Salt for Sauerkraut
I am looking to trial making some Sauerkraut at home. I have been recommended getting canning salt. Trouble is the only available source is too much, at too high a price.
What other salts, readily available in the UK, would be suitable?
Best Answer
I typically use kosher salt. You could use sea salt as well. It is not necessary to use canning salt.
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What kind of salt do you use for sauerkraut?
The best salt for sauerkraut is a mineral-rich dry salt. Mineral-rich wet salts (grey sea salt) contain naturally occurring minerals and have a high moisture content.What is the salt to cabbage ratio for sauerkraut?
When making sauerkraut, the ratio of salt to cabbage is 2.25 to 2.50 percent salt by weight (see Procedures below for exact recipe). Using too little salt not only softens the cabbage tissue, but also yields a product lacking in flavor.What is the best salt to use for fermenting?
KOSHER SALT It's popular because it has a thick, flakey texture that's easy for pinching and dissolves quickly with water to make a brine. Its taste is comparable to table salt, so it's an easy go-to for beginner fermenters. We highly recommend using kosher salt in any ferment!How much salt do you need for sauerkraut?
It really depends on how salty you like your sauerkraut. If you like it nice and salty, use 2 teaspoons of salt per pound of cabbage. If you prefer a less salty kraut, use 1\xbd teaspoons of salt per pound of cabbage.Sauerkraut 3 Ways (LOW SALT)
More answers regarding salt for Sauerkraut
Answer 2
Any salt will work just fine, salt is salt. But salt that has had iodine added (table salt) can result in a brine with a cloudy texture. Some might consider this less aesthetically pleasing.
Edit:
Further research indicates that while iodine can cause some problems, other impurities can cause further problems:
Salt for pickling:
For pickling any variety of common salt is suitable as long as it is pure. Impurities or additives can cause problems. Salt with chemicals to reduce caking should not be used as they make the brine cloudy. Salt with lime impurities can reduce the acidity of the final product and reduce the shelf life of the product. Salt with iron impurities can result in the blackening of the vegetables. Magnesium impurities impart a bitter taste. Carbonates can result in pickles with a soft texture (Lal, Siddappa and Tandon, 1986).
So in summary look for a high concentration of Sodium-chloride (NaCl) vs other ingredients. As another answer states, it seems kosher salt is an excellent, reasonably priced choice.
Answer 3
Probably in the "too much quantity" category though the price is generally quite low (especially on a per pound or kilo basis), water softener salt can be a good source of clean salt if you avoid the versions with any additives. I discovered it when I needed to maintain a water softener for a while and then noticed that it was a lot cleaner, more available year round, and oddly often cheaper than rock salt, so my ice-cream-maker salt is now a bucket of water softener salt. It is coarse and would take longer to dissolve unless you crushed it more.
Answer 4
The advice to use a 'canning salt' no doubt comes from a country (such as the USA or Canada) that adds iodine to table and 'ordinary' cooking salts.
This is not required or standard, if it even happens at all, in the UK; so you don't need to worry about it.
You may also want to avoid 'anti-caking agents' though, which are typically added to fine table salts, and not to those sold for 'cooking', or as coarser crystals (no need for it).
The price tag on the 'canning salt' you found is probably either because it's imported at great expense for whatever reason, or preying on people nonethewiser who assume it's important and will stump up the extra for the niche keyword they've cornered the market on.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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