Everything you need to know about choosing the right equipment and ingredients for making sauerkraut.
Essential Ingredients
Cabbage
Types:
- Green cabbage: Most common, mild flavour
- Red/Purple cabbage: Beautiful colour, slightly sweeter
- Savoy cabbage: Crinkly leaves, delicate flavour
- Napa cabbage: Makes kimchi-style kraut
Quality matters:
- ✅ Fresh, firm heads
- ✅ Heavy for their size (more moisture)
- ✅ Crisp, tight leaves
- ❌ Wilted or soft spots
- ❌ Brown or discoloured leaves
How much?:
- 1 medium cabbage (2-2.5 lbs) = 1 litre jar
- 1 large cabbage (3-4 lbs) = 2 litre jars
Salt
Best choices:
- Sea salt: Natural, mineral-rich
- Himalayan pink salt: Works well
- Kosher salt: Good option (adjust amount - see below)
- Pickling/canning salt: Pure, consistent
Avoid:
- ❌ Iodized table salt: Iodine inhibits fermentation
- ❌ Salts with anti-caking agents: Can cloud brine
Salt ratios:
- 2% by weight is ideal
- By volume (approximate):
- Fine sea salt: 20g per 900g cabbage (about 1.5 tbsp)
- Coarse sea salt: 30g per 900g cabbage (about 2 tbsp)
- Kosher salt: 30-38g per 900g cabbage (about 2-2.5 tbsp)
Why salt is critical:
- Draws water from cabbage (creates brine)
- Inhibits harmful bacteria
- Allows beneficial bacteria to thrive
- Preserves crunch
Water (if needed)
When you need it:
- If cabbage doesn't produce enough brine
- For filling weight bags
- To top up if brine level drops
Water quality:
- ✅ Filtered or spring water (best)
- ✅ Tap water left out 24 hours (chlorine evaporates)
- ✅ Boiled and cooled tap water
- ❌ Chlorinated water (can inhibit fermentation)
Brine recipe (if needed):
- 20g salt per litre of water (about 1.5 tablespoons per litre)
- Dissolve completely
- Cool before using
Essential Equipment
Fermentation Container
Best options:
- Wide-mouth Mason jars (Easiest for beginners)
- 1-litre size: Perfect for first batches
- 2-litre size: Good for regular batches
- Glass: Non-reactive, see-through
- Easy to clean and sterilize
- Fermentation crocks (Traditional)
- Ceramic with water seal
- 1-5 gallon sizes
- Natural temperature regulation
- More expensive
- Large food-grade containers
- Food-grade plastic buckets
- Large glass jars
- Good for big batches
Avoid:
- ❌ Metal containers (reacts with acid)
- ❌ Non food-grade plastic
- ❌ Containers that can't be cleaned thoroughly
Weights (Critical!)
Cabbage MUST stay submerged. Choose one method:
1. Water-Filled Bag (Recommended for beginners)
- Pros: Flexible, seals surface completely, inexpensive
- Cons: Can look messy, risk of tearing
- Cost: Free (use freezer bag)
- How: Fill bag with brine, press into jar
2. Glass Fermentation Weights
- Pros: Clean look, reusable, fit mason jars perfectly
- Cons: Cost, may not seal edges completely
- Cost: $10-20 for set
- Brands: Masontops, Fermentaholics
3. Whole Cabbage Leaf + Jar
- Pros: Free, natural
- Cons: Leaf can get soft and break down
- Cost: Free
- How: Tuck whole leaf over surface, small jar on top
4. Plate + Weight (For large containers)
- Pros: Works for big batches
- Cons: Doesn't work in jars
- Cost: Free to $20
- How: Plate on surface, heavy weight on plate
Cutting Tools
Options:
- Sharp chef's knife: Most people already have
- Mandoline slicer: Fast, uniform slices (watch fingers!)
- Food processor with slicing blade: Very fast
- Traditional kraut cutter: Box-style slicer
Safety tip: Always use a hand guard with mandolines!
Mixing Bowl
- Large enough to massage cabbage comfortably
- Stainless steel, glass, or ceramic
- At least 3-4 litre capacity
Other Useful Tools
Essential:
- Cutting board
- Clean hands (or food-safe gloves)
Helpful:
- Wooden spoon or tamper (for packing)
- Kitchen scale (for precise salt measurement)
- Labels and marker (date your batches!)
- Plate or tray (to catch overflow)
- Thermometer (to check storage temp)
Optional Enhancements
Airlocks
What they are: One-way valves that let CO2 out but don't let air in
Pros:
- No burping needed
- Less oxygen exposure
- More consistent results
Cons:
- Extra cost ($5-15)
- Requires special lids
Verdict: Nice to have but not necessary
Fermentation Lids
Types:
- Airlock lids for mason jars
- Silicone burping lids
- Water-seal lids for crocks
Cost: $10-30
Verdict: Convenient but regular lids work fine
Budget Guide
Minimal Budget ($0-10)
- Use jars you already have
- Chef's knife for slicing
- Water bag for weight
- Regular mason jar lids
- Total: $0-5 (just need salt!)
Beginner Budget ($20-40)
- 2-3 wide-mouth litre mason jars: $10
- Glass fermentation weights: $15
- Good sea salt (2 lbs): $8
- Total: ~$35
Enthusiast Budget ($50-100)
- Fermentation crock (2L): $40-60
- Mandoline slicer: $20-30
- Kitchen scale: $15
- Variety of salts: $15
- Total: ~$90
Pro Setup ($150+)
- 5L fermentation crock: $80-150
- Multiple sizes of jars with airlocks: $40
- Quality kraut cutter: $30-50
- Digital thermometer: $15
- Scale and accessories: $20
- Total: $150-250
Sanitization
Before each batch:
- Wash everything in hot, soapy water
- Rinse thoroughly
- Air dry or dry with clean towel
- Optional: Rinse with white vinegar
Don't need to:
- Boil/sterilize equipment (not necessary for fermentation)
- Use chemical sanitizers
- Be perfectly sterile (fermentation is very forgiving)
Do need to:
- Have clean hands
- Use clean utensils
- Wash cabbage
- Keep work area reasonably clean
Storage Considerations
During fermentation:
- Room temperature location
- Out of direct sunlight
- Stable temperature
- Good air circulation
- Away from other ferments (can cross-contaminate)
After fermentation:
- Refrigerator space (plan ahead!)
- 1 litre jar = significant fridge space
- Consider smaller jars for storage
- Label with date
Sustainability Tips
Reuse:
- Save pickle jars for fermenting
- Reuse freezer bags (if not torn)
- Compost cabbage cores and outer leaves
Buy in bulk:
- Large bag of good salt lasts years
- Cabbage in season is cheaper
Energy efficient:
- Room temperature fermentation (no heating)
- Long refrigerator storage (make big batches)
Next Steps
- Ready to start? Go to Basic Recipe & Process
- Learn about Temperature & Timing
- Check Common Problems & Solutions
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