two directions, with some of the salt passing back out of the flesh and some of the water flowing back into the flesh.  It's like going two steps forward and one step back.  This two-directional flow makes the curing process unpredictable and inconsistent.  The PERFECURE™ Pouch is made of a custom material that uses the natural forces of osmosis to make the flow of salt and water one-directional.  The osmotic forces created by the Pouch thus make the curing process highly predictable and reproducible.  The result: even the most inexperienced user can get perfect curing the first time and every time.
                                                                                                         
Q: How long does it take?
A: Just five minutes preparation and two days in the refrigerator.

Q: Does it require any special cooking skill?
A: The procedure couldn't be easier:

  1. Put fresh dill in the LoxBox;
  2. Add salt, sugar and pepper;
  3. Put salmon fillet in the PERFECURE™ Pouch;
  4. Put the Pouch in the LoxBox;
  5 Refrigerate 2 days, and it's lox.

Q: What amount of lox can I make with the LoxBox?
A: The LoxBox is designed to make 0.5 to 1.75 pounds of lox without varying the recipe or the procedure.
                                                                                                         
Q: How long can I keep the lox after I make it?
A: The lox will last two-three weeks when kept in the refrigerator.  It should be wrapped in plastic wrap or sealed in a plastic bag. If you want to keep it longer, you can freeze it for several months using the procedure described in the Instruction and Recipe booklet.

Q: Can I reuse the PERFECURE Pouch?
A: The PERFECURE Pouch should only be used once and then discarded.  Five Pouches are included with the LoxBox, and refill packs are available on this website and at all stores carrying the LoxBox.

Q: If lox is not cooked, is it safe to eat?
A: Salt curing has been used for thousands of years as a way to preserve and prepare a wide variety of foods, such as fish (salmon, herring, trout), meat (prosciutto) and vegetables (pickles).

Q: What kind of salmon can I use to make lox?
A: You can make excellent lox out of any kind of salmon.

Q: What kind of salmon do you usually find in the fish market?
A: On the west coast, they have five kinds of commercially-caught salmon: coho (silver), pink, sockeye, chinook and chum. On the East Coast, the Atlantic salmon is the predominant variety. Most markets, especially in the East and Midwest, however, carry farm-raised salmon, and the Atlantic salmon is, by far, the predominant farm-raised variety.

Q: Can I use frozen salmon to make lox?
A: Yes.

Q: Should I leave the skin on the salmon fillet?
A: The traditional lox-making procedures leave the skin on, and we have followed this tradition in the basic recipe included in the Instruction and Recipe Booklet.  But we have made lox with de-skinned fillets, and it worked perfectly.  In fact, we actually prefer de-skinned fillets, since they produce a more uniform lox.

Q: Do I have to turn the salmon while it is curing?
A: No. One of the advantages of using the PERFECURE Pouch is that it eliminates the need for turning the curing salmon.  This is because the Pouch creates osmotic pressure that flows evenly to all sides of the curing salmon fillet.  But, if the fillet is thick and has been de-skinned, turning the Pouch over once during the 40-48 hour curing period will produce a more uniform lox.

Q: What's the best way to rinse the lox after removing it from the PERFECURE Pouch?
A: Simply rinse out the curing vessel, fill it with cold water and soak the lox for about 5 minutes, changing the water a few times during the soaking.

Q: Can I let the curing proceed longer than two days?
A: Yes, but, since we have optimized the PERFECURE Pouches for a curing period of 40-48 hours, the lox may be a little saltier.  One can get around this, however, by soaking the lox in cold water for 5 extra minutes after removing it from the Pouch.

Q: Can I put the LoxBox in the dishwasher?
A: Yes. All the components of the LoxBox are dishwasher safe.  The curing vessel is made of highest quality polycarbonate, a plastic that will not bend or warp in the dishwasher.  This contrasts with almost all other food containers, which are made out of the much cheaper polypropylene or polyethylene.