White Cabbage in the Thermomix®

When are white cabbage in season?

Fresh white cabbage from July to October, stored cabbage available into April..

• JanStored
• FebStored
• MarStored
• AprStored
• May–
• Jun–
• JulOutdoor crop
• AugOutdoor crop
• SepOutdoor crop
• OctOutdoor crop
• NovStored
• DecStored

Outdoor crop: fresh European harvest. Protected crop: greenhouse or covered cultivation. Stored: European harvest kept in storage.

Buying and storing white cabbage

White cabbage and pointed cabbage are quite different: white cabbage is firm and round with tightly packed leaves, while pointed cabbage has a tapered shape, tender leaves and a milder flavour. When shopping, look for firm, heavy heads with no brown outer leaves. The cut surface at the stalk should be fresh and white. Young summer heads are smaller and more tender than autumn and stored cabbage.

White cabbage is an exceptionally good keeper: whole heads last 2 to 4 months in a cool, dark place, and up to 2 weeks in the fridge once cut and wrapped in cling film. The classic way to preserve white cabbage is as sauerkraut through lactic fermentation. Blanched shredded cabbage can also be frozen and keeps for up to 12 months.

Preparing white cabbage in the Thermomix®

In the Thermomix® we chop white cabbage for raw salads, coleslaw and cabbage salad: quarter the cabbage, cut out the stalk and break it into rough pieces. Then chop for 5 seconds on speed 5, keeping an eye on the texture. For a finer cabbage salad, run it 1 to 2 seconds longer. The Thermomix® does the time-consuming shredding in seconds.

For sauerkraut, chop the cabbage briefly in rough pieces too, then massage in salt and ferment. To cook it in the Varoma, lay in cabbage strips or leaves and steam for 20 to 25 minutes at Varoma temperature. For stews, braise the cabbage straight in the mixing bowl at 100°C on speed 1.

The most common mistakes with white cabbage

• Cabbage smells strong and unpleasant while cooking. White cabbage contains sulphur compounds that become intense with long cooking. Short cooking times and steaming rather than boiling in water reduce the smell. A splash of cider vinegar or some caraway in the pot binds the volatile compounds.
• Raw salad chopped too coarse or too fine. The Thermomix® works fast. For a coleslaw texture, 4 to 5 seconds on speed 5 is enough. Any longer gives mushy pulp. Cut the cabbage into evenly sized pieces before it goes into the mixing bowl.
• Sauerkraut does not turn sour or goes mouldy. Too little salt stops the lactic fermentation. Use at least 10 grams of salt per kilogram of cabbage. The cabbage must stay fully covered in liquid so that no mould forms. Do not use iodised salt.

Goes well with white cabbage

These seasonal ingredients are in season at the same time, ideal for combining:

PeppersTomatoesCarrotsPotatoesCeleriac and CeleryBroccoli

White Cabbage in the monthly calendar: