How Do You Shred and Chop Cabbage for Sauerkraut?

Although many various varieties of cabbage may be used to make sauerkraut, green cabbage is the most usually used.

Green cabbage is mainly inedible fresh, but when cooked or fermented, it becomes considerably more tasty and healthy.

The first step in preparing sauerkraut is to chop up all of the cabbage that will be fermented.

This may be done by hand or using a food processor.

Shredding is essential for optimum fermentation of sauerkraut.

In this tutorial, we’ll look at how to chop cabbage for sauerkraut.

Is it Possible to Grate Cabbage for Sauerkraut?

While grating cabbage is feasible, it may not be the greatest choice.

Grater blades primarily slice veggies, leaving holes and irregular slices in the sauerkraut.

Grating would also add an excessive amount of water to the cabbage.

Spitting out excess water is not a good idea since it will inhibit fermentation and may even cause mold to form on top of your sauerkraut.

How to Shred Cabbage with a Knife for Sauerkraut?

A knife is a superior technique to shred cabbage for sauerkraut.

Remove and discard the bottom of the cabbage head.

Find and remove the core.

Place the cabbage head on its side and chop it into many pieces, retaining as much of the stem as possible.

Flip each sliced piece of cabbage on its side and shred it against the grain of the leaves.

When you have a mound of shredded cabbage, put it to one side and set a plate on top of it.

Next push down hard on the plate until all of the shredded cabbage is lying as one compact cake on the platter.

Cut this cake in half and then further in half if required.

Is it Possible to Prepare Sauerkraut in a Food Processor?

If you use a food processor to prepare sauerkraut, bear in mind that it is not built for slicing and dicing.

When used as a cabbage shredder, food processors excel in chopping and pureeing, although the results may vary.

A cross-section of your shredded cabbage may resemble matchsticks rather than long, thin threads.

This is not suitable for sauerkraut since water must drain rapidly and freely throughout the fermenting process.

If you must create your sauerkraut in a food processor, do it in batches and use as little liquid as possible (just enough to cover the cabbage).

Furthermore, take in mind that this may have an impact on the final output.

Nevertheless, some newer types of food processors feature a slicing and shredding function that may be sufficient.

Is it Possible to Make Sauerkraut with a Mandolin?

Although it is theoretically feasible to make sauerkraut using a mandolin, it may not be the greatest option.

Mandolins are renowned for inflicting injuries because to their sharpness and ease of handling.

One slip of the hand while attempting to press down on your cabbage cake might result in significant injury.

If you must use a mandolin, proceed with caution and cautiously.

While using a mandolin, it is also advisable to deal with smaller batches of cabbage since bigger batches might result in thicker slices and more shredding than necessary.

Additionally, only use the slice setting (not shredded or julienne) and pull your hand away from the blade as soon as you finish pushing down on the cabbage.

Conclusion

Overall, it is considerably safer to shred cabbage using a knife than than a grater or food processor.

While it may take longer, the procedure will be considerably simpler, and you will eliminate any extra danger of damage.

If you are concerned about the stench overpowering your house, you may create smaller amounts at a time.

Smaller batches of sauerkraut will also make it simpler to monitor the fermenting process since you may peep into your jar more often if required.

Cabbage is often shredded for coleslaw rather than sauerkraut.

If you don’t want to use your knife, a cabbage shredder with a big enough hole to accept the shredded cabbage is a good alternative.

Instead, experiment with a mandolin (at your own risk).