Sauerkraut is tasty, healthy, rich in vitamins, and thousands of people love it. The best time for her is winter. Most housewives are busy preparing this healthy vegetable in the fall. Properly salted cabbage is a tasty and healthy addition to any main dish, holiday or everyday. But it happens that when you look into a jar with a ready-made product, you can find an incomprehensible mucus that looks, excuse me, like snot. And the natural question arises, what to do? Is it possible to eat it and what kind of mucus is it anyway?
What to do if sauerkraut is like snot?
There are several versions regarding this. Here are some of them.
- It's the cabbage itself. More precisely, in its chemical component, it is an overload of nitrates and other harmful substances. Where did they come from? It's simple. When growing, the plant was treated with pesticides beyond measure, and this gave this result. Outwardly, it is no different from the usual one and even better in appearance, but when you eat such a product, many side properties appear.
- The reason for the appearance of snot in the brine may be improper salting. Experienced housewives know that to achieve the best results, it is not enough to simply chop and pickle the cabbage. There are many small nuances, without which the result can be disastrous. First of all, it's salt. You can’t help but add salt to the cabbage, but over-salting won’t benefit the taste either. Secondly, salt again. Many people argue about what kind of salt can and should be added when fermenting. Sea or iodized, coarsely ground or not iodized.
- Another reason for snotty brine is the wrong storage location and temperature. Jars with the finished product should not be left in a warm place; the brine on top will begin to bubble and acquire a viscous consistency similar to mucus ().
- Another seemingly insignificant, but in fact very important point. Proper compaction of shredded cabbage. Experienced housewives pay special attention to this process. It is important to compact it well into the container so that a hollow space does not form inside it.
Let's take a closer look at these points
We will not discuss the subject of vegetables chemically poisoned by pesticides. It’s unlikely that everyone has a chemical laboratory in their kitchen that can help identify one chemical from several forks.
There can be a lot of debate about improper pickling, because there are so many people and so many pickling recipes. But there are several general rules regarding salt. When salting, you need to use coarse, non-iodized salt. It does not contain brighteners, dyes or other chemical elements that can cause undesirable reactions during the fermentation of vegetables.
Further . It was experimentally proven by comparing two completely identical cans. The jar that was stored in a cool, dark place after salting did not give any undesirable reaction in the brine, unlike the one that was stored near a warm radiator. In the latter, after a few days, mucus was discovered in the brine, and a pungent odor.
Tamping. This is an important point, although many, without paying due attention to it, get a “slippery” result. Mucus appears in a container where the finished product is not compacted and contains air. Here, as with improper storage, acidic bacteria multiply at lightning speed, which provokes fermentation.
So is it possible to eat such cabbage?
There is nothing wrong with the formation of mucus, it will not cause harm to health, our aesthetic perception may suffer, but this is a subjective question, as they say, not for everyone.
I have been sauerkraut for many years. Always the same, just like they fermented it at home. Even from the wrong American cabbage, I always got very tasty cabbage to eat as a salad or even for cabbage soup.
And for the first time in my life, my cabbage became snotty when fermenting. That is, at first it fermented and foamed, as it should be. I pierced it a couple of times, and it looked and smelled completely normal.
But today, when I decided to pierce it for the last time, planning to put it in jars tomorrow and put it in the refrigerator, I discovered that the cabbage juice had become somehow slightly viscous. The cabbage still looks and smells completely normal. Can this cabbage still be saved or is all that can be done is throw it away?
Now I spent half an hour on the Internet trying to figure out this issue, but to no avail. All discussions on the topic of “snotty” cabbage are related to how to ferment it correctly and who has the best recipe. Nobody writes what can be done with this very snotty cabbage. I don’t need a pickling recipe; All these years I was satisfied with what I used, but I would like to hear methods of salvation, as well as recommendations on how to avoid such misfortune in the future.
True, the advice that cabbage should be of the right variety is unlikely to help me, since cabbage in our country is generally sold, not counting the Chinese varieties, of only one variety, with which until now I have not had any problems. I do not believe in the connection between the beginning of sauerkraut and the phases of the moon, which is given great importance in many Internet discussions on the topic of sauerkraut. I would be happy to read any other ideas and recommendations.
