Instant Sauerkraut: the best recipes for delicious preserves

Sauerkraut is one of the most common and favorite dishes of Eastern Europeans. There are many recipes for its preparation with the addition of various ingredients: vegetables, fruits, spices and spices, as a result of which both its taste and the time of the starter culture change. The method of cooking sauerkraut is so extensive and multifaceted that it already has its own rules and subtleties. She also stood out in a separate section of cooking.

Pickled foods, unlike pickled ones, in which all microorganisms die under the influence of vinegar, are good for health. About this in his writings wrote the famous researcher of Russian cuisine, William Pokhlebkin. As a result of fermentation, the natural microorganisms contained in vegetables undergo growth. It turns out some kind of kefir.

The composition of cabbage includes the following vitamins, trace elements and more complex proteins, fats, carbohydrates, amino acids:

• Vitamin C - one of the basic elements necessary for a person for active life - is the main antioxidant that participates in the oxidative processes of the body. With the right sourdough technology, it does not collapse over a long period of time, which is especially relevant with the onset of winter, when the main sources of vitamin C growing everywhere (cherries, apples, red and black currants) are no longer available.
• Vitamins of group B: 1,2,3,4,6,9. They are responsible for immunity and brain activity, strengthen the heart, intestines, nervous system.
• Cellulose. The best type of carbohydrate is polysaccharide. It provides moderate prolonged nutrition for brain tissue, unlike mono- and oligosaccharides, which lead to a powerful, but short-term effect.
• Also contained in the cabbage methylmethionine, calcium, potassium, iron, selenium, iodine, zinc, lactic acid.

This dish is not in vain is one of the main kitchens of the Slavic and living next to them peoples. Even in the pre-scientific epoch, the positive influence of fermentation on human well-being was noticed. Already in the modern era it was experimentally established that sauerkraut has a number of useful properties. These include:

• Improvement of the gastrointestinal tract. The product cleanses the intestines, normalizes the acid balance, which prevents the occurrence of ulcers and gastritis, improves digestive processes, has an antiseptic effect on various types of pathogenic bacteria, improves stool.
• Strengthening the nervous system. Stress resistance increases, depressive states are weakened.
• Cleaning the vessels and strengthening the cardiovascular system as a whole. Biologically active substances contained in the juice of the starter, destroy harmful cholesterol, which normalizes the overall balance of cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, the chance of atherosclerosis is reduced. Cleaned vessels better carry blood, the rush of which provides normal nutrition of tissues and organs with oxygen and necessary substances. People who began to regularly use sauerkraut, noted improvement in body tone and increased ability to work.

• Enhance immunity. The complex of vitamins B and selenium are stimulants and integral components for the immune activity of the body. The pain threshold rises, both sluggish chronic inflammatory processes and recently acquired as a result of a cold are reduced.
• Normalization of metabolic processesIt occurs both due to intestinal cleansing and under the influence of selenium, which is a necessary component for the synthesis of more than 30 vital compounds. Also, a positive effect has a low calorie cabbage, which at the same time is quite nourishing and can serve as an excellent dietary product for those who want to lose weight without aggressive diets.
• Antihistamine effect. It is important to reduce the allergic irritability of the body under the influence of vitamin U. This amino acid is essential (not synthesized by the body). In addition, it has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, the liver, reduces cholesterol, increases stress resistance, stimulates the production of phospholipids.
• It complicates the development of cancer. According to the latest research, a group of people who consumed sauerkraut, slowed down the division of cancer cells in tumors of the mammary glands, lungs and intestines.

• Reduces harmful blood sugar. Sauerkraut contains fiber, which is a polysaccharide - an alternative to fructose and sucrose, which cannot be consumed by diabetics. In addition, fiber is the best carbohydrate for metabolism.
• The product has a rejuvenating effect on the skin and increases the potency in men. As a result of the complex effects on the body of all vitamins and trace elements, as well as amino acids contained in sauerkraut, the regenerative function is enhanced, which primarily contributes to the renewal of epithelial cells - the skin and tissue lining the organs.
• Antitoxic effect. Sauerkraut, along with activated charcoal and bananas, is a powerful natural sorbent that absorbs from the intestines and removes from the body all deposits and slags. It can be used as a one-time poisoning, for example, stale food, and with constant toxemia in pregnant women or people with reduced kidney function. It also helps a lot with stomach heaviness, and it makes the stool easier.
• The product relieves withdrawal symptoms. After drinking alcohol in the body, first of all, there is an imbalance in salt balance, one of the consequences of which is a decrease in intracellular pressure, causing severe headache and general malaise in the morning. Pickled cabbage pickle, like cucumber, quickly restores the missing salts and trace elements, which normalizes the condition, eliminating headaches and other symptoms.

There are also features of the body, in which the use of sauerkraut is prohibited. As a result of souring, a specific mixture of various active substances is formed. This imposes some restrictions on the use of the product by people who have health problems, namely:

• acute gastritis;
• ulcerative lesions of the stomach and / or intestines;
• acute or pathological diseases of the kidneys and / or liver;
• hypertension;
• essential heart pathologies;
• increased puffiness.

In order for the cabbage to be tasty and not spoiled, in the cooking process, you should follow certain rules. These include:

• For cooking, only white cabbage is used.
• Choosing the main ingredient, you should pay attention to its strength and density. The higher they are, the better the starter will turn out.
• All leaves with defects for cooking are not used.
• It is necessary to choose late varieties, early ones for long fermentation are unsuitable, although they can be prepared with vinegar.
• For accelerated yeast recipes, you must use:
  • brine;
  • vinegar;
  • garlic.

