How do I drain sauerkraut?
One of my favorite sandwiches is the Reuben. One problem I tend to have when making this at home is the sandwich is damp from the sauerkraut.
I buy sauerkraut from the store. Before putting it on the sandwich, I put a little bit of sauerkraut in a small strainer and push on it with a fork. I mix it up and keep pushing until I hit diminishing returns on time spent v. liquid removed.
However, my sandwiches still are damp from sauerkraut juice, and have liquid running down the sides and making the bread soggy. It appears I am not removing enough liquid. I would rather not spend an hour squeezing the liquid out.
Is there a better way of draining the liquid from sauerkraut than the method I describe above?
Best Answer
At every restaurant I've ever worked at we warmed the sauerkraut on the griddle while the bread and meat were grilling. This evaporated much of the moisture in addition to making sure the sauerkraut was warm enough to not make the sandwich cold.
So we'd have the sandwich warming up open faced, cheese on each face. Then meat and sauerkraut would be warming individually. Once the bread was crisp and the meat/sauerkraut were warmed up you'd place the meat one piece of grilled bread, then the sauerkraut, then you'd squeeze on either mustard, thousand or Russian dressing and then top with the other piece of bread.
Pictures about "How do I drain sauerkraut?"
Quick Answer about "How do I drain sauerkraut?"
1. If you want to reduce the brine content in the sauerkraut, rinse it under cold running tap water. 2. Drain the sauerkraut using a large colander and squeeze out as much water as possible.Do you drain homemade sauerkraut?
It's not necessary \u2014 and indeed even counterproductive \u2014 to rinse your cabbage before shredding it for sauerkraut. Just remove a few of the outer leaves and chop away. The fermentation process is kickstarted by the naturally occurring bacteria found on raw cabbage, so rinsing it is not recommended.Should you drain and rinse sauerkraut?
Step 1: Remove Sauerkraut From PackagingCanned sauerkraut does not require any rinsing or straining, Austin says. "Not rinsing it helps keep the flavor in canned sauerkraut," she says. "However, some people rinse it before straining for a milder taste."Do you drain canned sauerkraut?
Drain the sauerkraut well and if you are concerned about salt at all, then rinse well with cool water as well. Squeeze the water out before beginning the recipe. If you do not have any chicken stock, it is ok to just use water, but the flavor won't be as good.What do you do with sauerkraut after fermenting?
Fully fermented sauerkraut may be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for several months, or it may be canned and frozen.Do you drain bagged sauerkraut before cooking?
More answers regarding how do I drain sauerkraut?
Answer 2
If you have one, a potato ricer is very effective at removing moisture from things that don't drain effectively with gravity alone, e.g. sauerkraut, cooked spinach, salted cabbage, salted squash/marrow, etc. In my experience, it's more effective, and easier to clean, than a salad spinner.
(For best results, look for the kind that's pictured above, with holes only on the bottom, not the sides. Otherwise, you're liable to end up shooting sauerkraut juice halfway across your kitchen.)
Answer 3
When making pierogies I personally place the sauerkraut in the palm of my hand and apply pressure with the other hand. I keep turning the sauerkraut over to make sure I get it from all sides. I would imagine this method would work for making Reubens as well.
This might work well for me since I am a bigger guy and don't have wrist pains so your mileage could vary :-)
Answer 4
Use a salad spinner. It is the right tool for the job. It might be a bit more work when you factor in cleaning, but it will get the sauerkraut drier than the fork-in-strainer method.
Answer 5
Put in small wire strainer, push down with doubled paper towel
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: eberhard grossgasteiger, Katerina Holmes, Katerina Holmes, Mary Taylor