Brine Solution

Name: Brine Solution
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients: 30 g salt per L water (or 1 oz salt per qt) for a 3% solution; 50 g salt per L water (or 1 1/4 oz salt per qt) for a 5% solution

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Active time: 45 min

Total time: 45 min

Serves: 1 cup

To get the correct culture within your krauts, it's important to ensure your ratio of salt and water is correct.

Chef's notes

If you don't need a full liter of brine solution, use either 2 tsp per cup for a 3% solution or 3 tsp per cup for a 5% solution.

Steps

Preparing the Brine

Ingredients

30 g salt per L water (or 1 oz salt per qt) for a 3% solution
50 g salt per L water (or 1 1/4 oz salt per qt) for a 5% solution

Heat water in a non–reactive pan, add salt, and stir until dissolved. Cool thoroughly before using. The 5% solution is perfect for most fermenting applications, whereas the 3% is less salty and will help encourage a faster ferment. Brine solution is used when a bit of extra liquid is needed to keep the ferment submerged to anaerobic fermentation.

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4 Comments

Richard J • March 10, 2023 at 05:02AM

I just got a salinity meter for checking our pool and well water, calibrated to within a few parts per million. For fun, I checked brining and was surprised to find that 1 Tbsp per cup yielded a 2.8% salt level. The recommended 2 tsp registered 1.4%. And it took 2 Tbsp per cup to reach 5.4%.

Reply
Janet C • January 1, 2024 at 01:10PM

Interesting! Did you weigh your salt? The coarseness of the salt affects how much salt fits into a teaspoon.. I always go by mass over volume when fermenting

Reply
Karen K • April 28, 2025 at 01:21PM

Should the solution be cooled before adding to the veggies?

Reply
Dan M • Rouxbe Staff • April 29, 2025 at 07:54PM

"Cool thoroughly before using."

Reply

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Chef's notes

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4 Comments

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