• The optimal starter container should be either wood or glass, although it is acceptable to use aluminum cookware with a food coating or from food-grade plastic.
• When leaven, the temperature regime in the container should correspond to the range from 18 to 25 degrees.
• For a change in any recipe without harm, a small portion of black pepper, parsley or dill peas can be added, as well as a small amount of bay leaf.
• The normal sourdough period is 3 days.
• The minimum period is 3 hours.
• Cabbage is sometimes supplemented with apples, carrots, zucchini and beetroot. Using these ingredients, you can conduct experiments without fear of an unusable result.
• For pickling, coarsely ground salt is optimal.
• The workpiece should be saved at a temperature not higher than +1 degree.

There are many options for sauerkraut. Each of them is characterized by a number of nuances that should be taken into account in the cooking process.

Cabbage is a traditional recipe suitable for many dishes and for its preparation requires a minimum amount of ingredients and culinary skills. This is the first recipe from which you need to start sauering cabbage in order to understand the basis of this dish and continue to conduct experiments to add other vegetables, spices, fruits and other ingredients.

To do this, you need the following products:

• carrots - 2 pieces;
• white cabbage - 1 kg;
• several bay leaves and some black pepper;
• vinegar - 1 tablespoon;
• 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt.

The cooking process looks like this:

• Carrots are cleaned, cleaned and ground on a grater.
• The cabbage is washed, the stalk is cut, the rest of the mass is chopped.
• Processed vegetables are placed in a container for sourdough.
• The brine is made according to the following principle:
  • 500 ml is poured into the enameled container. water.
  • Put spices (bay leaf and pepper).
  • Poured 11 tbsp. l vinegar.
  • Put on 1 tbsp. l salt and sugar.
  • The solution is heated to a boil.
• Brine is poured into a container with chopped vegetables.
• A cover is placed on top on which the oppression (load) is placed.

Beet, like carrots, is one of the most harmonious vegetables with cabbage. It gives the sourdough a pleasant sweetish flavor, which contrasts well with the salty taste of cabbage, and colors it in a beautiful burgundy color.

The ingredients required for preparation are:

• white cabbage - 4 kg;
• red beets - 2 pcs .;
• horseradish ordinary - 50 grams;
• garlic - 5 tooth .;
• hot pepper - 2 pcs .;
• parsley and dill at discretion;
• sugar and salt - 6 tbsp. l

The cooking process is as follows:

• Stubs are removed from the washed kaputs.
• The heading is cut into pieces, not exceeding 0.3 kg in weight.
• Horseradish cleaned and frayed on a fine grater.
• Garlic is peeled and cut into small plates.
• Beets are peeled, and then cut into large cubes.
• Chopped cabbage, horseradish, beet, garlic, shredded greens are placed in the enameled container. Everything is thoroughly mixed.
• The brine is made as follows:
  • 2.5 l is poured into the enameled container. water.
  • Sugar, salt and pepper are poured into it, everything is mixed.
  • Next, the composition is brought to a boil with constant stirring.
• After the brine cools, the cabbage is poured over it, and gauze is pulled over the top. The product is covered with a plate on which the load is placed.
• The ferment period is from 3 to 5 days.

Vinegar is the basis of the marinade, adding it to the cabbage changes the taste of the starter, and reduces the time it is ready from several days to 3-6 hours. Garlic is a unique plant, it not only has a specific taste, which allows to diversify almost any vegetable and meat dish, but also has a tremendous impact on human immunity. The combined use of garlic and vinegar makes the sourdough more sweet and savory.

For the leaven you will need the following ingredients:

• white cabbage - 1 kg;
• carrots - 3 pieces;
• garlic - 3 cloves;
• sugar - half a cup;
• salt - 1 tablespoon;
• vegetable oil - half a cup;
• Vinegar - 10 tablespoons.

To cook sauerkraut with vinegar and garlic, you must follow this recipe:

• Washed cabbage finely shred.
• Carrots are cleaned and rubbed on a coarse grater.
• Garlic cloves are pressed through a press or finely chopped with a knife.
• The processed ingredients are put into enameled containers and mixed thoroughly.
• The brine is made according to the following recipe:
  • 500 ml of water is poured into the pot.
  • Put 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, pour 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and 10 tablespoons of vinegar.
  • The mixture is brought to a boil with regular stirring.
• After the brine has cooled slightly, they are poured processed ingredients in an enamel container.

In the preparation of sauerkraut there are many small nuances, each of which has an impact on the creation of the dish as a whole or in certain moments of this process. These subtleties include:

• Choice of cabbage. When choosing heads it is better to prefer white, as dense as possible and preferably flattened fruits (actually these are buds) weighing about 3 kg or more. They are best amenable to shredding, and resilience is evidence of succulent and strong fibers, which make crunchy sauerkraut. At the same time, coaches of average seasonal ripening are optimal for age, while young and old vegetables are significantly inferior to them in taste.
• Features of different types of dishes. The best option is wooden tubs and other containers of this material. In addition to absolute naturalness, the tree gives the cabbage a special flavor and aroma, depending on the breed from which the container is made.

Enamelware, like glass jars, gives a more “clean” result, that is, it does not affect the taste and smell of fermentation. When using enameled containers, its surface must be flawless, not have chips and cracks, otherwise the dish will get an unpleasant taste as a result of the corrosive process, and the oxidation products themselves are not beneficial to the body.

Use of a food stainless steel and aluminum container with a special food covering is possible. Without it, the use of aluminum packaging is strictly prohibited. This metal is actively oxidized, and under the influence of lactic acid, it will give a pickling gray tint, an unpleasant metallic taste. It will also saturate the dish with oxidation products harmful to health, and the saturation will be quite large.

How to sour cabbage quickly, see the next video.