Update:
As I understood from the discussion and from additional reading of Internet sources, the process of “snotting” or, scientifically speaking, sliming of the cabbage brine can occur when the wrong types of bacteria living on the cabbage and in the environment take over during fermentation. I was not able to find out exactly the conditions under which this could happen, because the sources say very little about them and are quite contradictory. For example, some put forward as a possible cause too low, and others too high, ambient temperature at the initial stage of fermentation. I think that this does not apply to my situation, because judging by all these sources, my temperature was ideal.
It seems that this process depends little on us and it’s just that sometimes the cards fall in such a way that even if all the rules are followed and a recipe that has been tested many times is completely repeated, punctures occur.
Since, judging by online sources and comments, the “snotty” quality of cabbage is not harmful to health, and the comments describe cases where the snottyness goes away after being kept in the refrigerator, I put it in jars and put it in the refrigerator. I'll see what happens in a week or two. It’s never too late to throw it away; as a last resort, if it doesn’t work out perfectly, I’ll wash it and throw it into bigos.
Many thanks to everyone who took part in this discussion, it was very informative.
By the way, the simplest and most logical answer came to me by email:
<А отчего эти самые "слизеобразующие бактерии" развились именно в этот раз, а раньше никогда не развивались? Интересно, что этому способствует? >
Nevertheless. "exactly this time." Fermentation is a non-deterministic process. Each time he takes a new path. It's just that most of these paths lead to the result the user expects. Once upon a time, we talked here (in Easy) about botulism when making garlic in oil. Here we have approximately the same case - the procurement conditions were slightly changed or the set of bacteria on the raw material slightly changed - and voila, a certain barrier was crossed.
So. "Why... exactly this time." For whatever reason. The billet temperature was changed. The supplier treated the cabbage less aggressively with chemicals and not everything died. The medium was “contaminated” with something during the fermentation process. A dog brushed himself off nearby, for example.
"What contributes." First of all, a set of bacteria on raw materials and procurement conditions. Salt and moon phases may play some role, but in your case I would not consider them.
Is it possible to correct the situation when sauerkraut is over-salted, what to do with such a snack or should you just throw it away, and also why this might happen. Read about all this below.
The benefits of sauerkraut
Does it ever happen to you that not only the sight or the smell, but the mere thought of sauerkraut literally makes your mouth water? Most likely, this is because the body does not have enough of the substances contained in this product. Cabbage prepared by pickling is very healthy.
You should start with vitamin C. In this regard, sauerkraut simply has no equal, especially considering that the peak of its consumption falls precisely during the period of colds and seasonal infections. The joint work of vitamins B, A, E and K has a positive effect on the entire body, but primarily on the gastrointestinal tract.
It has been proven that regular consumption of aromatic snacks in food promotes the healing of wounds and ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.
Because of the iodine, it is recommended to make sauerkraut a mandatory component of the diet of pregnant women, and thanks to the huge number of lactic acid bacteria, due to which it actually turns sour, there is an improvement in the intestinal microflora and the fight against dysbiosis.
Sauerkraut is not only tasty, but also very healthy.
And it is also considered one of the most proven ways to prevent the development of cancer cells.
Why does oversalting happen?
Some housewives salt cabbage, strictly following the recipe, while others use it “by eye.” But unpleasant situations happen in both cases. Oversalting most often occurs in the following situations:
- incorrect or untested recipe;
- the recipe indicates the amount of coarse salt, but fine salt is used;
- salting time exceeded;
- The cabbage did not receive enough air for fermentation and did not ferment, but simply became salty.
Much depends on experience, but in any case, no one is immune and every housewife needs to know what to do if she over-salts the cabbage when pickling.
How to save cabbage
This situation is quite common, so there are many options.
Let's look at the main ones.
If you are unable to get rid of excess salt, do not despair.
You can use this cabbage to prepare cabbage soup, borscht, vinaigrette, etc. You can also serve it as an independent appetizer, just generously season with vegetable oil and add more onions.
If you over-salt your sauerkraut, try making stew with it.
Surprisingly, for this recipe, cooks specially oversalt it.
Meat (preferably pork) is cut into large cubes, fried over high heat, and placed in a saucepan.
