Is it possible to ferment and salt cabbage in a plastic food bucket and other plastic dishes

A favorable period for salting cabbage is autumn and the beginning of winter. By this time, the vegetable is fully ripe and ready for further cooking. Before you start fermentation, you need to prepare the cabbage, containers and additional ingredients. The main problem arises when choosing a container. Not everyone knows that you can pickle a vegetable not only in glass jars, but also in a plastic bucket. How to cook sauerkraut for the winter in a bucket, you will learn from this article.

Is it possible to ferment cabbage in a plastic food bucket

There is no more suitable container for pickling than a wooden barrel. But for such a capacity it is almost impossible to find a place in an apartment, and cabbage is a bit too much. Therefore, an enamel pot is most often used for fermentation, but without chips or other external damage. Otherwise, the quality of the vegetable will deteriorate.

Reference. Do not salt in containers made of non-enamelled metal, aluminum and other steel. During fermentation, the acid reacts with the metal, and the vegetable loses its taste and beneficial properties.

Most summer residents are worried about whether it is possible to salt cabbage in a plastic barrel. Indeed, during salting, acid is formed, which begins to interact with plastic. The vegetable absorbs odors and various harmful impurities and chemicals. When using low-quality containers, you can harm your health. Therefore:

1. Buy colorless containers, do not use brightly colored plastic.
2. Get quality buckets. Be sure to ask the seller for a certificate to verify the quality of the purchase.
3. Before pickling the vegetable, wrap the inside of the bucket in a plastic food bag or cling film.
4. Wash new containers several times. Then fill the bucket with water to the top and let sit for 24 hours. Dry in the open air afterwards.
5. Ferment the cabbage until cooked through. Next, transfer to a glass jar, tamp and fill with your own juice.

The best option for fermentation is considered to be dishes made of food grade plastic. It must have a sign in the form of a triangle with numbers 5 or 05.

All other containers are not suitable for processing and storing raw materials - you can get poisoned.

Read also:

The use of cauliflower for weight loss

How to make the best cabbage blanks

In other plastic dishes

It is allowed to use containers, barrels or cans made of food grade plastic. The quality of the cabbage and the fermentation period will depend on this. Plastic containers are rarely made from materials that can come into contact with food. Better to use glass and ceramics.

High-quality plastic has the following advantages:

• tolerates temperature changes;
• easy to clean;
• suitable for reusable use;
• closes hermetically;
• easy to operate.

The best sauerkraut recipe in a plastic barrel

The most suitable varieties of cabbage are medium late. They contain the sugar needed for fermentation. Summer residents recommend using heads of cabbage that have caught a slight frost. But you should avoid frozen vegetables. The forks must be large and free from cracks, mold, or damage.

Various additional ingredients are added to sauerkraut for taste: bay leaf, plum, pumpkin, apples, horseradish, currants, peppers and oak bark.

Main cast:

• 10 kg of cabbage;
• 200 g of coarsely ground table salt;
• 200 g of carrots.

Preparation:

1. The head of cabbage is cut in half and chopped or cut into squares.
2. Chop carrots into strips or slices.
3. Combine vegetables with spices, mix thoroughly and crumple with your hands until juice appears.
4. The bottom of the container is covered with cabbage leaves, the mixture is poured and tamped until the juice is released.
5. Cover with a cloth, a lid that is less than the diameter of the neck of the barrel, and put it under oppression (stone, weight or container with water).
6. Leave to ferment at room temperature, daily piercing the cabbage to the bottom with a wooden stick and removing the foam.
7. After 3-5 days, the dish will be ready. It is sent to the refrigerator for storage.

How to salt in a plastic bucket for the winter: recommendations

Cover the container with cling film to reduce contact of salted vegetables with plastic.

You can pre-arrange vegetables in plastic bags, and then lower them in plastic bucket... It is used only for the salting process.

It is impossible to store cabbage in such a dish - it is moved to glass 3-liter jars.

The vegetable is fermented at room temperature. When the foam ceases to stand out, the salting process is considered complete. Then the product is put into the refrigerator, cellar or balcony, where the temperature does not exceed 0 ° C.

Read also:

What to do if sauerkraut is too salty

What to do if sauerkraut has become slimy

Conclusion

For pickling cabbage, use food-grade plastic dishes marked 5 and 05 or wrap it from the inside with cling film. This will protect the product from reacting with plastic. The workpiece is stored only in glass jars so that the beneficial properties of cabbage are not lost.