Caramelizing Cabbage

Does anyone have any idea exactly what temperature that cabbage caramelizes at, or how long it takes?

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Shredded or whole? I've found that deep frying temperature works well but it takes a decent amount of time. I have used my searzall to good effect if I glaze the Cabbage first too

tshewman

For me it takes about 45 minutes at a relatively high heat and allot of babysitting after the initial release. I typically slice and salt the cabbage, let sit for 30 minutes, cook over medium-high heat for 20-30 minutes while it releases, then saute until crisp. First time it happened was completely by accident........the flavor is quite amazing. I prefer doing it with red cabbage.

bkeene12

Not sure what you are going to do with the cabbage or how much you want to modify it. If I am looking to get some browning fast, I will add some amount of sugar, a bit of vermouth and sauté in butter. Once wilted, I'll get browning in 15-20 minutes over medium heat. You could probably sauté till it wilts on the stove and throw it under a broiler to get a more dry crust with a dark color inside of ten minutes based on how close you got to the element... I've intrigued myself (looks like I might be trying this broiler experiment later on). Just out of curiosity- what are you going to do with your caramelized cabbage?

Cheryl_71360

I like to halve or quarter a head, drizzle my favorite balsamic on it letting it seep in. Then I sear it either on the grill or in a cast iron skillet. Once it's seared to my liking I cut that section off and repeat the process.

Gary_47060

I'm actually looking for something a little more precise, like the chart for the sous vide cooking times and temperatures, with perhaps a notation on pH levels.

For instance:

Cabbage is roughly 3% sugar by weight, and that sugar is likely glucose, fructose and sucrose. Caramelization starts with sucrose decomposing (160°C, 320°F) into glucose and fructose. This is followed by a condensation step, in which the individual sugars lose water and react with each other (glucose at 160°C, 230°F; and fructose at 110°C, 230°F) to form new aromatic compounds with a range of complex flavors. What I don't know is how long it would take for that 3% to fully react, preferably with some kind of graph so that I can specifically choose both when to turn the oven down to 110°C (230°F) in order to convert all of the fructose, but still leave some of the glucose for some sweetness.

However, the caramelization reactions are also sensitive to pH, and the reaction rate can be accelerated or the temperature lowered under both acidic (especially pH below 3) and basic (especially pH above 9) conditions. Fresh tomatoes fall into the 4.3-4.9 pH range, and for canned tomatoes and tomato paste, the pH range is 3.5-4.7 (all depending upon type of tomatoes/name brand); while milk falls in at a pH of about 6.7

The reaction also contains both caramelization products and Maillard reaction products since vegetables also contain amino acids along with reducing sugars. The Maillard reaction proceeds rapidly from around 140 to 165 °C (284 to 329 °F).

The idea behind this is to make cabbage rolls where the outside of them are mostly caramelized. The cabbage itself is either frozen and thawed, or steamed; in which case the cells have already burst, allowing the reaction to proceed. I think once the cabbage rolls are made and covered in the sauce, this would then become a two-step cooking process. Likely, preheating the oven to 350°F, then putting the cabbage rolls in covered at 160°C (320°F). This temperature should ensure both the breakdown of sucrose to glucose and fructose, ensure the possibility of the Maillard reaction (possibly too much liquid at this time), and covering it will promote the rice to absorb the moisture of the sauce instead of just evaporating away. Once the sugar is converted, you want to continue so that some of the glucose also continues converting into desirable flavour compounds, but then drop the temperature down to 110°C (230°F) in order to convert all of the fructose, yet still retain some of the sweetness from the remaining glucose. Likely, this step should be done sometime after the moisture has all been absorbed so that the Maillard reaction can take place. Based on previous experience, the overall process will likely take place best by timing the reduction in temperature properly, and then letting the rest take place over the course of 6-8 hours. We also have to take into account the fact that the pH will have been lowered by the sauce, thereby allowing for lower temperatures. However, without the proper information on times, I can't find out without experimenting with each variable.

I was just hoping that someone might know the temperature and time variation for the caramelization of cabbage. Done properly with the addition of a little spice for complimentary contrast, this truly brings a simple and humble dish into the realm of divine and elegant haute cuisine.

Gary_47060

Hey Bobby, you're probably right about adding a little bit of sugar to encourage the caramelization.

The idea is to make cabbage rolls. The cabbage leaves are already wilted due to either freezing and thawing them, or steaming them; this allows them to be soft and flexible for rolling. For the stuffing, I use rice, diced bacon, and diced sautéed onion for filling, seasoned with salt and pepper. The sauce is 2 parts concentrated tomato soup, 1 part Sriracha or Sambal Olek, and 1 part ketchup. I thought that the sugar in the ketchup would be enough along with the natural sugars present in the cabbage, but now you've got me thinking to add a Tbsp of white/brown sugar or some combination.

Make sure you roll the cabbage rolls small! Also, include the bacon fat with the rice as it will help it stick together while cooking, and especially when done. Use just enough sauce to coat each of the cabbage rolls, and cover the top with left over leaves. Preheat oven and cook the cabbage rolls covered at 350°F for 1-2 hours; remove the lid and then cook for a further 4 hours at 250°F. I'm thinking that you would then remove the spare cabbage leaves from the top of the cabbage rolls and cook them for a further 1-2 hours. Ensure that they rest a little before eating them.

I've done this by accident once, and the result was a small firm cabbage roll with a soft chewy umami interior, with a sweat spicy candied exterior. They are literally addictive and everyone ended up eating them as a finger food appatizer before we could even plate it properly.