Sauerkraut

[WilliaminBKK]

I'd like to try making sauerkraut. I came across a Youtube video and it seems so easy.

My question is, all the recipes say store in a cool place do you think it will spoil with the heat ? or try smaller batches in the fridge. I'm wondering if the fridge is to cold and it wont ferment properly. 50-60F is around 10-15C I wish I could find a room that cold LOL

Thoughts suggestions ?

[MrRed]

How to make a German bitter call it coleslaw

[AyG]

The temperature simple changes the speed of fermentation. If you put it in the fridge the fermentation will be very, very slow. Just leave it in the coolest place you can find. Press it down regularly to keep it moist. And expect it to be ready to transfer to the fridge sooner than the recipe says.

[notmyself]

The temperature simple changes the speed of fermentation. If you put it in the fridge the fermentation will be very, very slow. Just leave it in the coolest place you can find. Press it down regularly to keep it moist. And expect it to be ready to transfer to the fridge sooner than the recipe says.

But the fermentation could be too quick. Certainly worth a go, hope the OP reports back.

[Naam]

The temperature simple changes the speed of fermentation. If you put it in the fridge the fermentation will be very, very slow. Just leave it in the coolest place you can find. Press it down regularly to keep it moist. And expect it to be ready to transfer to the fridge sooner than the recipe says.

But the fermentation could be too quick. Certainly worth a go, hope the OP reports back.

according to my late Grandma any fermentation above 18ºC will not result in a "through and through" tasty Sauerkraut. the ideal temperature range is 10-15ºC.

[notmyself]

The temperature simple changes the speed of fermentation. If you put it in the fridge the fermentation will be very, very slow. Just leave it in the coolest place you can find. Press it down regularly to keep it moist. And expect it to be ready to transfer to the fridge sooner than the recipe says.

But the fermentation could be too quick. Certainly worth a go, hope the OP reports back.

according to my late Grandma any fermentation above 18ºC will not result in a "through and through" tasty Sauerkraut. the ideal temperature range is 10-15ºC.

Not going to be easy to keep the temp within that range for a good week. Aircon maybe?

[Naam]

The temperature simple changes the speed of fermentation. If you put it in the fridge the fermentation will be very, very slow. Just leave it in the coolest place you can find. Press it down regularly to keep it moist. And expect it to be ready to transfer to the fridge sooner than the recipe says.

But the fermentation could be too quick. Certainly worth a go, hope the OP reports back.

according to my late Grandma any fermentation above 18ºC will not result in a "through and through" tasty Sauerkraut. the ideal temperature range is 10-15ºC.

Not going to be easy to keep the temp within that range for a good week. Aircon maybe?

even aircon won't help as most of the units can't be switched lower than 18ºC. moreover, for the electricity cost to cool a small storage room down to 18º you can buy "tons" of the finest German Sauerkraut brands in Friendship and Foodland which, by the way, does not cost an arm and a leg. i could list dozens of food stuff which would be fun and cost saving doing it yourself in Thailand. but Sauerkraut is not among them.

[WilliaminBKK]

Naam- That is what I was thinking the high temperature wouldn't allow the salt and cabbage to do it's magic. I could always build a walk-in fridge for my one meal of sauerkraut and trotters/hocks LOL

Your Nan did she ever mention besides the taste if above 18° would create harmful bacteria ?

Now please share what your other ideas ? I love to experiment-the recent bacon thread has me wondering daily what else can I make.

[kennalder]

So this guy has a "corner of his kitchen that stays between 50-65 F"?

If you live in Chiang Mai stop by Steve and Lyn's new health food store in Sansai just a couple of hundred yard north of Rimping market on the way to Mae Jo. They are on the left just over the bridge, before you get to the gas station. I have tried their sauerkraut and like it. They usually have 4-5 jars at a time in the fridge. The name of the store is Only Natural. They are very friendly people and would probably be happy to tell you how they make it.

You might also try attending a meeting of the newly formed Chiang Mai probiotics club. Info on fb. https://www.facebook.com/groups/362045903876086/

We have so far only covered kefir in some of its forms but mention has been made of sauerkraut so I expect we will get around to that in the near future.

[Naam]

Naam- That is what I was thinking the high temperature wouldn't allow the salt and cabbage to do it's magic. I could always build a walk-in fridge for my one meal of sauerkraut and trotters/hocks LOL

Your Nan did she ever mention besides the taste if above 18° would create harmful bacteria ?

