How to properly chop white cabbage for pickling, pickling, stewing, salad, and borscht? How to chop, cut and crumble cabbage with a special knife, meat grinder, grater, food processor, blender

How can you cut white and Chinese cabbage for different dishes? How to properly shred cabbage on a grater, in a blender and in a food processor? What methods are there for shredding cabbage?

It would seem that there is nothing easier than shredding cabbage. However, we regularly note to ourselves that the chopped cabbage in the salads of restaurants, canteens and other catering establishments is significantly different from the shredded cabbage at home. In addition, to prepare different dishes, it is advisable to use different techniques and methods of chopping this vegetable.

How to properly chop white cabbage for pickling and pickling, on what days?

When should you ferment cabbage according to the lunar calendar?

As for the time of pickling and fermenting cabbage, our grandmothers preferred to carry out this procedure after the first night frosts hit the “cabbage” in the garden (from early October to mid-November).
It was believed that in this way the vegetable completely gets rid of unpleasant bitterness.
Nowadays, many housewives adhere to the same deadlines, since storing cabbage, fermented or pickled in late autumn, is much easier and more convenient - it can be placed on a balcony, unheated veranda or other cool place.
For those who for some reason were unable to prepare cabbage pickles for the winter, you can make them at any other convenient time.
The only point is that if you salt and ferment early varieties of cabbage that have not been hardened, the fermentation process itself will take much longer.
Some housewives today also practice using the lunar calendar in pickling cabbage.
It is believed that the most successful and delicious pickles will be those made during the waxing moon or 5-6 days after the full moon.
The waning moon and the full moon can cause sauerkraut to sour and wither.

How to cut cabbage for pickling?
As for the technique of shredding cabbage for pickling or sourdough, the algorithm for its implementation is as follows:

We peel the vegetable from the top leaves - we leave them to cover the bottom of the jar and cover the top of the cabbage.
Cut out the cabbage stalk from the peeled head of cabbage.
We treat the cutting board with a saline solution to remove all unnecessary microorganisms from its surface.
Cut the forks in half - if necessary, you can cut into 4 or 8 parts.
We take a suitable knife - you can use a special knife for shredding cabbage (chopper) or just take a large knife with a wide blade.
Shred the cabbage across the sliced part of the head.
We chop not finely or coarsely (1-2cm), but not to the smallest stripes, otherwise the cabbage will lose its crunchiness.

Good things

Natalikka notes.

I can't sit still. Before I had time to go to Bruges, I was flying away again. To Sweden. I was invited to go skiing in Åre. And as soon as I return, in 3 days I will fly away again. And again to Sweden, to another ski resort. I will definitely tell you about them! I have long wanted to try skiing in Sweden.

I'll try not to disappear! I still haven’t got an iPhone/iPad, so I won’t be happy with online reports from the slopes, but if I suddenly have a free minute, I’ll get in touch and tell you. And I will try to bring unusual recipes from Swedish cuisine.

In the meantime, I want to tell you about an interesting way to prepare cabbage for pickling.

To be honest, it would never have occurred to me to chop cabbage in a blender. It will be small - I would have thought. Until my mother-in-law shared her impressions with me. I decided to conduct an experiment and prepare cabbage in 2 ways: classic, chop it, but not with a knife, but using a machine (photo above) and using a blender.

Almost everyone knows how to ferment cabbage, I have no doubt. Although at one time I was so full of my father’s preparations that for a long time I was not at all drawn to them. Therefore, I admit, this was only the fourth time. But immediately after the first one, I felt how simple and tasty it was, I felt that I finally missed it all, I felt that I wanted to eat sauerkraut made with my own hands. Although they say that the cabbage of grandmothers selling near the metro is delicious, and my dad’s cabbage was even tastier, there is no doubt that he is a master of all kinds of pickles.

Classic recipe: 1 kg cabbage 1 medium carrot (or more) 20 grams salt (or to taste)

I used, firstly, my favorite kitchen machine, for which I immediately purchased a high-speed slicer-grater, since I really love borscht, despite the fact that my husband still doesn’t like it, and if shredding cabbage doesn’t bother me , then cut carrots into thin strips or beets - I’m not such a master in this matter. Before the Kenwood Titanium, I always used a Borner hand grater. Now I use it. Well, when you just need to chop and grate just a little bit.

Shred the cabbage. We remove the top leaves and leave them - they will come in handy.

