Sauerkraut is a tasty and healthy snack that is usually prepared for the winter. In order for it to always turn out crispy and salty-sour without bitterness, you should know all the intricacies of its preparation.
How long does cabbage ferment
Pickling is a popular technique for preparing vegetable preparations. A properly fermented product is tasty and juicy, crunches on the teeth. Such cabbage retains a maximum of useful substances and is stored for a long time.
Pickling cabbage is a laborious process. Its duration and final result are determined by several factors:
- varietal accessory of a vegetable;
- a quantitative indicator of an ingredient such as table salt;
- temperature in the room where the fermentation process takes place.
Experienced housewives prepare a snack from mid-season and late varieties of cabbage. The head of cabbage is supposed to be large, hard, dense, juicy, sugary, with white leaves. Such characteristics are possessed by varieties like Slava, Belorusskaya, Snow White, Amager.
Salt is an important ingredient in a dish. Its quantity determines not only the taste properties of the workpiece, but also the period of its suitability for use. The optimal ratio is considered: 20 g of table salt per 1 kg of vegetable slices.
Sauerkraut should be fermented in a warm room (+ 18-22 ° C) for 5 days. Such conditions contribute to active fermentation, the preservation of ascorbic acid in the vegetable, and the acquisition of a salty taste with a pleasant sourness in the product.
On the sixth day, the sauerkraut is transferred to the cellar or sent to the refrigerator. The coolness helps to slow down fermentation and the appearance of the correct taste in the cabbage preparation - salty with a pronounced sourness.
Fermentation in a colder or warmer room negatively affects the quality of the workpiece. In the warmth, the fermentation process proceeds more quickly, but the cabbage takes on an ugly hue. Its taste is poor. In a cool room (less than +18 ° C), the vegetable will have to be fermented for several months.
How to understand that a sauerkraut is ready to eat
Whether a cabbage appetizer is ready, housewives determine by the following criteria:
- cessation of gas formation, no foam;
- reduction of the product in volume by 10-15%;
- brine brightening;
- the appearance of a typical sauerkraut taste;
- the product is supposed to crunch on the teeth.
It is believed that a snack for full readiness is enough to ferment for 5-6 days.
The subtleties of cooking sauerkraut
Experienced housewives are engaged in sauerkraut in the autumn months. They begin to prepare this blank for the winter, as a rule, in September.
Late vegetable should be fermented a few months after it has been removed from the beds (approximately November-December). If you start preparing a snack earlier, there is a risk of getting a bitter taste and an unpleasant smelling workpiece. After lying for a couple of months, the heads of cabbage will acquire great juiciness and sweetness, become suitable for fermentation.
It is preferable to ferment cabbage slices in a barrel made of such wood as oak, linden, birch. On the eve of use, the barrel will need to be thoroughly rinsed to remove resin and tannins from the wood. To do this, it is poured to the top with water. The water is drained and replaced with fresh water once every 5-6 days for 1 month.
You can also ferment a vegetable in a glass jar, containers made of high-quality food grade plastic, a ceramic saucepan or in an enamel bucket.
Aluminum containers are unsuitable for this purpose. The fermented product will turn out to be tasteless, it will contain harmful substances.
The vegetable is fermented step by step:
- The top leaves are removed from the heads of cabbage. They wash them, dry them.
- Each head of cabbage is cut into quarters. Then they are chopped with a knife. The stumps are thrown away.
- Fill the container with cabbage slices, sprinkle each layer with salt. For 1 kg of vegetable, take 20 g of table salt, characterized by coarse grinding. Iodized product is not suitable for this purpose.
- The contents of the container are tamped. It should let the juice go. If desired, you can add a small amount of grated carrots or beets, a handful of berries, allspice, dill seeds, caraway seeds.
- Cover the cabbage mass with a plate on top and put oppression on it. You can use a stone or a jar of water. The vegetable cuts must be completely covered in juice.
- The container is left warm for 5 days. The rays of the sun should not fall on it.
The foam that appears during fermentation will need to be removed periodically. Every day, the cabbage will need to be pierced to the bottom to eliminate the gases that accumulate there. For this purpose, a wooden skewer is applicable.
The cessation of the appearance of foam is a sign that fermentation is complete and the appetizer can be served.
The fermented product is kept in a cold place (from 0 to +2 ° C) in glass jars for six months. The shelf life of barrel cabbage is up to 8 months.
Possible complications
If the appetizer turned out to be tasteless, it means that mistakes were made when fermenting it:
- bitterness in the taste appears if the upper leaves of the head of cabbage were left or the hostess did not skim the foam during fermentation;
- lack of crunch is a sign of a lack of salt or an overabundance of carrots;
- too tough cabbage - evidence that the oppression was not heavy enough;
- the presence of mucus in the product is a consequence of a disturbed temperature regime (such cabbage cannot be eaten);
- the appearance of a film on the surface of the snack is a sign that the pickling proceeded at a low temperature.
A properly prepared sauerkraut appetizer will delight the eater with its juiciness, crunch and pleasant taste. Such a blank is stored for a long time without loss of taste and benefit. It will be an excellent addition to a poor winter diet.
Read also: Strawberry planting rules in August
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