Onions and carrots are fried in a small amount of vegetable oil. Squeeze the cabbage and mix with the remaining ingredients.
Add a little tomato paste, a little water, seasonings and fresh herbs to the saucepan. Simmer for about 30 minutes. The salt from the cabbage will be evenly distributed and, on the contrary, will become a highlight in the finished dish. Try it, you will like it.
And to avoid over-salting, take note of the following recommendations for pickling cabbage:
- choose late varieties of cabbage;
- the fruit must weigh from 0.8 to 2 kg;
- do not use cabbage that shows signs of rotting;
- Before placing them under pressure, the chopped vegetables must be grated until the juice appears;
- To allow the gases formed during fermentation to escape, you can pierce the cabbage with a long knitting needle.
There are no hopeless situations, so don’t be upset if you over-salt your sauerkraut. Now you know what to do. Happy cooking! And finally, we offer you a proven video recipe for delicious sauerkraut.
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Sauerkraut - a very popular and tasty product that many housewives prepare for their families. It is especially relevant in the winter season. Deliciously prepared sauerkraut will be an excellent dish for any table, both festive and everyday. But sometimes it happens that after checking the readiness of this product, we notice in an incomprehensible slime. Many people wonder what this is slime and where did it come from, and is it possible to eat such cabbage?
Recently, after checking cabbage that had been fermented three days ago, I noticed exactly the same mucus and decided to find out about it on the Internet. After reading several articles, I noticed that the opinions of their authors partially differ. Some believe that this only happens if the cabbage contains harmful nitrates and other substances. Others claim that mucus appears in sauerkraut if it is kept in a warm room. Still others say that this happens due to improper fermentation, that is, it is under-salted or poorly compacted. I think that all of these statements except the first one have the right to be.
What causes mucus to appear in sauerkraut?
I compacted one large head of cabbage into two different jars and placed them in different places. One stood under the radiator, and the second was on the opposite side of the kitchen. According to the recipe, cabbage should be fermented for 2-3 days at room temperature. In my kitchen it was about 22 0 C.
Three days later, I checked the readiness of the cabbage and noticed that mucus had appeared in one of the jars, but the other turned out just fine. Based on the fact that both jars were prepared from the same cabbage and in exactly the same way, I can confidently say that the appearance of mucus is unlikely to be affected by the amount of nitrates it contains and the degree of salting (the amount of added salt).
In my case, the mucus appeared precisely in the jar that was located not far from the battery, so I believe that its formation was caused by the elevated temperature.
It can also be considered correct to say that mucus can appear in a jar in which the cabbage is poorly compacted and contains air. In this case, as at elevated temperatures, rapid proliferation of bacteria occurs, which causes the appearance of mucus and darkening of the product.
Is it possible to eat sauerkraut that has mucus in it?
I will say right away that there is nothing terrible or supernatural in the formation of mucus in sauerkraut, and you can eat it without any harm to your health.
If you notice the appearance of mucus at the very beginning of its formation (air bubbles appear on top of the cabbage and the liquid level rises significantly), then I recommend mixing the upper layers of the cabbage with the lower ones and putting it in the refrigerator. This will stop the rapid development of bacteria and the formation of mucus. In 1-2 days, this cabbage will be completely ready for consumption.
If you notice the mucus too late and it has spread throughout the cabbage, then simply put it in the refrigerator and rinse it in a sieve under running water before eating.
If you still don’t dare to eat this cabbage in a salad, you can use it for making soups, baking pies, pies, or just for stewing. With such elevated temperature treatments, all bacteria will die, and the dishes themselves will turn out very tasty. Therefore, before throwing away sauerkraut with the mucus formed in it, think about what and how you can cook from it.
How to reduce the risk of mucus in sauerkraut?
- To prevent mucus from forming in your sauerkraut, I recommend first making it according to the correct recipe.
- Tamp down the cabbage well. There should be no air in it, and the top layers should be covered with “its own juice.” Otherwise, the cabbage will turn black and/or mucus will form in it.
- For the first 2-3 days of the starter, it is important to keep the cabbage at the correct temperature before placing it in the refrigerator. It should not exceed 20-22 0 C, otherwise rapid growth of bacteria and mucus formation are guaranteed.
