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  • sauerkraut question

    From Chris Hogg@21:1/5 to All on Sun Feb 2 13:00:13 2025
    Is it necessary to sterilise everything when making sauerkraut? If so,
    how? If not, what stops undesirable bacteria from growing in
    competition with or in place of the good bacteria.

    (I had intended to post this on a food and drink group, but the UK
    ones seemed pretty inactive, so I thought I'd try here)

    --

    Chris

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  • From Thomas Prufer@21:1/5 to Chris Hogg on Sun Feb 2 17:55:29 2025
    On Sun, 02 Feb 2025 13:00:13 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

    Is it necessary to sterilise everything when making sauerkraut? If so,
    how? If not, what stops undesirable bacteria from growing in
    competition with or in place of the good bacteria.

    No sterilization necessary, just reasonable* cleanliness. The cabbage is raw and
    not sterile, after all, and old. Some recipes call for a shot of cultured buttermilk or joghurt, to get the desirable bacteria started.

    Too much oxygen and you get yeasts. So a) board and (limestone-free) rock to keep the cabbage submerged, and/or b) the posh fermentation seal on the special
    pot -- very like the bubbler on cider.

    <https://bunzlauerkeramik.com/media/image/product/4420/lg/gaertopf-50-liter-inkl-deckel-steine-und-rezeptheft-braun~6.jpg>

    Many less elaborate ways of keeping oxygen displaced by the carbon dioxide from fermentation will work. Video below has a sacrificial layer of cabbage leaves on
    the cut cabbage.


    Thomas Prufer



    *) FSVO reasonable, here making 1500 kg of sauerkraut the traditional way: <https://youtu.be/B8SpiLjCVBo>

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  • From Tim Streater@21:1/5 to prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invali on Sun Feb 2 18:29:27 2025
    On 2 Feb 2025 at 16:55:29 GMT, "Thomas Prufer" <prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invalid> wrote:

    [snip

    I hate cabbage. In fact I hate all brassicas and all peppers, chiles, etc.

    --
    27/6/1975 - Herbert Kiebler shot and killed trying to cross Berlin Wall.

    "A reminder that the defining characteristic of a socialist regime is coercion, not equality."

    Dan Hannan

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  • From GB@21:1/5 to Chris Hogg on Sun Feb 2 20:04:48 2025
    On 02/02/2025 13:00, Chris Hogg wrote:
    Is it necessary to sterilise everything when making sauerkraut? If so,
    how? If not, what stops undesirable bacteria from growing in
    competition with or in place of the good bacteria.

    (I had intended to post this on a food and drink group, but the UK
    ones seemed pretty inactive, so I thought I'd try here)



    I love sauerkraut, and I'm afraid that I get it from Waitrose. This one:

    https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/vadasz-raw-garlic-dill-sauerkraut/505099-707414-707415

    I have thought of making my own, and I note that there's a lot of salt
    in it, which probably stops a lot of undesirable bacteria. Plus, I would
    put a really big dollop of the shop-bought sauerkraut in my own mix, so
    that I know I'm starting off with a good dose of friendly bacteria.

    Do, please, let us know how you get on.

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  • From GB@21:1/5 to Tim Streater on Sun Feb 2 20:05:53 2025
    On 02/02/2025 18:29, Tim Streater wrote:
    On 2 Feb 2025 at 16:55:29 GMT, "Thomas Prufer" <prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invalid> wrote:

    [snip

    I hate cabbage. In fact I hate all brassicas and all peppers, chiles, etc.


    I'm sure that the OP values your comment. Whether he values it highly is another matter. :)

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  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to Tim Streater on Sun Feb 2 20:37:45 2025
    On 02/02/2025 18:29, Tim Streater wrote:
    On 2 Feb 2025 at 16:55:29 GMT, "Thomas Prufer" <prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invalid> wrote:

    [snip

    I hate cabbage. In fact I hate all brassicas and all peppers, chiles, etc.

    I only hate brassicas, and then not all.

    quite happy with the Solanaceae


    --
    “It is not the truth of Marxism that explains the willingness of intellectuals to believe it, but the power that it confers on
    intellectuals, in their attempts to control the world. And since...it is
    futile to reason someone out of a thing that he was not reasoned into,
    we can conclude that Marxism owes its remarkable power to survive every criticism to the fact that it is not a truth-directed but a
    power-directed system of thought.”
    Sir Roger Scruton

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  • From Chris Hogg@21:1/5 to prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invali on Sun Feb 2 21:10:20 2025
    On Sun, 02 Feb 2025 17:55:29 +0100, Thomas Prufer <prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invalid> wrote:

    On Sun, 02 Feb 2025 13:00:13 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

    Is it necessary to sterilise everything when making sauerkraut? If so,
    how? If not, what stops undesirable bacteria from growing in
    competition with or in place of the good bacteria.

    No sterilization necessary, just reasonable* cleanliness. The cabbage is raw and
    not sterile, after all, and old. Some recipes call for a shot of cultured >buttermilk or joghurt, to get the desirable bacteria started.

    Too much oxygen and you get yeasts. So a) board and (limestone-free) rock to >keep the cabbage submerged, and/or b) the posh fermentation seal on the special
    pot -- very like the bubbler on cider.

    <https://bunzlauerkeramik.com/media/image/product/4420/lg/gaertopf-50-liter-inkl-deckel-steine-und-rezeptheft-braun~6.jpg>

    Many less elaborate ways of keeping oxygen displaced by the carbon dioxide from
    fermentation will work. Video below has a sacrificial layer of cabbage leaves on
    the cut cabbage.


    Thomas Prufer



    *) FSVO reasonable, here making 1500 kg of sauerkraut the traditional way: ><https://youtu.be/B8SpiLjCVBo>

    Thanks Thomas, I knew someone here would have the answer!

    --

    Chris

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