The widespread use of salt for sauerkraut is explained by the fact that it is an antiseptic and prevents the development of putrefactive microbes, while stimulating the growth of lactic acid bacteria. However, many people have a question whether the use of iodized seasoning affects the quality of the product, about which it is known that it is more useful than ordinary, and if you can not use it, then why. This issue is discussed in detail in the article.
Features of iodized salt
Table salt (food) salt is a substance necessary for ensuring human vital activity. It is obtained in various ways, including from rock salt (halite) by its purification. Iodized salt is a food supplement containing potassium iodide and iodate or sodium iodide and iodate. Such a product is obtained by evaporating sea water or artificially enriching ordinary edible salt.
Seasoning containing iodine is important for the human body, because it constantly ensures the supply of this element, which is of great importance for regions remote from the sea. Thanks to iodine, the normal functioning of the thyroid gland and digestive organs, metabolic processes are ensured.
Important! Iodine deficiency is expressed in such consequences as a deterioration in memory and mental development, and women also have a decrease in reproductive function.
A product enriched with iodine has long been considered a full-fledged spice. It was launched at the beginning of the last century. So, in the USA this happened in 1924, in the USSR in 1933, and in South Africa since 1995 this food supplement without iodine content is not available.
Is it possible to salt cabbage with iodized salt
To the question about the possibility of using iodized spices for salting cabbage, there are 3 possible answers:
- Can - this does not affect the taste and quality of the final product, because modern manufacturers add not potassium iodide to the seasoning, but potassium iodate, which oxidizes more slowly. It is also believed that iodine quickly disappears from seasoning.
- Canif you do not make preparations for the winter, but plan to eat them in the near future. During this time, iodine does not have time to affect the taste and quality of cabbage.
- Not recommended, and if sauerkraut is intended for sale, then it is impossible at all, since iodides impair its quality.
Such different answer options may be related to individual taste preferences. Therefore, you can solve this problem for yourself by salting a small amount of cabbage with an iodized product and evaluating the finished product yourself.
Did you know? In some high-class oriental restaurants, there is a specialty called salt sommelier. This specialist helps visitors choose the most suitable salt.
How does iodized salt affect cabbage
Carried away by the beneficial properties of iodized salt, housewives often begin to use it for harvesting for the winter.
- However, if you ferment cabbage with iodized seasoning, you can get such negative consequences:
- Bad taste. Iodine has the ability to oxidize and thereby gives a specific taste to the finished product.
- Lack of pleasant acidity. Sauerkraut is obtained due to the work of lactic acid bacteria, and iodine slows down this process.
- The lack of crunch. The difficult fermentation process due to the iodine content becomes the cause of the softening of cabbage.
- Mold formation. In the normal fermentation process, the final oxidation never occurs, however, with a decrease in the number of lactic acid bacteria, the acidity level drops below normal, which contributes to the appearance of mold.
- Unpleasant dark color. Iodine contributes to the darkening of foods.
- Sauerkraut is losing its beneficial properties. The benefits of the product are associated with lactic acid, which is formed as a result of fermentation. Iodine is an antiseptic that kills the bacteria responsible for this.
Did you know? In the UK, you can buy salt from a person’s tears during a period of different emotional states (sadness, joy, peeling onions, runny nose), which is actually obtained by evaporation of ordinary sea water with the addition of various flavors.
What salt is better to use for salting cabbage
Salting cabbage does not require expensive seasoning with attractive marketing names, choose the cheapest. It can be called edible or table rock salt, the degree of grinding is 2. Some manufacturers may indicate the name “Salting” on it. Usually it is sold in packs of blue, unlike iodized, with which packs are painted in red.
If you have iodized salt at home based on the addition of potassium iodate, stored for more than 9 months in a closed package or more than 3 months in an open package, you can be sure that all iodine has already evaporated, so feel free to add it to the pickles. Potassium iodide is even more volatile - such a seasoning retains its properties for a very short time, and then if it is stored in a dark place tightly closed.
The same dietary supplement of the finest fine grinding is called Extra, it is white in color. They are not used in pickles, since the additives contained in it for whitening and caking adversely affect the taste and useful properties of sauerkraut. It is better to put this seasoning in a salt shaker on the table to add salt to the finished dishes.
The amount of salt depends on individual addictions; State standards provide for its content in chopped cabbage at a level of 1.2 to 2.5% (12-25 g per 1 kg). The upper bar reduces the grade of finished products. If whole heads of cabbage or their halves are salted, they are poured with a 4% solution of 40 g of seasoning per 1 liter of water.
Thus, despite the obvious benefits of iodized salt, cabbage should be seasoned without adding iodine. Although some housewives claim that they use the first option and do not observe negative consequences. You can finally answer this question for yourself if you ferment a little cabbage separately with iodized spice.
