Author Topic: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad  (Read 3422 times)

Ben

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When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« on: February 11, 2024, 03:36:23 PM »
Holy hell. I wanted to do ham and sauerkraut today, but yesterday, I didn't want to run all the way to the German store for the good kraut, so I went to the Albertson's that's 30 minutes from me. Low selection, as expected. Libby's and one called Steinfelds, which sounds more Jewish than German, but I didn't want to go with bland Libby's so gave the Steinfelds a try.

I opened the jar an hour ago and was hit with the smell of death throwing a botulism party. I don't believe I have ever experienced kraut that went bad, and I eat a lot of kraut. This was like a beyond death smell. I tossed the thing and immediately took the trash outside. The house still smells of rotten kraut. If someone ate this stuff, I think getting deathly ill and needing the hospital would be a best case scenario. I checked the jar before I tossed it and it was dated to NOV2025.

It was so bad that I actually called the Albertsons where I bought it to warn them that they might have a bad batch, and the woman just said, "Oh, sorry. Just bring the jar in and we'll refund you." Even after I explained just how bad it was and that I only called because I was worried about someone getting sick, she was like, "meh". Didn't seem to care. Oh well, my conscience is clear if I read about a sauerkraut poisoning in the area in the next few weeks.  =)
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BobR

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2024, 03:59:33 PM »
You probably should get the codes off of the can and call the company. Albertson's doesn't care. The company OTOH may be concerned especially if they get one or two more reports. Then again in could just be you bad luck to pick the can that may have had a pinhole in the seam or the lid seal. I would still call the company.

bob

Ben

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2024, 04:02:51 PM »
You probably should get the codes off of the can and call the company. Albertson's doesn't care. The company OTOH may be concerned especially if they get one or two more reports. Then again in could just be you bad luck to pick the can that may have had a pinhole in the seam or the lid seal. I would still call the company.

bob

That's a good idea. I'm about certain the glass jar lid didn't have a pinhole. It was hell getting it off and I heard the seal pop.
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Kingcreek

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2024, 04:12:01 PM »
I thought it had to go bad to become sauerkraut.
What we have here is failure to communicate.

BobR

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2024, 04:23:50 PM »
That's a good idea. I'm about certain the glass jar lid didn't have a pinhole. It was hell getting it off and I heard the seal pop.

Sounds like something other than a bad seal, poor processing maybe.

Quote
I thought it had to go bad to become sauerkraut.

Well, there is that! :)

bob

K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2024, 07:24:05 AM »
Never heard of Steinfeld's. But yeah, no Jews in Germany... anymore...  >:D

What did it look like? Did it look normal?

That's really weird that it went bad but it still had the vacuum seal.

Make your own, Ben. It's easy and it's fantastic...
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K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2024, 07:32:24 AM »
Oh, and if you do decide to contact Steinfeld's, which you should, you'll want to get the UPC codes off the jar and/or lid.

Put a clothes pin on your nose.  :rofl:
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Ben

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2024, 07:40:39 AM »
What did it look like? Did it look normal?

That's really weird that it went bad but it still had the vacuum seal.

Make your own, Ben. It's easy and it's fantastic...

It looked perfectly normal, but man, the smell of death warmed over.

I used to make my own, but got lazy now living with a German store within an hour's drive. Yesterday definitely had me thinking about breaking out the kraut manufacturing apparatus again, though.  :laugh:

I tried taking Bob's advice to contact the company, but apparently Steinfelds was a family owned pickle factory in Portland, OR, that went out of business in the early 2000's. They apparently sold their name to some conglomerate, but I couldn't find out who the distributor is.
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HankB

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2024, 11:49:21 AM »
It looked perfectly normal, but man, the smell of death warmed over.

I used to make my own, but got lazy now living with a German store within an hour's drive. Yesterday definitely had me thinking about breaking out the kraut manufacturing apparatus again, though.  :laugh:

I tried taking Bob's advice to contact the company, but apparently Steinfelds was a family owned pickle factory in Portland, OR, that went out of business in the early 2000's. They apparently sold their name to some conglomerate, but I couldn't find out who the distributor is.
Doesn't the bottle have SOME kind of contact information on it? I just checked several different bottled/canned goods in my pantry, and there's AT LEAST the name, city, and state of the distributor, and often an 800 customer service number or a QR code to scan. If the Steinfelds bottle has none of these, that's a huge red flag since it seems to be sold through multiple outlets.
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Ben

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2024, 12:19:06 PM »
Doesn't the bottle have SOME kind of contact information on it? I just checked several different bottled/canned goods in my pantry, and there's AT LEAST the name, city, and state of the distributor, and often an 800 customer service number or a QR code to scan. If the Steinfelds bottle has none of these, that's a huge red flag since it seems to be sold through multiple outlets.

