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I was dead wrong about using starter cultures for sauerkraut. Still think salt-only is risky.
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drew_thomas94mo ago
And honestly that's the thing - even if you've done it 100 times salt only, all it takes is one off batch where the wrong bacteria takes hold and you're pitching a whole crock. I've switched to tossing in a spoonful of whey or a starter just as insurance.
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jesse_burns84mo ago
Drew's got a point about the risk, but I gotta push back a little on the whey thing. Whey is great for lifting cabbage weights or adding tang, but it's not a magic bullet against bad batches. If your brine is off or you don't keep things submerged, that whey won't save you from mold or yeast. The real insurance is good salt ratios and keeping everything below the brine line. @drew_thomas9 if you're already doing that with salt only, a bad batch is honestly pretty rare unless you're getting cross contamination from somewhere. The starter just adds a guaranteed lacto population, but salt is still doing the heavy lifting on your side.
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