Sauerkraut: 13 best recipes and how to make it right at home

For many centuries, Russian cuisine has been unimaginable without cabbage dishes. After all, this vegetable is available all year round. There is a good old tradition - to cook sauerkraut in autumn according to different recipes. This harvesting method is probably the best. After all, when pickling, acid appears in the product. It serves as the best natural preservative that inhibits the growth of bacteria and prevents the vegetable from spoiling.

Features of cooking sauerkraut for the winter

To make the finished product tasty and stored for a long time, you need to know the following recommendations:

Take only rock s alt, iodized leads to softening of cabbage.
For 1 kilogram of vegetables, 1 tablespoon of s alt without a slide is enough.
After all the products are placed in the container, you need to put a plate or a lid on them that is suitable in diameter to the container. Place a load of 3-4 kilograms on top.
The billet is placed in a warm place for fermentation. Its completion time depends on the temperature in the room where the container is located. If it is warm, then the product will ferment after 3 days, if it is cool - after 5-6 days.
The next day after cooking, you need to remove the oppression, make punctures in the cabbage to the very bottom with a narrow wooden spatula. Gas will come out through the holes. You need to release it every laziness. If you do not perform such actions, then the product will turn sour. After the procedure, oppression is placed in place.

The readiness of the snack is indicated by the absence of bubbles and the clarification of the brine. In this case, it's time to cork it and put it in the cold.

Selection and preparation of main ingredients

Vegetables also have certain requirements:

take white late varieties;
choose tight heads without damage;
top green leaves must be removed;
Cabbage is chopped with a sharp knife or with a special grater;
Carrots are thoroughly washed, peeled and grated on a grater with large holes.

If the dish contains other vegetables, herbs, fruits, then they are also washed and cut.

How to properly prepare the container?

The best containers for storing the finished product are glass jars, wooden barrels, enamelware (no chips). Containers, lids, oppression are thoroughly washed and dried.

Before cooking, the bottom of the container is covered with whole cabbage leaves.

Recipes for making blanks

At home, you can cook a vegetable dish according to different recipes, with the addition of various ingredients.

The classic way with carrots

You can ferment using a classic recipe. Put cabbage, carrots in a deep bowl and rub them with your hands for several minutes until the juice begins to stand out. Add s alt, mix thoroughly. Put it in a container, tamping with a wooden pusher. This process will go better if applied in small portions. After filling the entire container, put it in heat.

With cumin in a pot

And you can make a vegetable dish with wine vinegar. Shredded cabbage and cumin with s alt are placed in layers in a saucepan. And on top they pour water with vinegar and a small amount of granulated sugar.Close the lid and put on medium heat. When the mass boils, the pan is simply shaken.

Perform these steps for approximately 1 hour. After this time, a delicious dish with cumin is obtained. The resulting product is laid out in a container and corked.

With beets without sugar

There is a recipe for spicy vegetables. Beets, hot peppers, garlic, cabbage are laid in layers in a container. Spread the vegetables very tightly so that there is no free space. Pour hot saline solution.

With cranberries in a bucket

S alt, white sugar are added to the chopped cabbage, they are rubbed with hands so that the juice comes out. Season with your favorite spices, fresh or frozen cranberries. The mass is mixed and placed in a bucket.

With apples and cranberries

Vegetable is sweet if fermented with apples and lingonberries. Whole fruits are mixed with cabbage grated with s alt, fresh berries are added. The mass is laid out in a container for fermentation.

With honey

With natural honey, the preparation is very tasty. Cabbage, carrots are placed in a basin and rubbed with hands. The mixture is placed in a container, tamped and poured with brine - a mixture of water, s alt and honey. After fermentation, vegetables acquire a sweetish taste.

Quick way in a 3 liter can

There is a quick way to make sauerkraut. Cabbage with carrots is tightly placed in a 3-liter jar and poured with saline (2.5 tablespoons without a slide per 1 liter of water).

With apples and peppers

It turns out a delicious preparation if, instead of carrots, apples and sweet bell peppers are added to cabbage.

With bell pepper and horseradish

You can cook a snack that will please the eye with its appearance. Cabbage, sweet bell peppers of different colors, allspice peas, carrots, celery are mixed. Pour water with s alt.

With apples, cranberries and mountain ash

Cabbage is rubbed with s alt, carrots are added. Bay leaf, black peppercorns, coriander and cumin are placed at the bottom of the container. Layers lay vegetables, pieces of apples of winter varieties, mountain ash, cranberries. Pour in a decoction of oak bark. Experienced housewives recommend doing it in this ratio - 1 teaspoon of bark per 100 milliliters of water.

With apples and pears

You can ferment vegetables and fruits. Cabbage, apples, pears are laid in layers in a container, poured with sugar syrup (200 grams of white sugar per liter of water). S alt is not necessary.

With horseradish, beets and garlic

Mixed cabbage, horseradish, garlic, beets, tightly placed in a container and poured with brine (1/2 cup sugar, 200 grams of s alt per 1.5 liters of water).

Crispy sauerkraut in barrel

To make a vegetable crunchy, it must be cooked in a barrel. Natural wood reacts with the fermented product, giving it an amazing taste.

How to properly store blanks?

Store the finished product in the cellar or refrigerator. Do not allow it to heat up or freeze.

Vegetable dish is prepared quite quickly and is ideal for boiled or fried potatoes.