tyler_hernandez•24d agoProlific Poster

PSA: My whole sauerkraut batch went slimy because I was too gentle with the salt

I've been making kraut in my 2-gallon crock for about a year, always aiming for that perfect crunch. I'd measure my salt with a scale, aiming for that 2% everyone talks about. Last batch, I got a little worried about it being too salty, so I eyeballed it and probably went closer to 1.5%. Everything looked fine for the first week. Then I checked it yesterday and the whole thing had this weird, slick, almost ropy texture. It wasn't moldy, just gross and slimy. A quick search told me that not enough salt can let the wrong bacteria win early, making that slime. I had to dump the whole batch, about 5 heads of cabbage. I felt so dumb because I was trying to be careful. Has anyone else had a batch go slimy, and how do you make sure your salt weight is spot on every time?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_nina23d ago

Slime happens, it's not the end of the world. People have been fermenting food for ages without digital scales. Just taste the brine next time, if it's salty like the sea you're good.

ivan4023d ago

Hold up, that's risky advice. Tasting raw ferment brine can introduce bad bacteria from your mouth right into the jar. A digital scale is cheap and stops the guesswork. Getting the salt wrong isn't just about slime, it can let mold or worse stuff grow. Old ways worked, but we have better tools now for a reason.