My sauerkraut went from mushy to crunchy after I started weighing it down

I made a batch of red cabbage kraut about a month ago and after two weeks, it was weirdly soft. I was just using the cabbage's own juice as a weight. Last week, I started using a small glass jar filled with water as a weight to keep everything submerged. Checked it yesterday, and the texture is totally different, super crisp now. Has anyone else had a texture turn-around like that just from changing how you weigh it down?

2 comments

2 Comments

emeryp2322d ago

Was the glass jar weight just better at keeping air out? That could mean less oxidation, which is what makes it mushy in the first place. How much weight did you end up using?

harris.emma21d ago

I used a 2-pound glass weight from a local kitchen store. The real trick was putting a cabbage leaf over the veggies before the weight, which creates a better seal than just glass on pickles. That extra layer blocks way more air from touching the food directly. It made a huge difference in keeping everything crisp.