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My sauerkraut turned into a slimy mess and fixing it took forever
I started a big batch of sauerkraut about three weeks ago, using my usual recipe with just cabbage and salt. After a week, instead of getting crisp and tangy, it turned all slimy and weird. I spent the next two weeks trying to save it, checking the temperature, adding more salt, and even starting a tiny new batch to use as a starter. Nothing worked. I finally had to throw the whole thing out, which felt like a huge waste. The whole process, from starting it to giving up, took over a month. Has anyone else had their ferment go slimy and found a way to fix it, or is it just a lost cause?
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burns.richard3mo ago
Slimy kraut usually means bad bacteria won.
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diana82923d agoTop Commenter
Actually it's not always that clear cut with sauerkraut (which I've been making for years, by the way). Sliminess usually comes from a bacteria called Leuconostoc mesenteroides getting too active when the salt content is too low or the temperature's off, not necessarily from "bad" spoilage organisms taking over. You can sometimes fix a slightly slimy batch by refrigerating it right away and using it up quickly, but you're right that once it gets really stringy and smells off, it's probably toast. The pH being below 4.6 is the real test, not just the texture.
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white.seth3mo ago
Sliminess doesn't always mean it's lost to bad bacteria. It's often a sign of too much oxygen or wild yeast getting in there first. Once it gets that texture, it's pretty much impossible to fix.
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