My kraut went from soggy to crisp after I ditched the fancy weights

For years I used those glass fermentation weights, you know the ones that look nice in the jar. Every batch of sauerkraut I made came out kinda soft and mushy. About six months ago, I got fed up and just grabbed a ziplock bag, filled it with a brine mix, and laid it right on top of the cabbage. The change was wild. The bag molds to the surface perfectly, pushing out every bit of air and keeping everything under the liquid. My last batch, a simple green cabbage with caraway, fermented for three weeks and came out with a serious crunch I never got before. It's a small thing but it totally changed the texture game for me. Anyone else find that simple gear works better than the 'right' stuff sometimes?

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_west2mo agoTop Commenter

That bag trick really does work. I had the same issue with weights letting little bits float up and get soft. Switched to a brine bag and the crunch is just on another level now.

craig.mila2mo ago

Nah, I gotta disagree on the bag thing. It just makes everything way too salty for me. I'd rather deal with a little softness than ruin the whole flavor.

harperg762mo ago

Honestly, @craig.mila, I wonder if the salt level in your brine mix was off. I use a pretty light brine in my bag and it doesn't overpower things at all. That perfect seal just keeps everything submerged so much better than a solid weight.