Now please share what your other ideas ? I love to experiment-the recent bacon thread has me wondering daily what else can I make.

if i recall correctly Grandma meant that a fast fermentation does not penetrate the cabbage completely. there's no need for a walk-in fridge. any medium size fridge will do. don't think you would want to prepare what we used to do in Germany ages ago, namely a 200 liter barrel with Sauerkraut in the cellar which lasted a full year for a family of six.

bacteria? no idea!

ideas to share i have only one and that is i'm crazy about smoked products as well as their proper storage. my brother hunts and friends who visit Thailand carry all kind of smoked meat and smoked sausage (red deer, wild boar, hare, pheasant, trout, etc.) for me.

as i don't have a cool storage place everything is vacuum sealed and kept frozen. but it's just not the real thing and there are some things which are spoilt when frozen once. have you ever tasted smoked wild boar brains?

smoked products should hang in a cool but aired storage room where you enter... breathe deeply... let the saliva fill your mouth and then... sloooooooooowly you select/cut whatever you want to savour (together with your faithful dogs) washing it down with an icecold Weihenstephaner Weissbier

for that purpose i had earmarked a room in the cellar of my house in Germany. i thought i built the perfect house in Thailand till i realised that i forgot the "smokey room"

[dazk]

not sure what the temperature range of all domestic fridge is my fridge manual says 7oC so not too much below 10 oC or maybe you could adapt an old fridge buy replacing the thermostat or adjusting it

[Naam]

not sure what the temperature range of all domestic fridge is my fridge manual says 7oC so not too much below 10 oC or maybe you could adapt an old fridge buy replacing the thermostat or adjusting it

that is indeed no problem at all. my problem is that i occupy already for me personally a part of a huge fridge/freezer, a whole big fridge/freezer and a chest freezer. i don't think the Mrs will tolerate a fridge in the master bedroom or the living room

[raro]

You seem to store a lot of weihenstephan

sent from my Android phone

[Naam]

You seem to store a lot of weihenstephan

sent from my Android phone

my consumption of Weihenstephaner is a mere two bottles a week. no! i will not reveal my consumption of Port.

[NanaFoods]

I have made sauerkraut before in thailand without using aircon.

However, it was in the winter time here... and it came out fine.

[WilliaminBKK]

Since it is cheap as chips to make I'll give it a whirl and report back.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

[growe237]

We make sauerkraut in Maine and let it work (ferment) at room temp. until it's ready, then put it in fridge or cool area when you want fermentation to stop. Just made a quart last week and didn't use any sugar as we just read that cabbage had enough natural sugar. The key to keeping it is to keep the sauerkruat covered with the juice so air doesn't get to the kraut and make it spoil. Since it was such a small batch, we used the cuisenart to shred it and a wooden spoon to pound it. Later this fall, will make a big batch will use sugar with five gallons with sugar and one with three gallons without sugar and see which we like better and which lasts better.

[canopy]

I was inspired by that clip several years ago and have never bought kraut since. It's not necessary but I do deviate in two small ways. First, I don't add water but instead tamp it until sufficient water rises out of the cabbage which takes lots of mashing. Second, I clean the container with vinegar first to prevent a scum layer from covering the water. Even if scum does appear I have read it is safe to just skim it off regularly and have gone through this without any negative effects. I prefer the taste of home made compared to store bought and also can control the salt content as desired. So the ingredient list for me is just cabbage and sea salt, nothing else. I make it year round, though weather in my area of Thailand is mild. I don't doubt cooler temps are best but results even in the hottest weather should be grade A instead of maybe an A+.

The main thing to realize is this is making sauerkraut is easy and healthy. Canned sauerkraut has fewer health benefits as it is 'dead' and often heat pasteurized. If buying from the store, jars are the healthier option. Live type is good for your stomach like yogurt.

[bartender100]

I would have though the poor cabbage selection in Thailand was a problem, which variety is being used?

Does it not also bring up the problem of removing pesticides first as being discussed on another thread, local cabbage must be full of it, sauerkraut is excellent for the gut

[WilliaminBKK]

Update.

What a fool I've been missing out on home made sauerkraut all these years. I took Canopy's suggestion and washed the container & then cleaned it once again with vinegar

I followed the instructions, two heads of cabbage salt and pushed in into the plastic bucket I had, put a plate & weight on it accordingly and covered with a tea towel.

