Random stat I found about kraut fermentation temps blew my mind

Honestly I was just looking up why my last batch of sauerkraut came out mushy and found this fact from a 2018 study in the Journal of Food Science. Turns out fermenting at 65°F instead of 72°F keeps the lactic acid bacteria way more active and cuts down on softness by almost 40%. I always thought warmer was faster and better, but apparently slow and cool is the real move for crunchy kraut. Anyone else tweak their temps after reading something like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy97426d ago

Did you try burping your jars more often too? I found that made a bigger difference for me than the temp, but cooling it down definitely helped the crunch.

leo_fisher26d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah exactly @amy974 I had the same thing... burping more often really saved a batch for me. I was too scared to mess with it at first but now I do it like three times a day and it's way better.

the_xena25d ago

Swapped my temp down to 65 after reading a similar study and it was a game changer for my kraut too. Never going back to the warmer ferments now - the crunch is way better and it doesn't get that weird slimy texture. Also started burping my jars more like amy said, twice a day at least, and that helped with the gas buildup without losing too much liquid. The slow cool ferment just gives you more control, feels less rushed.