Select a shredding disc and insert it into the attachment. The attachment is for a kitchen machine. To put cabbage through a Kenwood grater, cut it into 4 pieces and separate it into leaves, then wash them, shake off excess water and twist a few leaves at a time and insert them into the vegetable serving compartment. Like this.

As soon as all the cabbage has been passed through, we change the shredding disk to a grater disk with small holes (not frequent, there is another disk with small and frequent holes, there will be a very thin straw).

We pass the carrots directly to the cabbage.

Now we salt it all, mix it and press a little on the cabbage so that the juice comes out. Place the reserved leaves at the bottom of the container where the cabbage will be fermented, then shredded cabbage with carrots, and then the leaves again. Place a lid or plate and... cargo. Leave for 3 days, occasionally piercing with a fork. Serve in 3 days)

Another way is to grind cabbage and carrots in a blender.

The main advantage is fast. A few button presses and you're done. The mother-in-law said that she much prefers to cook cabbage this way, saying that it is also tasty and takes less time. But this has its drawbacks. The main thing: experience has shown that in such a high bowl as mine (one of the blenders that happened to be at hand), such a quantity of cabbage had to be passed in parts, otherwise it would end up in porridge at the bottom, with large leaves on top. There is no problem if you cook little cabbage. But usually they ferment a lot. However, this can be avoided if the bowl is wide, or use a food processor. And still, keep an eye on it; you may have to open it and stir it so that it doesn’t get too crushed at the bottom. Thus, in my case the time took approximately the same. The high-speed slicer skips what’s in the compartment in a second, but I had to roll the cabbage 5-6 times. Another downside to blender-blended cabbage for me: visual perception. Still, you will agree that shredded cabbage is prettier). The fermentation time was no different for me, although I thought it should be different. Both cabbages were cooked at the same time.

In principle, I am ready to use both methods. But I will definitely offer the guests classics)

Do you often make sauerkraut? What are your methods and favorite recipes?

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How to cut white cabbage for stewing: methods

How should you cut cabbage for stewing?

The classic ways to cut cabbage for stewing are cubes (checkers) and slices.
For stewing, it is advisable to chop the cabbage into cubes ranging in size from 1x1 to 5x5cm.
To chop cabbage into slices, you must first cut it in half, and then cut each of the resulting halves into four more pieces.
This way you will get fairly large pieces of cabbage that can be boiled, stewed or fried.
It is also worth noting that our housewives, due to habit or their personal preferences, often stew cabbage cut into large strips.
This cutting method seems more convenient and familiar to them.

Crispy cabbage

Ingredients:

Red cabbage – 5 kg.
Sugar – 100 g.
Non-iodized salt – 100 g.

Cooking method:

Peel the cabbage from the top leaves.
Chop it into strips into a large, deep bowl. Add salt and sugar and mix well by squeezing it. Leave for 30 minutes.
Then transfer the cabbage to a sterilized jar, compacting it tightly, not reaching 2 centimeters from the top of the neck.
Cover the jar with gauze, place in a deep bowl and leave in a warm, dry place for a day.
After a day, make several small holes in the cabbage to allow gas to escape. And leave it for another 3 days.
After 3 days, the cabbage is ready, pour the juice accumulated in the bowl into a jar. Close the jar with a lid and place it in the refrigerator or other cool place. The cabbage is ready.

How to cut cabbage for borscht: methods

How should you chop cabbage for borscht?

When preparing borscht, professionals prefer to chop cabbage into large or medium strips - at the discretion of the cook and the taste of his clients.
You can also use the technique of cutting the cabbage fork into slices or cubes for borscht and other first courses.
Not everyone prefers sliced cabbage in borscht, but few will pay attention to it if the taste of the dish does not suffer from it.

Cooking time of the product depending on its purpose

To always get the optimal result, you need to remember how much, how and when to cook fresh cabbage:

In borscht and cabbage soup, the component reaches readiness in 20 minutes. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, it should be laid out almost at the same time as other vegetables.
Cabbage for salad is boiled for at least 15 minutes, but no more than 20 minutes.
For cabbage rolls, it is better not to cook cabbage leaves of a very fresh product, but to pour boiling water over them for 10 minutes. If the component is already aged, then cooking will be required for 5-10 minutes.

When sauerkraut is used in borscht or cabbage soup, it is boiled for no more than 10 minutes.
The chopped product will be ready for use in 25-30 minutes.

