My sauerkraut was always too soft until I saw a video from a guy in Vermont

For years, my kraut came out mushy, not crisp. I packed it tight, used the right salt, but it was a soggy mess. Last month, I watched a video where this guy in Vermont showed how he uses a whole cabbage leaf as a top layer under the weight. I realized I was using a plastic bag filled with brine, which was fine, but I wasn't sealing out all the air from the top surface. I switched to the cabbage leaf method and my last batch, after three weeks, had the perfect crunch. Anyone else find a simple trick that fixed a long-running ferment problem?

4 comments

4 Comments

tessalane1d ago

That whole "tiny gap at the edges" thing @drew706 mentioned is real, but for me it was the opposite fix. I used a cabbage leaf for years and still got soft kraut sometimes. The real game changer for ME was actually using LESS salt. I was following the 2% rule too strictly, and my veggies were just getting soggy from over-salting before the ferment even started. Cutting back just a little bit made everything way crisper. Sometimes the problem isn't the air, it's the basic recipe itself.

carr.cora1d ago

Interesting take but cutting salt sounds risky to me. The 2% rule exists for a reason, it keeps the bad stuff from growing. Too little salt and you're basically inviting mold. @michael803 had it right focusing on keeping things under the brine, that's the real key to safety. A soggy veggie is better than a spoiled batch. Maybe your cabbage was old or the room was too warm, not the salt.

drew7061d ago

Totally get that... the air thing is a game changer. Had the same mushy problem with my pickles for ages. Was using those fancy glass weights, but they never covered the whole surface... left a tiny gap at the edges. Saw a tip to use a folded carrot slice as a follower. Tried it and wow, the difference was crazy. Everything stays submerged now, no more weird film. It's wild how one small change fixes everything.

michael8031d ago

Know exactly what you mean, @drew706. Those little gaps around the weights are where the trouble always starts. A folded carrot is such a smart fix, way better than buying more gear. It's cool when the simplest trick solves the whole problem.