Which brand of sauerkraut do you prefer?

The acidity of sauerkraut available in the US varies considerbaly. The highly popular Silver Floss brand is quite sour and needs tro be rinsed. Some of the Polish brands eg Krakus can be used straight from the jar after draining (without rinsing). Aniotehr popular brand in michigna is Vlasic sauerkraut. There are also many own brands of supermarket chains and different ways of packing it: jar, tin, plastic bag or straight from the barrel at some Old World style markets in big cities.

Do you think some of the companies cheat by adding vinegar to their kraut which is much quicker than slowly brine-curing it?
So which brand of sauerkraut do you prefer and why?

If I can, I like to go to the Polish Market where they sell it right from the barrel.

If I can't get it there, my second choice is either Silver Floss or Snow Floss in the bag.

After that, either Silver Floss or Vlasic in the jar as a last resort.

My mom used to rinse it, but I like it nice and tart. If I'm making it with kielbasa, I like to add some chopped onions, apples and new potatoes.

I like "wolski Sauerkraut"imported from poland.It's great on sausage on the bun or as a side dish with my supper.

I buy polish sauerkraut in a jar, Krakus or any other brand. I can eat it straight! No rinsing here.All vitamins! I like the one from a barrel in a polish deli as well, but sometimes I feel that because it is open and people serve themselves it may be contaminated, so i don't buy it too often.

So do I. The brands sold in cans have a nasty aftertaste.

I ate some tonight and washed it down with a few piwo,,,,,, Im deadly:)

my own. it's brewing at the moment.

only takes 30-40 minutes to make a couple gallons.. then let it sit a couple weeks.

Care to share your sauerkraut recipe?

Polonius3----Here is a recepie you might enjoy----SMACZNEGO !!!!!

KAPUSTA KISZONA Z GRZYBAMI

1 oz Mushrooms, dried
-(or use 1/4 lb
-fresh mushrooms)
1/2 c ;Water, warm
1 lg Onion
2 1/2 tb Butter
1 1/2 lb Sauerkraut; rinsed/drained
1/3 c ;Water
2 tb Flour
Salt and pepper

Soak the dried mushrooms in 1/2 cup of warm water for
1 hour. Saut# mushrooms and onion in butter in a
skillet 3 minutes. Add sauerkraut to mushrooms; cook
and stir for 10 minutes. Blend 1/3 cup water into
flour. Mix with sauerkraut and simmer for 15 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I usually like to add 1/4 cup of dark rum after
cooking. That reminds me of the recipe I have for
*bigos*

Polonius3
Sorry Polonius, didn't see your question till this popped up again today..

here is the recipe, old Polish recipe handed down by my dad from his dad etc..

very simple.. you will need a glass or enamel crock, 1 1/2 - 2 gallon size. (about 4 liters, bigger is great)

get yourself 3 or 4 fresh cabbages, old cabbages are no good (not juicy enough). You can use green or red cabbage, doesn't matter, you can mix them too if you'd like.

Slice the cabbage, thin strips.. little by little.. add this into the crock.
little by little, every inch or so of cabbage you sprinkle some salt (expect to use about a cup maybe a cup and a half of salt for 3-4 cabbages, depends on your taste) on top of the cabbage, mix it in a bit.

Do not use salt with iodine in it (non-iodized salt, sea salt is best, kosher salt is ok)

when the crock is about half full with thinly sliced cabbage and salt mixed in, start pressing it down and squeezing it, simply crushing it with your (very clean) hand. This will cause the juice of the cabbage to be released and start your fermenting process.. press it hard.

continue this till the crock is full, leave about 2 inches of space at the top of the crock.

press the cabbage, get out a bunch of juice.. then put a plate on top and a clean jar with some water on top of the plate to keep the cabbage pressed down. wipe off any cabbage that might be sitting outside the juice near the top of the crock (it'll turn black if you don't remove that or push it into the cabbage water).

cover the whole shebang with a small clean towel to keep out bugs/flies etc.. I usually take a big rubber band and secure the towel edges around the crock.. and just let it sit a week or 2. it likes to ferment at about 65 degrees F. Cool, but not cold. Do not put it into the refrigerator till it's at least one week old or the fermenting process won't start.

Depending on your taste, you can start eating it within a week. i usually let it sit 10 days - 2 weeks.. I will always put some into jars at about 10 days and then put those jars into the refrigerator where it will still continue to ferment but much slower because it's colder. It'll last a few months in the fridge.

enjoy!

sounds complicated but it really only takes me about 30 minutes to make a couple gallons of kraut. best tasting kraut ever when it's fresh like that.

you can add chopped garlic and/or onion into the mix too if you'd like. let it all ferment together.. add some cayenne pepper for a Korean kimchi taste.. the kids like that a lot.

ps - make sure the crock does not have any cracks in it! If the enamel is chipped I would be wary too. Has to be a good solid crock.