Sauerkraut is a traditional dish of Russian cuisine, possessing excellent taste and nutritional characteristics.
In addition, the product contains many useful minerals and can be stored for quite a long time. The fermentation procedure is quite simple and can be carried out at home.
Expert of the online publication "BelNovosti" Yulia Arkhipova - a cook, fourth-class baker told how to cook.
Preparation
Well-ripened cabbage with a dense head is best suited for pickling.
To minimize the amount of waste, you need to select large specimens.
It is not recommended to ferment frozen, unripe, diseased fruits, as they are guaranteed to reduce the taste and appearance of the product.
During the preparation process, the top leaves are removed from the heads of cabbage and the stalks are removed.
At the final stage of preparation, the cabbage is chopped with a knife or a special cutter into pieces 4-6 mm thick.
Loading raw materials into the container
The best materials for fermenting cabbage are a wooden barrel and an enamel saucepan.
The order of further actions, based on the mass of the main raw material of 10 kg:
1. Chop 300 g of carrots and mix with cabbage.
2. Add 220-250 g of salt to the resulting mass.
3. Place the product in a barrel or bucket, compacting each layer tightly.
4. Place washed cabbage leaves and clean gauze on top.
It is very important to carefully follow the amount of salt specified in the recipe. If there is not enough salt, the product will acquire a flabby consistency. The reason is the weak release of juice at the first stage of fermentation.
Helpful advice! To speed up the process of juice extraction, place a wooden shield and a heavy object (stone, cobblestone) on top of the gauze. It is forbidden to use metal objects for weighting, as they can spoil the taste of the product.
Next steps
The cabbage begins to ferment immediately after being placed in a container under pressure.
The optimal temperature for fermentation is considered to be +15 degrees: in such conditions, cabbage becomes ready in 2-3 weeks.
A cellar or cool basement is good for storing finished products. There is also an option of laying out raw materials in three-liter jars, with their subsequent placement in the refrigerator.
If during storage the sauerkraut becomes covered with a white coating, it is enough to rinse it with warm water before use.
Expert: Julia Arkhipova
