23
Just realized my whole sauerkraut method was wrong after a workshop in Portland
I was at a fermentation workshop in Portland last month, and the instructor said you should never pack your cabbage with a tamper, just use your hands. I've always used a wooden pounder for 5 years to get it really tight. She said packing it too hard can damage the cell structure and make it mushy. So I tried her way on my last batch, just squeezing by hand, and the texture is way better. Has anyone else switched from pounding to hand massaging?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
miles99217d ago
Wait, you used to pack it down hard too? I was so sure that was The Right Way until my last batch came out weirdly soft. This hand-massage thing is a total game changer.
7
That point about damaging the cell structure and getting mush is so real. It reminds me of when @victor101 and I tried to make a huge batch for a party and totally over-pounded it. We ended up with this sad, watery slaw that nobody touched. Ever since then I've been way more gentle, almost like I'm just giving the cabbage a good massage to get the brine going. The difference in the crunch is honestly night and day.
3