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Sauerkraut is a popular homemade variety. To obtain them, you need to select a recipe, variety, spices and containers. One of the main questions that arises during the cooking process is whether it is possible to ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket? Sourdough is made only in containers of a certain type. Otherwise, it will negatively affect the taste of the dish.
Benefits of sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is obtained by fermentation. To prepare it, you need to chop the head of cabbage and grate the carrots. Many recipes call for peppers, apples, beets, or cranberries.
After cutting, the vegetables are mixed with salt, sugar, allspice, bay leaf and other spices are added to taste.
Sauerkraut contains vitamin C, known for its antioxidant properties. The absence of heat treatment allows you to fully preserve this useful element in vegetables, as well as vitamins K, group B, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc.
After fermentation, acetic and lactic acid are formed in the cabbage. The calorie content of the snack is 27 kcal per 0,1 kg. Therefore, it is included in the diet menu.
You can use cabbage in the presence of ulcers and liver diseases. And its brine is an anti-cold remedy.
Hypertensive patients should be careful to include pickled vegetables in the diet due to the high salt content. Then recipes are selected where its minimum amount is required.
How to ferment cabbage
In order to preserve maximum nutrients in vegetables, you need to ferment them correctly. This takes into account several nuances: the choice of variety, seasonings and containers. Particular attention is paid to the selection of containers for fermentation and further storage of blanks.
Variety choice
No less relevant is the question of which cabbage to ferment. The best for this purpose are varieties of medium and late ripening. Such heads of cabbage are characterized by increased density, and when salted, a crispy and hard snack is obtained. Their ripening occurs in mid-autumn, so this time is the best for fermentation.
Large heads of cabbage are chosen for sourdough to minimize waste. However, several small heads can be used. When choosing cabbage, you need to pay attention to the presence of green leaves. If they are absent, then it is likely that the vegetables were frozen. As a result, she lost her presentation, and the seller eliminated these leaves.
White-headed varieties are best suited for fermentation, which are sweetish in taste. If red-headed varieties are used, then the appetizer acquires a bitter aftertaste. Adding sugar will help fix the situation.
The most suitable varieties for fermentation are Aros, Slava, Morozko, etc. It is quite simple to determine late heads of cabbage: they are large in size and high in density, have rough and thick leaves.
Choice of seasonings and additives
Salt is the main fermenting agent. If vegetables are fermented without salt, then spices are used. This snack has a specific taste and is not stored for a long time.
If salt is not used enough, then the vegetables become loose. Excess salt also negatively affects the taste of the blanks and increases the duration of the entire process. Cabbage is fermented using coarse rock salt.
Sugar is added to speed up the fermentation process. It gives vegetables a mild flavor. If you overdo it with sugar, they will become too soft.
Bay leaf and allspice help to improve the taste of sauerkraut. These components are present in almost every recipe.
You can add other seasonings to your taste:
- caraway;
- anise;
- hot peppers;
- cloves;
- Dill seeds.
Various vegetables, berries, fruits and herbs are used as additives:
- Bulgarian pepper;
- celery;
- cranberry;
- cranberries;
- apples;
- mushrooms;
- fresh cilantro and dill.
Use of containers
Initially, cabbage was fermented in wooden barrels. The most delicious vegetables are obtained in oak containers. At home, it is not always possible to place wooden tubs.
It is best to choose a container made of hardwood (birch, oak, linden). If you sour in a coniferous dish, then it must be poured with cold water for 25 days. Every 5 days the water is changed. This procedure will eliminate resins and tannins from wood.
Glassware can replace wooden containers. Fermentation can be done immediately in glass jars. To do this, prepared vegetables are placed in a three-liter jar, where the fermentation process takes place.
The use of three-liter jars greatly simplifies the cooking process. After the end of fermentation, they are immediately removed for storage, without shifting the vegetables into another container. In this way, you can ferment cabbage throughout the year. When the blanks are over, prepare the next jar.
An alternative is to use enamelware. Before use, it is checked for chips and cracks. Enameled pots, buckets and barrels are suitable for pickling.
What can not be fermented vegetables? The following types of containers are not recommended:
- steel;
- aluminum.
During fermentation, lactic acid is released, after which the brine interacts with the metal surface. As a result, the preparations acquire an unpleasant aftertaste. Such a chemical reaction can lead to the formation of harmful substances. Therefore, fermenting cabbage in aluminum dishes is strictly prohibited.
It is not recommended to store blanks in aluminum dishes. This metal quickly interacts with acids, therefore, with prolonged contact, the content of harmful compounds increases.
Metal containers can be used for fermentation if contact of vegetables with their surface is prevented. To do this, the cabbage is first placed in a strong plastic bag, which is then placed in an aluminum container.
To the question “Is it possible to ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket?” There is no definite answer. It is possible to use a plastic barrel for fermentation, however, this method will not improve the taste properties of the blanks. Only food-grade plastic is suitable for pickling. The type of use is indicated on the dishes themselves or on labels.
When fermenting in a plastic container, vegetables can absorb its smell. Poor quality plastic buckets may contain harmful chemicals. Cabbage pickled in this way can take on a strange taste. If there is no other option, cut vegetables are first placed in a plastic bag, then in a plastic bucket.
fermentation process
After placing the cabbage in a container, a load is placed on top. Its functions will be performed by a jar filled with water, or a stone. Oppression is better to put on a wide plate. If fermentation is done in jars, then they are not closed with lids.
In the process of fermentation, juice is released from vegetables. Therefore, under the container you need to put a deep plate or pan.
Sauerkraut occurs at a temperature of 17-22°C. Depending on the recipe, this process takes from one hour to several days.
At lower temperatures, the process will take longer and may stop altogether. At high temperatures, the vegetables will spoil and become too soft.
After 3 days, the vegetable mass settles, and the intensity of juice secretion will decrease. This indicates the readiness of the dish. Before sending blanks for permanent storage, you need to taste them. Unleavened vegetables are left to ferment for a few more days.
If there is a sour taste, the cabbage is moved to the basement, refrigerator or other cool place.
Secrets of delicious cabbage
To make the cabbage crispy, use the following tricks:
- after adding salt, you do not need to knead the chopped vegetables, just gently mix all the components;
- cabbage is cut into pieces of medium size;
- so that the vegetables do not soften, they add horseradish root or oak bark, which contain tannins;
- first, the cabbage is fermented at room temperature, then the container is moved to a room where the temperature is 0 ° C;
- when placing vegetables in a container, you need to tamp them well, then put a load on top;
- It is not recommended to freeze vegetables before use.
To improve the taste of pickled vegetables, the following actions will help:
- during the fermentation process, you need to remove the foam;
- regularly pierce vegetables with a wooden stick (for uniform fermentation and gas release);
- add cucumber pickle or sour fruit juice.
You can extend the shelf life of blanks if a number of conditions are met:
- jars or other containers are left in a cool place at a temperature of + 1 ° C;
- To avoid the appearance of mold, the use of a cloth soaked in alcohol, which is covered with cabbage, will help.
Conclusion
Sauerkraut is a healthy snack and a component of other dishes. Before getting blanks for the winter, you need to figure out whether it is possible to ferment cabbage in aluminum dishes. Metal containers are not suitable for pickling. It is best to use wooden, glass or clay containers. Plastic dishes are not recommended for sourdough and further storage. You can first place the vegetables in a plastic bag, then lower it into a plastic or metal bucket.
