Sauerkraut: must it be cooked for a long time?
 

I had a dear friend of German lineage who said that if using sauerkraut, it must be cooked.

I like sauerkraut, whether alone, on a dog, in a choucroute garnie, or with kielbasa.

Do you think it should be cooked for awhile (for flavor or texture) or does it matter?

I read a story long ago that a family wanted to make their own kraut and, since they would be away for a month, decided to let it ferment on the kitchen counter. Upon returning home, that had to keep every window in the house open for weeks!

Have you ever made your own from scratch? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'm German. My mother was the epitome of a German hausfrau. She could and had made her own kraut but preferred to purchase pre-made kraut. If she was serving as a side dish, something to put over hot food, it was heated. If on a sausage, cold was just fine. I prefer warm kraut, so always nuke it for about thirty seconds.

Thank you. Can you share your opinion on the necessity of cooking it for a longer time, like 30 minutes or so?

Some folks rinse it. Some folks add a tablespoon of sugar and some folks cook it for awhile. I think all of it makes it less piquant? Is that the right word?

Sauerkraut is sour because that is the way it is preserved, it was a way to keep a vegetable during the winter, before refrigeration...at least...partially. Some folks like the "STRONG" taste and some don't.

My wife likes to rinse it and warm it and depending on what she is making will add bacon onions such as with hot dogs or bratwurst, or sauerkraut and noodles.
Or kapusta sauerkraut rinse and split peas soup (split peas cooked down)

Speaking of sauerkraut my mother used to drink sauerkraut juice which is basically sauerkraut juice and water. I have continued that and have ordered sauerkraut juice online. In addition to it tasting good it also is a great laxative.

John

Seems like a waste of time to me. Think the kraut you used to buy in barrels needed rinsing and cooking, but not today's. It's already clean, cooked, pasteurized.

It will make the house smell pretty strong. I usually buy it, rinse it, add a little brown sugar, water and caraway seeds, and cook it with some polish sausage. I usually have to cook store bought about 1/2 hour before I like the texture. This is on low. You have to keep testing it until it is the doneness you like. I would think you wouldn't want to cook it until mushy if you are going to can it.

When growing up we would make kraut. It was always fun on a brisk fall day to go to the crock where the kraut was curing and eat the chilled fresh sauerkraut.
I do remember there was some yucky looking stuff on the top layer, that we scrapped off. That would most likely kill us today.

When making sauerkraut it needs fermentation. have made since I was a child. I don’t buy it in a can or jar, it’s not that hard to make. tons of recipes online. Family recipes stay in the family passed down generation.

Kapusta
 

OK, Kapusta is Polish for Cabbage. And as you know Sauerkraut is a cabbage shredded and treated with vinegar, salt etc. So here is what we do and it is awesome.
Brown some thick pork chops or sausages very well in Olive oil.
In the frying pan you will have a dark residue. So, when the Pork or Sausage or both is well done, lift them out of the pan and put in the sauerkraut direct form the jar, not from a can. I believe the can lining impacts the flavor, glass does not. Put the cooked meat on top of the Kraut. So then I let the mixture simmer for an hour or so on very low heat. Corning ware is good for this or an electric skillet. It is awesome for sure. You can sprinkle in a bit of garlic powder and some onion powder and mix it in to the batch while it is cooking on low.
Yes, you can drink beer when you are eating it.
bbbbbb :wave:

We dump it in a crock pot, add 4 thick pork chops with bones and 4 hours later ready to go and the pork cannot get any more tender. I would add dumplings but someone in our home won't let me.

There is no need to cook it for a long time the fermentation process preserves the cabbage as well as providing flavor. Fresh sauerkraut is slightly crunching and over heating it will destroy the texture. Most people like it hot so just heat it to warm it.

Some people like to dull the sharp taste of sauerkraut. That would be me.

Note...in defense; my grandmother was born in Stuttgart and my grandfather south of Munich.

I like sauerkraut rinsed, sugared with onion and cooked a long time.

If you want to calm it down, carrots can help.

I use Johnsonville Brats for this recipe and brown them whole, let them sit for 10 minutes before slicing keeps in the juice. A great recipe and a family favorite.

[QUOTE=LittleDog;1462917 In addition to it tasting good it also is a great laxative.

