Make sure that your hands and everything else coming into contact with the cabbage are very clean. These flavors work really well with german dishes.
How to make sauerkraut a comprehensive step by step pictured tutorial on making homemade sauerkraut that is incredibly healthy and delicious.
How do i make sauerkraut. Thoroughly wash a large tub or bowl we used on the size of a small washing up bowl then rinse with boiling water from the kettle. Make sure that your hands and everything else coming into contact with the cabbage are very clean. To make traditional sauerkraut toss the shredded cabbage with salt massage the cabbage until it starts to feel wet and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Next pound the cabbage for 5 to 10 minutes until it s dripping salty water then pack the cabbage and brine into a clean jar. Start with a head of cabbage. Before you do anything to it weigh it.
Write down the weight you ll need this to calculate how much salt to use later. Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage. These tend to be dirty or damaged.
You don t want them in your sauerkraut. To make traditional sauerkraut all you need is cabbage and salt. However if you want to amp up the flavor a bit you can add additional ingredients.
Josh recommends apple onion and caraway. These flavors work really well with german dishes. If you prefer a little heat josh recommends adding some crushed red pepper.
Grab handfuls of the cabbage mixture and pack into your jar. Press the salty juicy mixture down as you go along. You want the brine to rise above the top of the cabbage.
Leave at least 1 inch of space between the top of the cabbage and the top of the jar. Quarter cabbages and remove cores. In an extra large bowl combine salt and cabbage.
With clean hands squeeze cabbage until it wilts and releases liquid about 10 minutes. If desired add optional ingredients. For striking fuschia toned sauerkraut substitute red cabbage for green.
To make larger batches keep your cabbage salt ratios the same and upgrade the size of the container. Stay on the chilly side. Warm temperatures lead to mushy sauerkraut so try to keep temperatures regulated or store in the fridge to be extra safe.
How to make sauerkraut a comprehensive step by step pictured tutorial on making homemade sauerkraut that is incredibly healthy and delicious. Making your own fermented sauerkraut is super easy requires minimal prep work and the rest is just a waiting game. Using a large knife quarter the cabbage and remove the core.
Thinly slice the cabbage with a knife or mandoline slicer then transfer cabbage to a large bowl. Slicing is better than shredding. A large knife mandoline slicer or the slicing side of a box grater are tools of choice when making sauerkraut.
The only ingredients you need to make naturally fermented sauerkraut are cabbage and salt. The salt preserves the cabbage for a few days until the probiotic cultures begin to grow. If you are a beginner you might want to start with a smaller first batch.