how much course sea salt to make sauerkraut

How much sea salt to use in sauerkraut?

2% brineHOW MUCH SALT? The best fermentation results are achieved with a 2% brine. A 2% brine ratio ensures a happy fermentation environment and results in crispy, tangy sauerkraut.

Can you use sea salt to make sauerkraut?

Salt quality is important — never use iodized salt, and take care to use salt that has no additives. Sea salt works well, or rock salt. Watch out for the salt labelled 'pickling salt', it often has anti-caking agents in it which can negatively affect your fermentation.

Can you use sea salt to ferment cabbage?

Processed salts (table salt, sea salt, iodized salt, kosher salt and pickling salt), some of which don't contain additives and work well for beginning fermenters.

How much salt for sour cabbage?

Fermented vegetables like cabbage generally do well with 2-3% salt by weight. That means that for every pound of cabbage you use, you should also use 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons salt. You can also weigh your cabbage using a kitchen scale, and then use 20 to 30 grams of salt for every kilogram of cabbage.

How much salt is needed for fermentation?

HOW MUCH SALT DO I USE? Our rule of thumb for salt in vegetable ferments is 1-3 tablespoons per quart of water.

Is sea salt the same as pickling salt?

Sea Salt. Although sea salt contains no additives, it is not recommended as a substitute for pickling salt because it is so dramatically different in grain size and shape from pickling salt, causing it to measure out very differently by volume than pickling salt.

Can you use iodized sea salt sauerkraut?

Iodine tends to inhibit the beneficial bacteria in a cultured vegetable, so we do not recommend using iodized salt for vegetable fermentation.

Can you use Celtic sea salt for fermenting?

Even some sea salts can be refined and stripped of their mineral content. I recommend using a mineral rich unrefined sea salt, such as Celtic Sea Salt in your ferments.

Do you have to use kosher salt for sauerkraut?

Kosher Salt It worked fine for our first ever batch of sauerkraut. However, it's grainy and doesn't dissolve well into a salt brine. Kosher salt does not contain iodine but it can contain anti-caking agents, so be sure to check the package to make sure it's just salt.

What happens if you add too much salt to sauerkraut?

Unfortunatly, the amount of salt you used will not allow the fermentation process to occur. It will preserve the cabbage and is perfectly safe to eat, but it will not be fermented, therefor not saurkraut.

Does sauerkraut have too much salt?

However, unlike cabbage, sauerkraut can be high in sodium. Keep this in mind if you're watching your salt intake. Sauerkraut is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Its probiotics also help your body absorb these nutrients more easily, which is what makes sauerkraut more nutritious than raw cabbage or coleslaw.

What salt do you use for fermenting?

KOSHER SALT It's popular because it has a thick, flakey texture that's easy for pinching and dissolves quickly with water to make a brine. Its taste is comparable to table salt, so it's an easy go-to for beginner fermenters. We highly recommend using kosher salt in any ferment!

Step 2 – Do Some Easy Math

So from step one, you discovered your cabbage weighs 2000g right? For step two, take that number (2000g) and multiply by .02. Notice how the number “2” is in .02? That’s how you end up with 2% salt.

Step 3 – Weigh your salt

Now, simply weigh your salt with a kitchen scale to match the answer you got above. That’s how much salt you should use. There are no tablespoons to measure here.

Fermenting Sauerkraut bonus resources

The University of Wisconsin-Madison and North Carolina State University have great information about fermenting vegetables, including sauerkraut: You can find these at the links below. When you click on these links, a PDF will either open or download.

P E R C E N T A G E

One absolute essential of fermenting is calculating salt percentages. It's much easier in grams!

M E T H O D

1. Get prepared - make sure your equipment is clean and your jars are sterilised.

V A R I A T I O N S

There are a million ways you can flavour your kraut! a few of my personal favourites are:

Step 1 – Prepare your cabbage

Shred the cabbage and put it in a big bowl. Generally there are about 12 cups of shredded cabbage in a 2 pound head. Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the cabbage and mix it up. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Step 3 – Taste cabbage for salt

Go back to your cabbage mixture and massage and squeeze with your hands. When you squeeze the cabbage and liquid comes out, it’s ready to taste. Taste the cabbage at the bottom of the bowl and compare it to the brine you made. The salt level should taste similar.

The Importance of getting the salt right

I can’t stress enough how super important it is to get the salt amount right. Too little salt can cause the sauerkraut to get mushy or moldy and too much will slow the fermentation down significantly. Always start with the least amount of salt required and add more if needed. This will ensure you will get perfectly salted sauerkraut each time.

All Tablespoons of Salt are not Created Equal when making Sauerkraut

You see, some salt is coarse, some fine and some in between. One tablespoon of any of these is actually a different amount of salt. So, one tablespoon of fine grain salt will generally weigh more than coarse salt. That’s because more of the finer granules can fit into one tablespoon. The granules are closer together and packed more tightly.

Salt for Sauerkraut – Up Close and Personal

Let’s get a closer look at different types of salt in the photo below.

Level or Heaping Tablespoon of Salt

Most sauerkraut recipes don’t tell you if you should be using a level tablespoon, a heaping tablespoon, or something in between. A leveled tablespoon is where you slide a butter knife across the top of the spoon. It leaves the salt exactly level with the height of the tablespoon.

Tablespoons of Salt from Different Countries

What makes matters worse is that the size of a tablespoon made in one country is sometimes different than another country. For instance, Australia uses a 20ml tablespoon. In contrast, most of the rest of the world uses a 15ml tablespoon. Further to that, North America does not have a legal standard on what size a tablespoon should be made.

Sauerkraut making – modern trend or ancient method of preservation?

In the olden days, people used to ferment foods like cabbage as a means to preserve veggies over the cold harsh winters when little food was available. These days it tends to be used as an incredible health food as a source of super-healthy friendly bacteria that supports our gut and overall health.

Fundamentals of how to make sauerkraut – key points

Temperature is important for the developmental stage of the sauerkraut.

Did you make this recipe?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.