Learn: How to Shred Cabbage like Eddie Van Halen Shreds Guitar

Hey Rockstar! So you've got your Mason Jar or Crockpot and now you are ready to make some serious sauerkraut, right? Hold on just a second there though. We need to discuss technique! After all, this is an art form right? Don't worry, follow these tips and we'll make you look like a hero. Remember: Quality preparation is key to making some amazing sauerkraut. Take your time and do it right. Since this is a raw recipe, think of all the time you'll save on cooking! 

I know you think you're pretty handy with that clever or chef's knife, but I can't tell you how many cabbages lives we've seen ruined over the years by well meaning chefs hacking and chopping cabbage heads like it's the French Revolution or something. The bottom line is that it's really hard to make even, razor thin cabbage shreds with a knife. Especially when you're making the quantities needed to fill a fermenting crock. 

So what are we suggesting? You need a cabbage shredder. It's basically just a mandoline slicer with a blade dialed in for cabbage and other veggies.  Of course you can use any mandoline slicer really, it doesn't have to be ours.  You can even find some cool vintage ones at antique stores. But any way you slice it, uniform cabbage shreds are where it's at for awesome sauerkraut. After all, you want your creation to look like it was made by an old timer and not a wood chipper right? It's not just about appearance either. We're not going to say something painful about mouth-feel or texture, so we'll just say this: Nicely shredded vegetables taste better!

If you're a little nervous about using this tool, we get it. It looks a little dangerous. Just pretend it's a giant safety razor. The cabbage? Well, that's what you're trying to shave. Instead of moving the razor though, you're going to be moving the cabbage. Let's go through the whole process  some pictures: 

 

• Wash the cabbage andcut itinto quarters. 
• Remove that little section of stem, that die hard fermenters refer to as the core. It's like the filet of the cabbage. It's packed with extra vitamins, but it needs a little extra processing to make it delicious, so set it aside for now. 
• If you promise to be super careful and not to shred it, you can leave the core attached to the cabbage quarters for a little handle while you shred. 
• Place your shredder over a big bowl other food storage container. You don't want it to move too much so try to make sure your worksurface is stable.
• Take one of the cabbage pieces and put it in the carriage.Hold the shredder with one hand and the cabbage/carriage with the other.
• Start to glide back and fourth across the blades. Don't bare down on the cabbage! Just keep your arm parallel with the shredder and let those sharp blades do the work for you!
• As you slice, don't stop when you hit the blades, slide beyond the blades almost the edge of the board. It'll be a much smoother operation this way. You're starting to get good at this aren't you?
• Once you're done, you can take a box grater, and shred that tough core that we set aside into microshreds. Mix that in with the rest of your shreds and you're ready to start filling your crock!

That wasn't so bad right? Now you've got kraut keystone in place and people are going to start asking you how you make such amazing looking and tasting sauerkraut. Just tell them you used a kitchen knife! ;)