[Sca-cooks] sauerkraut

[Adele de Maisieres]

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> But I thought that sauerkraut was more than simply salted cabbage.  
> Isn't there some kind of fermentation going on? Isn't that where the  
> sour taste comes from? In which case, unless the yeasts/bacteria/ 
> whatever are already there in/on the cabbage, there is no guarantee  
> that it will turn into sauerkraut, unless the needed beasties are  there 
> in the air, the temperature is right etc.

Yes, there's a fermentation process, but it's incredibly reliable. You 
don't need to add any sort of starter culture, and it works at a wide 
range of temperatures (albeit at varying speeds).


> If you salt the cabbage and then stick it in the refrigerator, you  get 
> salted cabbage, right? Not sauerkraut.

I haven't tried this-- but I suspect it turns into sauerkraut 
_eventually_.  If you want it _not_ to become sauerkraut, you need to up 
the ratio of salt to cabbage.

-- 
Adele de Maisieres

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