sauerkraut is popular food item used by many. earlier it was stored in jars and kept in open without any issues in old times but since refrigerator was invented people started using it to store the sauerkraut to increase its shelf life and decrease any unwanted bacteria growth in the sauerkraut.
sauerkraut is made by mixing shredded cabbage with lactic acid bacteria’s to make a sour tasting flavor which people enjoy to have with all kinds of different snacks including hot dogs, sandwiches, soups, pizza rolls and burgers.
it also possesses useful bacteria’s in it which helps to keep our digestive system working fine and healthy. sauerkraut shelf life increases when frozen and it can last up to 2 months on freezer before it start losing the taste. you should try to freeze it when its freshly made because later on after fermentation it might get bad.
it taste best when eaten fresh or little bit fermented so freeze only when you have Huge amount of leftover after consumption or you bought extra from market for future use on recipes like potato fries dressing, carrot slaw, scrambled eggs etc. using the method shared below
How to freeze sauerkraut
when you but the sauerkraut from store or make at home you have to freeze it after consumption whatever is left to prevent it from spoiling and it would be fine for few weeks till you finish the whole container of the sauerkraut gradually.
put all the extra sauerkraut in freezer safe container and seal it tightly with the lid and label the date in the top of lid before putting in freezer for few weeks. when frozen correctly sauerkraut can last for up to 6 months in freezer but to get taste and your health safety i would advice you to consume it in 8-12 weeks maximum.
if you are planning to freeze home cooked sauerkraut then it can be done easily. All you need to do is put the leftover sauerkraut in plastic bags and freezer with date labels on them for future reference. it is advised to make small portions of the sauerkraut before freezing in different plastic bags as it would make thawing one portion at a time easy to take and eat.
if you add less liquid content while making sauerkraut at home then storing it would be easy and it wont change the texture and flavor of the sauerkraut after freezing too much.
just like sauerkraut, potatoes can also be frozen easily. to know more about them checkout our post on freezing raw potatoes and store them in freezer to enjoy later in various different dishes.
How to defrost sauerkraut
you can defrost the sauerkraut in the fridge for few hours before using or make use of microwave with defrost function for 20-30 seconds to get it defrost and eat after that with recipes like nachos, banana chips, kimchi salad.
you can also keep the sauerkraut in the kitchen on counter top for few hours to get it defrosted before consumption. you can also put the frozen sauerkraut in water bath to get it done faster.
if you plan to add the sauerkraut in the dish for cooking then you don’t need to defrost it as you can add in frosted form only and it will defrost on its own in the dish and get mixed well.
frequently asked questions about freezing sauerkraut
does freezing sauerkraut remove probiotics
sauerkraut in fresh form contains lot of probiotics which are helpful for our body. it has been found that 5 ounce serving contains many trillions good probiotic bacteria’s in them.
freezing sauerkraut could make some of the probiotic bacteria die in the process but not all will be removed and will be their once the sauerkraut is thawed and eaten as they would survive the freezing temperatures in dormant state. the lactic acid in sauerkraut could also kill the useful bacteria’s in the sauerkraut so it is advised that you keep your unused sauerkraut in fridge always as it will help retain helpful bacteria’s in more quantity then what would be retained when kept at room temperature.
what are the benefits of sauerkraut
it is a good source of vitamin c, vitamin k, along with iron, folate, calcium and phosphate among other useful elements.
it also contains high amount of fibers in it which helps with fine working of digestive system and these fibers don’t get destroyed after sauerkraut is frozen or thawed.
it also contains good amount of elements like glucosinolates which helps to destroy cancer causing cells in our body and help improve our immune response to such ghastly diseases.
conclusion
hope you learned how to freeze the sauerkraut safely in freezer to consume it after a while. its preservation can be done if stored correctly and its shelf life would also increase to enjoy it later.
let us know if you like to make and eat sauerkraut to have a good taste with many dishes and what all dishes you like to pair it with in comments below.
checkout our post on can you freeze radishes to eat later and enjoy the crunchy sweet radishes all the time when its available in market and when its not.
share this post with all the sauerkraut lovers you know to helps them store this correctly to enjoy later also once made in bulk.
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