It might, but I'm not digging through my trash can to get to it at this point.
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K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2024, 01:46:34 PM »
Welp, we now know how the Zombie Apocalypse starts.

And who's to blame.

Ben. Ben's to blame.

Because he wouldn't warn the company...
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WLJ

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2024, 05:27:58 PM »
Night of the Walking Sauerkraut: You can smell them coming.
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K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #12 on: February 15, 2024, 05:13:19 PM »
You a zombie yet, Ben?
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Ben

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2024, 05:39:19 PM »
You a zombie yet, Ben?


ARGHOCOGACKDOH!
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WLJ

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #14 on: February 15, 2024, 08:12:35 PM »

ARGHOCOGACKDOH!

OMG He's gone full Biden
« Last Edit: February 15, 2024, 09:36:07 PM by WLJ »
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us".
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“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
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“Those who believe without reason cannot be convinced by reason.”
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K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #15 on: February 16, 2024, 06:35:57 AM »
Nah, that's just spring sinus congestion.
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K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #16 on: May 24, 2024, 05:03:17 PM »
Thought of you, and this thread, just now, Ben.

I'm making turkey franks for dinner (one of my goto quick summer meals) and I decided that I wanted sauerkraut on them this time.

So, I got myself a can of grocery store brand sauerkraut. I didn't want to get a full 4 pound bag because it would likely go bad before I finished it.

So, I opened the can a few minutes ago, expecting the worst...

And I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. It's sour and doesn't taste like the can at all, which can be a big problem with canned kraut.

It's not as crisp as I like, but that's what you get when you get canned kraut.

And it didn't smell like a rotting corpse from beyond.

Kraut dogs for dinner!
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Ben

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #17 on: May 24, 2024, 05:45:27 PM »
Awesome! I'm glad you didn't get a can of nazi death kraut!  =D

Enjoy!
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JTHunter

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #18 on: May 24, 2024, 06:35:52 PM »
Hhmm, I always thought 'kraut was bad.  [barf]
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Kingcreek

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #19 on: May 24, 2024, 08:05:51 PM »
A family friend used to bring me his mother’s homemade polish kraut. I love that stuff but she passed and I don’t think anybody in the family makes it anymore.
She also made polish sausage. She always instructed me to boil the sausage and then put it on top of the kraut in a baking dish in the oven. Broil for the last few minutes to crisp the top of the kraut.
It’s interesting how many different nuances there are in the making of spoiled cabbage.
What we have here is failure to communicate.

K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #20 on: May 25, 2024, 05:49:32 AM »
Hhmm, I always thought 'kraut was bad.  [barf]

Yep, it's bad in the same way that cheese, pickles, and yogurt are bad...

Totally bad, totally rad and what's for dinner!
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JTHunter

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #21 on: May 26, 2024, 02:56:44 PM »
Yep, it's bad in the same way that cheese, pickles, and yogurt are bad...

Totally bad, totally rad and what's for dinner!

The only pickles I eat are called "sweet midgets" or "sweet gherkins".  And none of those products (with the exception of limberger cheese) have the foul stench of 'kraut.
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K Frame

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #22 on: May 26, 2024, 04:06:42 PM »
 ;/ ;/ ;/
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HankB

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #23 on: June 17, 2024, 08:13:42 AM »
. . . So, I got myself a can of grocery store brand sauerkraut. I didn't want to get a full 4 pound bag because it would likely go bad before I finished it . . .
Bottled or bagged kraut is better than from cans. I usually cook up several pounds at a time, and then enhance it with cooked and diced bacon. I add a little bacon grease for flavor. Then I divide it into smaller portions which I place into plastic freezer containers (generic Tupperware) for freezing. So when I want a Reuben or sausage & sauerkraut, I'm good to go. (It reheats just fine in the microwave.)

. . . It’s interesting how many different nuances there are in the making of spoiled cabbage. . . .
Sauerkraut isn't spoiled cabbage any more than beer is spoiled barley, malt, hops, and yeast.
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Ben

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Re: When Sauerkraut Goes Bad
« Reply #24 on: June 17, 2024, 08:29:49 AM »
and then enhance it with cooked and diced bacon. I add a little bacon grease for flavor.

Bacon is the way. I use a Southern kraut kraut recipe that also includes apple slices. Fry up some finely chopped bacon in a pan, then throw some kraut in and mix it all up, then add the apple slices and mix further. The apple adds kind of a ying/yang thing to the kraut.
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