Cooking with Ornamental Cabbage (Kale)?

Question

Is it safe to cook Ornamental Cabbage such as this

Should I just pretend its your average cabbage when cooking with it?

Asked by Gabriel Fair

Answer

Ornamental cabbage is often actually a kale.

See this link with pictures very similar to yours: http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/plantoftheweek/articles/ornamental_kale.htm

Kale is edible and nutritious but it is tough and very strongly flavored compared to cabbage.

Kale recipes usually involve long braises in flavorful liquid to break down the toughness. Cabbage recipes, which require less cooking lest you release the dreaded sulfur demons, would almost certainly not be sufficient.

Answered by Sobachatina

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Is white cabbage that has turned rose-colored still safe to eat?

Question

We sliced and grated some white cabbage three days ago and left it salted and completely covered in a plastic container. It has since then turned rose-colored. The top layer was pretty dry when I opened it tonight. We had it on our journey and the weather has been pretty cold these days.

The big question: is it bad now? I mean, it didn't taste differently, there was no fermentation... Anybody have a clue if it's still safe to eat? We like to travel around and want to eat some of the cabbage mixed with salad cream in the next few days... So it's only salted and cut right now and completely airtight covered in a plastic container.

Asked by Johannes Thomas Meyer

Answer

Are you trying to make Sauerkraut?

Either way for the pink colour you have a non-desirable bacteria growing. While most Sauerkraut has some of this, it is not always safe to eat. Time to throw it away?

If you salt cabbage, you need to ensure not too much salt is used (1% to 2% max), and make sure it is packed down very firmly, so only anaerobic bacteria will grow in any numbers

It doesn't need to be in a closed container, but it should have a firm fitting lid, without an air gap on the top

Also, once it goes past 20°C (70°F) you run the risk of getting other undesirable bacteria and yeasts, and general food rot

Answered by TFD

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Red sweet and sour cabbage…drain or not?

Question

The recipe I want to try as a side to my beef goulash calls for cooking shredded red cabbage in a quart of water, salt, caraway seeds, and brown sugar. Then it says to drain cabbage when cooked and add vinegar and butter.

If I do this, won't I lose the sweetness that forms the basis of the sweet and sour? Would it maintain flavor better to remove the lid and cook down the liquid and then add vinegar and butter?

Answer

Red cabbage is usually braised, not boiled. Following the instructions listed in your recipe, you're going to lose the flavor of the caraway as well.

For German-style sweet and sour red cabbage I typically saute some diced onion and apple in sugar and butter until just golden, add the shredded cabbage and then cook a little until the cabbage is glazed. Add some beef stock along with red wine vinegar, bay leaf and salt and then braise lightly covered until cabbage has softened. Sprinkle some flour over the top and add add'l beef stock and red wine to this. At the end, remove from heat and stir in a couple of tablespoons red currant jelly just to mix in and balance the sweet/sour flavors.

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How do I incorporate cucumbers into cole slaw?

Question

I am entertaining the idea of making a spicy (apple cidar vinegar, sriracha,etc) cole slaw and am looking to temper the heat a bit with cucumber. Is the best option to slice in long strips? Is so, should I keep, discard, or otherwise incorporate the skin and the seed pulp?

Answer

If you want to match the texture of the shredded cabbage you could use a peeler to get thin, long strips of the cucumber. If you want to contrast the texture you could cut it into chunks or slices.

I would discard the seed pulp to cut down on the amount of water that will fall to the bottom of the bowl.

The skin is completely personal preference. If it's thin and tender I like to leave at least strips of it on for color contrast. Otherwise I get rid of it to avoid the tough, chewiness it can bring.

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