6
My sister said my 2% brine for sauerkraut was too weak and I think she's right
We were making a batch last weekend and she pointed out that my usual 2% by weight brine has led to three batches in the last year getting a bit soft. She said she uses 2.5% for cabbage and has never had a texture issue. I checked my notes and sure enough, the softer ones were all at 2%. I'm switching to her method for my next five jars. Has anyone else bumped up their salt percentage and seen better results?
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
brian_hart12d ago
I switched to 2.5% about two years ago after a batch of kraut turned into mush. I had been following the standard advice for years with 2% and always blamed the temperature or my packing technique. But my friend from the local fermenting club told me she uses 2.5% for everything from cabbage to carrots and never has soft results. I was skeptical at first but tried it on a big batch of red cabbage and it came out perfect, crunchy and sour. Since then I've done maybe fifteen or twenty jars at 2.5% and only had one go soft, and that was when my basement got above 70 degrees for a week. I think a little extra salt really does help the cabbage hold its structure, especially if you're not in a perfectly cool spot.
5
casey2682mo ago
That's interesting, because a 2% brine is actually pretty standard for kraut. The texture issue might come from other factors, like the temperature where it ferments or how tightly it's packed. A warmer spot can make it go soft faster. Maybe try keeping your next batch in a cooler place first before changing your salt ratio. Too much salt can slow the good bacteria down.
1
the_mary2mo ago
But a cooler spot can stall the whole ferment and leave it tasting raw. Sometimes a little extra salt is the only way to get a reliable crunch, right?
5