John[/QUOTE]

Way TMI!

This made me hungry reading yesterday so as I'm typing the crock pot is doing its job with pork chops and kraut will be ready at 4:00 I'm ready for it right now.

Thanks! But did you know you can drink beer even when you're not eating it? :beer3:

Oh! Add the dumplings, but deny you did it. ;)

Gracie, dear, you just reminded me of a moment. I was a sophomore in college in Boston. At the conservatory, due to space limitations, only freshmen could live in the dorm, so I had an apartment. My (100% Polish) father came to visit and I decided to make a Polish dinner for him including pierogis, herring in sour cream, I forget the main dish, and stewed sauerkraut. He loved it all!

And BTW, he was called Henry. Or Hank. Of course, his name was Henryk like mine, but after WWII, one tried to make one's name sound "American," not "foreign."

Love the recipe. My mother used to do that.

My Polish grandfather would occasionally call the kids "kapusta głowa." (If you can't see this well, try Ctrl+ a few times.) The "ł" is unique to Polish, I think. It's hard to transliterate, but instead of sounding like "ell" it's sort of eh-wlh, so it sounds like kah-poos-tah gwo-vah, which means "cabbage head." LOL.

LOVE kraut! Going to have some with my meatloaf at lunchtime today. Yes, we have made our own. All it takes is some cabbage, salt, water, and time. We put the "raw" cabbage in canning jars. After tending to the water level in the jars for 6 weeks, we pop them into a pressure cooker and process the jars for canning. Comes out great. Always add caraway seeds when heating it up.

In answer to your question.....IMO, sauerkraut does not have to be 'cooked', as it is already 'cooked' in it's own juices during the fermentation process. Sauerkraut is made by layering sliced or shredded cabbage and salt and then breaking down the cabbage with the salt to release the moisture from the cabbage. It then is allowed to sit, lightly covered for a period of weeks and the reaction of the salt and the cabbage ferments. At that point the bubbly fermentation at the top of the container is carefully removed and the cabbage & juices can be canned or kept under refrigeration until used.

It is not necessary to cook it further, with heat, unless that is your preference. My grandmother would make a wonderful salad with her 'new' sauerkraut, fresh out of the crock in the basement, mixed with celery, carrots and radishes and a dressing of a bit of cider vinegar, water, sugar and celery seeds. She also taught me how to layer the sauerkraut with pork and allow it to bake, low and slow, until the pork was 'fall-off-the-bone' tender and the kraut was soft and mellow, without it's sharp sour taste. Sometimes she would add sliced or grated apple to 'sweeten' the kraut.

So, in answer to your original question, NO, it is not absolutely necessary to cook sauerkraut. You do so to alter the flavor or crispness. It's all a matter of personal preference.

And let me add, whether you cook it or not ~ it's a wonderful addition to so many meals and a personal favorite of mine!

LOL! My grandmother referred to that as 'the mother'. Same thing with jelly and jam sealed with wax. Just scrape it off.

Today, you can pay a premium for apple cider vinegar with the mother. It is a bacterial/amino acid complex, and foodies claim it is really good for you.

Thanks for your reply. I think I'll try to make my own. I've made kimchee a few times with good success. Kraut has got to be easier than that!

Actually, if your mother is still active, you can use it to start a new batch, too.

We make all the wonderful Polish foods on New Year's Day. We buy kraut, pierogies and kielbasa at the Polish deli in Leesburg. Bob cooks the kielbasa, kraut and beer in a crockpot just until heated. Sometimes the kraut needs a little brown sugar. So good.

For a lazy way, go to Aldi's and buy the Deutsche Kutchen (spelling?) brand straight from Germany. Very good. I do cook it a bit and any good pork based products can be added. Bacon, chops, pork ribs, Kielbasa, or these days, lower fat Turkey sausage. I’m only half German and cooked with my German grandmother. And yes, she added dumplings. I drank and sang with my Irish father! The best of both worlds. How I long for those days again.

I buy prepackaged in a bag. Rinse it once and throw it in crockpot for few hours with kielbasa. Tastes great.

Kraut
 

Agree with Grace. A through rinse of the kraut is necessary. Either bagged or canned.

I use cold kraut from store,put in browned onion,bacon drippings, brown sugar, apple sause. Cook about 20 min.