Dainty pickles have long been loved by many, and sauerkraut is the most popular and easiest to make dish of this type, due to its crisp properties and sweet and sour taste. However, it happens that mucus appears in the pickle and it becomes unattractive and unappetizing. We explain in the article why this happens and whether it is possible to save the dish.

Causes of muck sauerkraut

There may be several reasons for the appearance of mucus in the product - from poor-quality material to a violation of cooking technology.The most common factors leading to damage to the quality of salting:

• high temperature in the room where fermented containers are stored;
• search with sugar during cooking;
• use of iodized salt instead of usual;
• cabbage contains many harmful additives - nitrates, phosphates and other chemicals;
• selection of the variety that is not suitable for harvesting;
• incorrectly selected dishes;
• when pickling, little salt was used or it was too finely ground.

Important! It is possible to salted cabbage well only with the use of coarse salt. The crystals help to squeeze the slices with stirring and gradually dissolve in containers during salting.

Consider why the product deteriorates in the process of pickling, and mucus appears in it.

Wrong selection of containers for pickling

From time immemorial cabbage has been leavened in wooden tubs, barrels, vats. Today it is problematic to find such capacities, especially when living in the city. In this regard, housewives use glass jars or enamel pans. The listed materials are neutral and will not add an undesirable flavor to the dish.Do not use plastic containers - buckets, large bowls, cut large bottles. All of these items can introduce unwanted chemical compounds that, at best, ruin the taste of the product, and at worst, can lead to poisoning.

Do not use metal containers - aluminum, copper, galvanized or stainless steel. Their surfaces can be oxidized, due to which a metallic taste will appear in the pickled vegetable, the brine will become viscous, and the failed salting will have to be thrown away.

Choosing Inappropriate Varieties

The best varieties for salting are considered mid-late and late ripening. These species spent enough time in the garden to get all the solar energy and nutrients from the earth. Even compared to mid-ripening varieties, their foliage contains twice as much sugar, which is actively involved in fermentation and fermentation processes.

Did you know? Heads fermented whole or in half retain twice as many trace elements and vitamins as chopped ones. They can be stored for up to 8 months without losing their qualities.

If you try to ferment early or medium grades, then the fertilizers and growth accelerators acquired by them will not only make the pickle viscous, but they will also be able to destroy the workpiece with decomposition products of the chemicals that make up the fertilizing.

Substandard additional ingredients

The poor quality of the components noticeably spoils the taste and type of salting, which makes the desire to eat it disappear. Depending on the recipe, the additional components of the dish are carrots, black peas, bay leaves, water, salt and sugar. If there are no questions regarding spices, the quality of the water used must be carefully monitored.

Did you know? Given the German origin of the dish and anti-fascist sentiment in the United States during World War II, product sales in the country declined. To save the harvest, the dish was called Liberty Cabbage, after which sales increased sharply.

For fermentation, only filtered or boiled water is used - if this ingredient is present in the recipe. Carrots should be medium, well washed, peeled and washed again, moderately sweet and without nitrates. When preparing additional ingredients for the addition to chopped cabbage, the requirements of the recipe and sanitary standards must be observed.

Violation of cooking technology

In addition to the above, in order for the cabbage to be covered with mucus, it is enough to allow one of the following process errors during cooking:

• poor preparation of cabbage and carrots - the presence of contaminants, parasites, hard leaves or peels;
• insufficient or excessive amount of additional ingredients - undersalt, salting, a lot of sugar, bay leaf, pepper;
• the use of salted stalk, which is a collection of harmful substances in a cabbage fork;
• the use of heads of different sizes and grades for cutting;
• the use of dishes with a narrow neck, corking or wrapping - without good contact with air on the cabbage, mucus forms, or it completely “suffocates”.

What can be done with such cabbage?

Despite the fact that the brine has become jelly-like, and the cabbage itself is slippery, the salting is suitable for consumption. You can both try to correct the situation, and apply salting to prepare other dishes.

To revive the workpiece, in which the brine stretches, it is possible like this:

1. Put the cut in an enameled basin and rinse with water.
2. Dry, salt and sell the raw materials.
3. Set aside your pelvis in an unlit place for a couple of days.
4. Move the container to cold for 4-5 days.

Important! If the manipulations described above did not return the taste and crunch to the salting, it is washed and used for heat-treated dishes. Such cabbage is suitable for stewing, additives in borsch, cabbage soup or hodgepodge.

Extra Tips for Sauerkraut

With all the simplicity of cooking, you can still lighten and speed it up. Tricks used by experienced chefs during pickling:

1. The so-called "sticking" is avoided when using a brine - the cabbage will turn out to be just as crispy.
2. Cuts must be made across the fibers - this is necessary for a beautiful view of the cut.
3. The finer the slicing, the sooner the product will salt.
4. For the best allocation of juice on the cabbage put oppression - enough of a wooden circle and a liter jar of water.
5. It is necessary to inspect the brine surface daily - if mold appears, it must be removed.
6. After the foaming process is over, oppression is removed, and the pickling surface is covered with fresh cabbage leaves.

Compliance with the technology and the use of quality vegetables will provide excellent salting. Crispy sauerkraut is tasty and healthy, it is considered a delicacy. And those who know how to cook it correctly have the glory of good cooks.