Experienced housewives refused to boil cabbage in the microwave. This is a very convenient and quick way to prepare the product, but it has a significant disadvantage. It is very difficult to decide on the amount of salt; the microwave oven enhances the expression of the salty taste. And if you don’t add enough salt to the cabbage during the cooking process, then this component will literally grate on your teeth. It is practically useless to rinse a salted product in clean water.

How to cut white cabbage for salad: methods

How should you chop cabbage for salad?

The classic way to cut cabbage for salad is using strips.
If for borscht or pickling a straw width of up to 2 cm is acceptable, then for salad the cook should try to make it as thin as possible - up to 7 mm.
Today, Korean salads are becoming increasingly popular in our country.
For Korean salads, you can use the technique of cutting into checkers or slices - it all depends on the type of salad and the method of its preparation.

General cooking rules

To prepare the preparations, it is best to use young zucchini. You don’t even need to clean them, just wash them well and trim the ends on both sides. If there are only large fruits, then they must be peeled, as their peel becomes rough. In addition, you will need to remove the seeds along with the fibrous pulp of the core.

Zucchini is cut in different ways. Can be cut into cubes, bars, circles or half rings. If you plan to cook caviar, then the zucchini will need to be chopped using a meat grinder or blender.

The remaining ingredients are added according to the recipe. The taste of the future preparation will depend on the selected additions, as well as spices.

Interesting facts: zucchini can rightfully be called the “vegetable of youth”, as it contains substances that help preserve pigment in the hair. That is, zucchini lovers do not turn gray for a long time.

How to chop cabbage with a regular and special knife?

Technique for shredding cabbage with a special and regular knife
The easiest way to cut cabbage is with a large knife with a long and sharp blade. There are special knives for shredding cabbage on sale today, but mastering them requires some practice and skill. To properly shred cabbage forks, you need to follow these steps and understand some points:

We place the knife in our hand in such a way that the entire palm is involved in wielding it.
Place your thumb on the side along the handle of the device.
Place your index finger on top of the knife handle.
With the remaining three fingers we grab the knife from below.
Make sure that your fingers do not touch the blade.
During the shredding process, pay attention to the fact that the tip of the knife does not leave the surface of the cutting board - its movements occur either forward or backward.
We choose one of two techniques - we cut either towards ourselves or away from ourselves.
When slicing cabbage away from you, we move the knife forward and downward at the same time - then return it to the starting position.
When cutting cabbage towards you, we move the knife towards you and downwards - then we also return it to the starting position.

How to shred cabbage on a grater: which grater to choose?

How to choose a grater for shredding cabbage?
Modern devices for shredding cabbage include dozens, or even hundreds, of different models of graters, so each housewife has the opportunity to choose the most suitable option for herself. The differences between these devices are as follows:

Operating method - mechanical, electrical or manual
Device material: wood, metal, plastic
Availability of a container for collecting the finished product
Various types of cutting attachments (small, large, embossed)
Having one or more knives

When choosing a grater for slicing cabbage, the woman’s individual preferences will play a major role.

How to grate cabbage?

Each grater usually comes with instructions for its use. If the grater is manual, then the housewife will have to perform the following steps:

Wash the cabbage.
We clear it of the top leaves.
Cut the cabbage in half or into quarters.
Prepare a cutting board or other surface (if there is no container for collecting shredded cabbage).
We take the grater in our left hand.
Conveniently rest the grater against the surface of the board or simply press it against it.
We take part of the cabbage in our right hand.
We begin to carefully grate the cabbage with smooth but firm movements from top to bottom.

Useful tips

Correctly cutting a vegetable for pickling or preparing soups (salads) is a simple matter; any novice housewife can master this work. It is not necessary to complete a cooking course. In order to better understand the process itself, it is enough to watch the work of the “chefs” in a restaurant once or twice or download a training video on the Internet with step-by-step recommendations. You should also keep in mind that professional chefs have their own secrets:

You should not wash the head of cabbage before shredding. If you wash it, the knife will slide and the cutting process will slow down significantly. Simply remove the top layer of leaves.
A wooden cutting board made from hard, durable wood, such as oak, is best for slicing. You should not use glass and ceramic boards for this purpose. They look beautiful in the interior, but in reality such boards are impractical. When a knife comes into contact with glass or ceramics, it gradually becomes dull, and it will be very difficult to sharpen it later.
Shredding should be done in one direction with quick but not sudden movements.
Cabbage is cut immediately before cooking. If you cut it for future use and leave it for a long time, juice will come out of it. Any vegetables deprived of juice become dry and tasteless.
The cutting knife must be sharp. Don't be afraid of sharp knives. Skilled chefs say: the sharper the knife, the less likely it is to cut yourself. This is explained very simply. When a housewife uses a dull knife, she has to exert great physical effort to cut. And with a sharp knife, everything works out effortlessly, easily and gracefully.
For shredding you need to have a separate knife. Under no circumstances should it be used for slicing bread, meat, fish and other products. After each preparation, the knife must be wiped dry and stored in a special knife holder in an upright position. If you store knives horizontally, they will become dull faster.