- Be sure to put the cabbage in the cold, for example, in the refrigerator or in the cellar, 2-3 days after the start of the ferment, for normal storage.
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Conclusion.
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The most logical option is to rinse the sauerkraut under cold water (and this option has already been suggested here). As I wrote in a deleted answer, sauerkraut goes perfectly with fatty meats or other foods without sourness. The taste of the meat will complement the sour taste of the cabbage and you will get the perfect combination.
Another ingredient that will help remove acid in sauerkraut is sugar.
Cabbage that is too sour can be made edible, you just need to add granulated sugar (it perfectly neutralizes acids), mix with the cabbage so that the juice reacts with the sugar. reaction. Then all that remains is to add a dressing of vegetable oil with chopped onions. Add sugar to taste until the cabbage seems edible to you. The order is also important: sugar must be added before the oil; if it is added after the oil, mixing will not occur, and the fat will not allow the sand to completely dissolve.
You can try to neutralize the acid with other products that are classified as alkaline. For example, chop cucumber or fresh carrots into sauerkraut, add mushrooms. Below is a list of such products, experiment, maybe you’ll invent a new original recipe, then share your experience:
Another popular way to remedy this situation is to stew the cabbage and use it as a dressing for sour cabbage soup.
You most likely left the cabbage in a warm room and it became fermented; now you can’t fix it. At a temperature of 22-25 degrees, cabbage ferments for 2-3 days. But you shouldn’t throw it away; it will make excellent sour cabbage soup. To remove excess acid, you can rinse and squeeze the cabbage before cooking. You can stew it with meat and potatoes.
The acid in sauerkraut can be softened a little, but it cannot be removed. They soften the taste with vegetable oil and thinly sliced onions, which have previously been made sweet.
You can resort to this trick - put raw rice in cheesecloth in the cabbage, put sweet onions in cheesecloth there, let it sit for 3-4 hours, then remove the rice and onion, you can cook it, you can throw it away. After this, add more sweet onions, but for eating with cabbage, pour over vegetable oil, in the case of over-acidified cabbage, take oil without sourness, for example olive oil, unrefined sunflower oil.
Even a slight softening of the taste does not make cabbage less sour for the stomach - belching or heartburn can still occur from such cabbage.
You can eat this cabbage.
The situation will improve if you soak the sauerkraut in cold boiled water (I think an hour is enough).
Or you can not soak it, but cook cabbage soup and borscht, for example, from overly sour cabbage.
It turned out this way because favorable conditions were created for the development of, among others, butyric acid bacteria. This happens against the background of slow formation of lactic acid, most often due to exceeding the required temperature.
Acid is not that bad. It’s worse if the cabbage turns rancid (this happens, on the contrary, due to the low fermentation temperature), often all that remains is to throw it away, and all the work goes down the drain.
The cabbage was simply kept warm. And the fix is as simple as pie, rinse the cabbage under water and add a little sugar, onions and sunflower oil to the finished cabbage. Your cabbage will be delicious!
The cabbage was fermented in the heat, so it picked up acid. The situation can be corrected only by washing with water in small portions just before cooking. For example, prepare cabbage soup or salad, put it in a bowl and rinse under cold water. And let it sit sour in the tank, some people like it sour.
I don’t particularly like sauerkraut, because it is sour by default. But if the cabbage turns out to be more vigorous than usual, you can treat it like over-salted pasta - rinse it with some boiled water. Perhaps the cabbage will become more bland after this procedure.
If the sauerkraut turns out to be too sour that it is impossible to eat, then I advise you to rinse it to remove the sourness.
The cabbage was kept in a warm room. The ripening process took longer than expected, because of this the cabbage over-fermented and became too sour, and, most likely, soft.
In order for the cabbage to be moderately sour, it is necessary to keep it at room temperature 20-22 degrees for about two and a half days. Then put it in a cool place.
It is almost impossible to correct this fact, because a certain chemical reaction has occurred, and it is irreversible. Therefore, try to find a use for this product in other dishes, for example, in sour cabbage soup, try adding it to borscht, and so on. You can simply stew the cabbage. Just my opinion.
