Grandma Netta's Red Cabbage Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why add vinegar to red cabbage? ›

When cooked in an alkaline liquid like water, red cabbage turns blue. Adding vinegar, lemon juice, or another acid helps the cabbage to retain its red-purple color. Vinegar is also a bright flavor complement to the bold, earthy taste of the cabbage.

Red and green cabbage can be used interchangeably in most recipes. The difference between cooking green cabbage and red cabbage is just one extra step. The compounds that give red cabbage its color, called anthocyanins, are water-soluble and will turn an unappetizing blue color when cooked.

There are a number of ways to cook red cabbage but the most common are to braise or pickle it, although it's also delicious raw in winter salads and coleslaws. Red cabbage is full of vitamins (A, C and K), minerals and antioxidants so eating it raw or juicing it also provides a fantastic health boost.

defrost on christmas eve morning and then simply heat. it up in microwave or in covered dish in oven until. piping hot. 3 minutes in Micro, 20 min in oven.

Substances such as lemon juice and vinegar turn the cabbage juice red because they are acidic.

The red cabbage liquid has a blue-violet color, but when it comes in contact with acidic substances it becomes red, while in contact with basic substances it becomes green and even yellow. Lemon juice being acidic turns red in contact with red cabbage juice.

In comparison to green cabbage, red cabbage contains 10x more vitamins, cancer-fighting flavonoids, and a winning amount of antioxidants which improve eye, teeth, bone, & immune health.

While similar in flavor to its green counterpart, red cabbage tends to have a more pronounced earthy taste, complemented by a subtle underlying sweetness.

Lock in the colour by adding a touch of vinegar when cooking red cabbage in water. This stops the lovely deep purple hue from running. Don't be too heavy-handed with red cabbage. A lot of its frumpy reputation comes from it being over-pickled or boiled for an eon.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water. This also helps cut the pungent edge. Drain well before combining with other ingredients.

How often should you eat red cabbage? ›

To get the most benefit, try to consume ½ to ¾ cup cooked or 1 ½ cup raw cabbage per day at least 5 days per week. This is pretty easy to do since there are so many ways to prepare cabbage. Traditional methods of steaming or boiling cabbage can extract flavor and nutrients.

The simplest way to cook red cabbage is to boil it - put the cabbage leaves or shredded cabbage in a large pan and cover halfway with water, bring to the boil, and cook for three to five minutes or until tender. It can also be steamed – around five minutes in a steamer should be sufficient for soft, tender leaves.

Recipe Tips

Let the cooked cabbage cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container (it will keep in the freezer for 3 months). Defrost in the microwave or overnight in the fridge.

Cook, uncovered, for 2-3 hours (see tips), stirring occasionally, or until the cabbage is reduced to one-third of its size, and is soft and fragrant. Drain, reserving the juices. Add the butter to the juices and reduce in the pan for 20 minutes or until you have about 300ml liquid.

Red cabbage, once cooked, will keep warm without coming to any harm, and it will also re-heat very successfully. And, yes, it does freeze well so, all in all, it's a real winner of a recipe.

If you add vinegar it will stay the original color. The reddish pigment in the cabbage acts as a pH indicator like litmus paper. Your method of cooking is alkaline which isn't bad but would change the color of cabbage.

Red cabbage offers another bonus: It's rich in natural pigments called anthocyanins, which new research suggests may help boost insulin production and lower blood sugar levels. Finally, cabbage is often prepared with vinegar, which can help lower the GL of your whole meal.

I prefer to keep it simple – fresh lemon juice does the job just as well. Add a little salt and the two combine to help draw out some of the fluid and bitterness, making the cabbage slightly softer and easy one the palate.

The color of the cabbage indicator will change to red or pink if the solution is an acid and it will change to green or yellow if it is a base. It will remain purple or blue if the test solution is neutral.