Read also: Report on the topic of plants with unusual roots

How to chop cabbage in a food processor?

How to shred cabbage in a food processor?
Each food processor comes with instructions for its operation, which clearly and clearly describes, and sometimes shows, how to use the device for chopping vegetables. As a rule, combines with a slicing function have special attachments for various types of vegetables. So, the algorithm for cutting cabbage in a food processor:

We fix a suitable nozzle in the upper part of the bowl and cover it with a lid with a hole on top.
Above the hole there is often a special trench into which we actually place the vegetables.
Since the gutter is quite small in size, we first cut the cabbage into suitable pieces.
Set the combine to the desired mode and turn it on.
When the nozzle begins to rotate under the lid, carefully lower a piece of cabbage into the hole in the lid.
Presses the cabbage on top with a special press.
Repeat the procedure with all the cabbage.

Slicing vegetables for pickling

Sauerkraut is truly a folk dish in Russia. This is a wonderful snack, as well as an excellent vitamin supplement for cabbage soup and borscht. Of course, you can buy sauerkraut at the market or in a supermarket, but in this case you cannot be one hundred percent sure of the quality of the product. Therefore, many lovers of crunchy vegetables prefer home canning.

Usually cabbage is fermented in October, and late varieties in November. Finely chopped carrots and some cranberries are also added to the jars. Sliced cabbage for pickling has its own characteristics. If you cut it roughly, into thick slices, it will not be soaked in brine. Therefore, chopping vegetables for home canning must be approached with special responsibility. Usually families ferment a large volume at once, so it is best to use special devices for chopping. They greatly facilitate the process of preparing homemade preparations.

How to cut cabbage with a blender?

How to chop cabbage in a blender?
It’s worth mentioning right away that a blender is a device that allows you to chop cabbage only to a chopped state - it’s impossible to make beautiful straws or checkers in such a device. It is easier to chop cabbage in a non-immersion blender. Shredding cabbage in a blender:

We install suitable knives in the blender.
Cut the cabbage into small pieces that can fit in the blender bowl.
We load pieces of cabbage into it.
Cover the blender bowl with a lid.
We set the desired mode on the device.
Turn on the blender.

How to properly chop and shred Chinese cabbage: methods

How to chop Chinese cabbage?
Method No. 1

We rinse the cabbage under running water, holding the head of cabbage with the leaves facing down.
Dry the “Beijing” with a paper or cloth kitchen towel.
Lay out the cutting board on the table.
Remove the top leaves from the cabbage (usually 3-4 leaves are enough).
Place cabbage on the board.
Cut off the bottom part of the Chinese cabbage (about 5cm from the root) and throw it away.
Cut the cabbage in half.
Place one half of the head of cabbage on the board, cut side down.
We begin to make cuts lengthwise in the cabbage at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other.
Then we chop the head of cabbage crosswise into strips of the required width.

Method number 2

Preparing cabbage using this method is identical to the same procedure in method No. 1.
The only difference is that we make only one cut along the cabbage.
With this type of slicing, the cabbage ribbons will be much longer than in the previous method.

Method No. 3

The third method is to cut the cabbage first in half, and then in half again.
This technique is often used to prepare the national Korean dish, kim chi.

Method No. 4

The fourth method of slicing Chinese cabbage can hardly be called slicing at all, since it involves chopping the vegetable with your hands.
In other words, you simply need to tear cabbage leaves into small pieces with your hands - the size of the pieces directly depends on where this product will be used.

Preparatory stage

Petsai has a huge amount of vitamins and is incredibly beneficial for the body. The vegetable is rich in ascorbic acid, fiber, minerals, proteins and vitamin C. In addition to salads, it can also be used as a component for soups, main courses, and starters. The low calorie content of the product, which is only 15 calories per 100 grams, appealed to most women, because everyone wants to eat not only tasty, but also healthy without harming their figure. By the way, the calorie content of the white cabbage analogue is 30 kcal.

The tender pulp cooks quickly, regardless of the type of dish. You should cook, fry or stew the product for no more than two to three minutes, as this ensures the preservation of vitamins and minerals inside the vegetable.

First of all, you should prepare everything you need for slicing a vegetable: a cutting board, a large sharp knife, a kitchen towel and a bowl of water will definitely be needed during the cutting process. The cabbage should be washed, holding it upside down, and then dried with a towel.

It is not recommended to wash your petsai by placing it completely inside a deep bowl filled with water, as it may absorb too much liquid. It is imperative to remove the top three leaves, as they are usually already withered and dirty. After this, five centimeters of the lower end of the head of cabbage is cut off and thrown away.

How to properly and beautifully chop cabbage into strips, thinly?

How to shred cabbage into strips?
To cut cabbage into strips, you need:

cut her head in half
cut the core
cut the forks lengthwise into strips 3-4cm wide
chop each strip crosswise into strips of the required width

Most often, graters are used to cut cabbage into very thin strips - only they allow you to make narrow and equal-sized strips of cabbage leaves.

How to properly and beautifully cut cabbage into cubes?

How to chop cabbage into cubes?
Algorithm of actions:

Wash the cabbage
Removing the core
Cut the fork into two equal parts
Divide half the head of cabbage in layers into pieces of 3-4 leaves
We cut each part one by one, first parallel and then perpendicularly into cubes of the required size.

How to chop cabbage finely?

How can you chop cabbage finely?

To chop cabbage finely, it is best to use a special grater.
Most experts prefer, of course, to chop cabbage with a knife. However, this requires good practice.
You can also chop cabbage in a food processor, but it cannot guarantee a 100% result - very often the finished material contains large layers of cabbage that have flown past the knife.
But to chop the cabbage until chopped, it is advisable to use a food processor or blender. Only in this case you need to place knives in the food processor and grind the cabbage inside the bowl.
It is also worth mentioning the favorite way of our grandmothers and mothers to chop cabbage for cutlets or fine filling - a meat grinder. This device allows you to get finely chopped pieces of vegetables.

Languishment is the main culinary sense

Cabbage soup can be cooked with meat, fish, or lean. Sometimes they even add smoked meats - your choice, but this is closer to hodgepodge. One way or another, all these things must also be welded. In my opinion, since we've taken the time to simmer the cabbage, there's nothing stopping us from doing the same with the meat - I use a five-quart saucepan for this, but lately I've been seriously considering buying a slow cooker, also known as a slow cooker. One of my friends claims that an unglazed clay pot is the best; it gives the cabbage soup a very special taste. I prefer beef brisket as meat for cabbage soup. The meat must be washed, dried, all scraps trimmed off (the more qualified the butcher, the fewer scraps there are) and placed in one piece in a pan. To the meat you need to add onions and carrots (whole, but peeled), parsley root, and also, I beg your pardon, a bouquet garni (we talked about it in detail here, in the chapter “Broth for risotto”). Having placed all this on the bottom of the pan in as harmonious an order as possible, I pour in two liters of cold water - enough to cover the food with a palm-thick layer of water. The liquid level should not be higher than 2/3 of the height of the pan, otherwise it will splash out in the future, and under no circumstances should you add water here - the flow of the process will be irreparably disrupted. And put the pan on the highest heat.

When foam begins to stand out, I skim it off with a spoon. When the foaming stops, I cover the pan with foil, securing it tightly around the edges, and put it in the oven, preheated to 150ºC. Foil almost completely prevents steam from escaping and temperature loss, so after half an hour I reduce the temperature to 110ºC

After an hour, carefully remove the pan from the oven, remove the foil, remove the bouquet garni, remove the carrots, parsley root and onion with tongs, and instead put in a little chopped potatoes, about three. The choice of potatoes for cabbage soup is a separate topic; I prefer high-starchy, crumbly varieties, abundantly provided by the Belarusian peasantry

Then cover the pan tightly with foil again and place in the oven for another hour and a half. During this time, its contents will turn into a velvety, languid and incredibly fragrant stew.

How to chop cabbage quickly?

How to quickly chop cabbage?

The fastest way to shred cabbage quickly is to use electric devices. When using them, you can get finely chopped vegetables in a matter of seconds.
In second place in the speed of shredding cabbage is a professional chef - he is also able to shred cabbage with a knife in a few seconds. However, only a few have such technology.
Grating cabbage and chopping it in a meat grinder are considered longer processes.

That's all the best and proven ways to cut cabbage. Delicious dishes and easy cooking!