Food fermentation

[KeenCook2 Profile]

Herbi, as far as I understand it - I think StokeySue might have explained this? Someone else on here? Anyway, all Kosher salt is, is salt without any of the additives that make it flow freely - ie sea salt or rock salt or equivalent. In the US that's why they specify Kosher salt as it's pure salt ... someone please correct me if I'm wrong!!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Is it essential to use Kosher salt as a lot of recipes on line suggest?

Herbi, as far as I understand it - I think StokeySue might have explained this? Someone else on here? Anyway, all Kosher salt is, is salt without any of the additives that make it flow freely - ie sea salt or rock salt or equivalent. In the US that's why they specify Kosher salt as it's pure salt ... someone please correct me if I'm wrong!!

Yup
In the USA most salt is iodised, and in quantity the iodide can be bitter. Much “free running” table salt contains small quantities of magnesium carbonate to stop it going lumpy

It’s just possible that these harmless chemicals might affect the fermentation or the flavour of the food so kosher (which is coarse crystal sea salt), or untreated sea salt or rock salt is best for such projects

I wonder if you can still get the blocks of rock salt people used to have for preserving?

[scullion Profile]

this is the recipe i use - https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-easy-kimchi-at-home-189390 - it's very easy
and i use the ordinary salt from lidl.
it doesn't effect the fermentation and i haven't noticed any bitter taste so maybe it doesn't have an anti-caking agent in it.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I would have thought that untreated sea salt might contain traces of all sorts of other minerals and indeed whatever chemicals were dumped into the sea nearby. I've used both sea salt and table salt for fermentation (mostly sauerkraut) without any noticeable difference in outcomes.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I doubt anything in UK table salt or cooking salt would be a problem, but you’d definitely want to avoid iodised standard US salt, because of bitterness

The magnesium in free running UK salt could even be an advantage or neutral

[herbidacious Profile]

Thanks. Sorry I should have read more closely.

Thanks for the recipe, Scully.

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

As a follow up, we did an introduction to fermentation course yesterday and made sauerkraut.
Salt was discussed and apparently she uses sea salt.
To our varieties of cabbage, we could add garlic, caraway, peppercorns and dried seaweed. I stuck to the first two.
The next session is kombucha. We shall do it for the experience.

[Uschi Profile]

Over here many recipes call for juniper berries and bay leaves when cooking Sauerkraut. I guess you can always add them when making Sauerkraut, too.
Allspice might also give a good note to another cabbage.