1-3 days I added more weight

4-5 days it was totally submerged in it's own liquid

6-10 days I looked daily and no scum at all

Sampled and it was crunchy but not that strong

11-15 days I did get a slight odour but wasn't bad at all

Sampled and it was still crunchy and the same flavour as store bought IMO

17th day I sampled and it seemed just a little mushy and I thought I had gone too long so I placed the batch in bowls in the fridge with smaller plates & weights (I used canned food)

Two days in the fridge and it firmed up & was super crunchy again. I couldn't wait any longer and devoured the entire batch over 2 days........raw was crunchy and full of flavour, cooked was probably the best I've ever had.

Bottom line I love my 21 day batch, I'll do another batch this week and follow the same fermentation process then let it continue in the fridge for up to a month if it lasts that long.

Finally, don't overdose like I did LOL my tummy was singing with growls for a day LOL.

[notmyself]

Thank you very much for the update and also, well done you.

[Naam]

supper today (prepared by the Mrs herself):

-beef rouladen, stuffed with smoked (not only cured) bacon, pepillino gherkins, pickled jalapeño, onion and Löwensenf.

served with

-homemade Semmelknödel, "Hainich" Weinsauerkraut (Friendship) as well as gravy galore.

i was allowed a bite, shouted "divine!" and thought " the twice ten days Grandma stayed in our house more than 30 years ago was a gift from benign God's."

now i am waiting and salivating. still 15-20 minutes to go.

[Naam]

forgot to mention green pepper!

[WilliaminBKK]

forgot to mention green pepper!

We need to start a thread on German cooking, one of the absolute best meals I ever had was a sauce made with these peppercorns and I think cream ..... on a smoked pork chop in Heidelberg YUM YUM YUM

[connda]

Thanks for the post. The Bavarian side of me can wait to give this a try!

[Orgathai]

in the tropics you do not use the same method of making sauerkraut as in the west.

Here you do not have winter cabbage, only summer cabbage.

You can pickle at room temperature, I prefer to pickle at 26 Celsius, as I am a commercial pickler ,

and my gherkins do not tolerate higher temperatures, so I made from my second bedroom my pickle room

per kg of cabbage , 2 % of sea salt and a few juniper berries (they have a conservationist effect).

From the moment the sauerkraut is done, that is when the juice lowers again ( I do not use glass jars, I use wooden barrels,

as then I can pickle much more at the same time, as I have restaurant , hotels and even on catering company ordering my stuff)

I put it in a airtight tupperware in my fridge, and can keep it for another 3 months without any problem.

I also make kimchi, red cabbage with cinnamon, apple and raisins, and beetroot.

Good to know that there are so many picklers in Thailand

BTW the sauerkraut contains a lot of choline, good to regulate blood pressure and prevent diabetes.

It is even healthier eating it raw , as then you get the bacteria , healthy for your digestif system

gee

www.orgathai.com

[kikoman]

I have been making sauerkraut for about 4 years on and off, I hand cut the cabbage and add sea salt, then pound the cabbage until it is covered in its own juice and cover it with a weighted down plate. Place it in my hot dark pantry for a week.

After a week it is placed in the fridge for another week. I only eat it raw, never cooked and it taste great to me.

I have tasted canned sauerkraut and did not like it, I prefer the homemade better, I ferment it at room temperature which in my house is always hot and the product comes out great. As I am not German I never tasted the one that grandmothers make only that of a Polish gf that I did not care for much.

Sauerkraut is good for your stomach as is yogurt, I do not make it much anymore because I now make a kim-chi much in the same way as the kraut and prefer the hot spicy taste of the Kim-chi.

Cheers:

[puck2]

supper today (prepared by the Mrs herself):

-beef rouladen, stuffed with smoked (not only cured) bacon, pepillino gherkins, pickled jalapeño, onion and Löwensenf.

served with

-homemade Semmelknödel, "Hainich" Weinsauerkraut (Friendship) as well as gravy galore.

i was allowed a bite, shouted "divine!" and thought " the twice ten days Grandma stayed in our house more than 30 years ago was a gift from benign God's."

now i am waiting and salivating. still 15-20 minutes to go.

Your supper remmebers my Silesian grandmother, parents and aunt. They nearly prepared it like your wife. The sauerkraut was home-made and the procedure was as descibed by WilliaminBKK + adding some salt - #20 - and stored in a big earthenware jar in the cellar.

Of course, at that time pickled jalapeños have not been available. But sour ceam to the sauce, that topped it all. If sour cream is not available then add some vinegar to the (sweet) creme. Replace sauerkraut with red cabbage and you are also salivating.

BTW, if you are in Hua Hin by accident you can get your beef rouladen in a Geman restaurant. Really delicious. PM me if you don't know this restaurant.

Edited October 6, 2013 by puck2