Why is my pickled red cabbage so pale?

Why is my pickled red cabbage so pale? - Legs in Red Shoes of Unrecognizable Woman Laying in Agricultural Field

Forgive me, but this is a very particular question:

I love having pickled red cabbage at Turkish restaurants; it's delicious and the color is always a beautiful deep magenta (see picture below). Yet every time I try to make it at home, it comes out a sad, pale white-pinkish hue (see 2nd picture). I massage the cabbage with salt, let it sit for at least half an hour, and then add a brine of salt, sugar, and about a 3:1 ratio of red wine vinegar to water. Does anyone know where I'm going wrong?

Thank you very much

çok teşekkür ederim

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Best Answer

Are you heating the brine first to dissolve the sugar and salt? I've always heated the sugar and salt in water, poured that over the cabbage while still hot, then add the vinegar (I use white vinegar at room temperature) and mix well. This heating and quick "cooling" should lock in the color.




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How do you make purple cabbage pickles?

Instructions
  • Cut, core and shred cabbage finely with a mandolin slicer or very sharp knife. ...
  • Place water, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl and whisk together until the sugar is mostly dissolved. ...
  • Pour brine over the cabbage. ...
  • Pickled cabbage is delicious on tacos, in a sandwich and I love it as a side to scrambled eggs!


  • How long does pickled cabbage last in the fridge?

    Pickled cabbage will last in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

    How do you pickle cabbage with salt water?

    Instructions
  • Chop the cabbage roughly. ...
  • Put water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and sugar in a pot. ...
  • Put the chopped cabbage, garlic, red pepper flakes and black peppercorn into this boiling water. ...
  • Cool completely and chill at least for an hour before using.


  • Can you cook pickled red cabbage from a jar?

    Fill empty red cabbage jar 1/3 full with water and pour over cooking cabbage. Add red wine vinegar, lingonberry jam, bay leaf and juniper berries. Stir well. Cover the the pot and cook for 30 minutes on low.



    Seriously EASY Pickled Red Cabbage - At Home Pickling




    More answers regarding why is my pickled red cabbage so pale?

    Answer 2

    Maybe the temperature needs to be somewhat below 100 degrees C, and then the first answer holds true also, at least for green foods like broccoli. Surely for red cabbage it's the same.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Ron Lach, Syed Muhammad Afifi, Victoria Emerson, Victoria Emerson