Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <cutting><cabbage>
Title: How to efficiently shred a lot of cabbage?
Question: I'm growing cabbages in my garden this year and would like to make lots of sauerkraut, to eat and to give as gifts.  Gallons of it.  Is there an efficient way to slice or shred a dozen cabbages at a time?  Using a grater for that much cabbage is going to destroy my arms.  I would buy a one-purpose gadget or an attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer that didn't cost more than ~$60 if that's the right way to proceed.

Answers:
sents: text: There is a kraut cutter, a wooden board about 2 ft long with a diagonal blade.
text: We used all the time when I was a child.
text: We laid it on a large pot.
text: You cut heads of cabbage in half and push it over the blade flat side down.
text: Try google or an old fashioned hard ware.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/76771/user76771
score: 37
sents: text: You can be more efficient with a knife than any sort of kitchen aid attachment, which will require lots of prep, and slow going.
text: A better bet for home use would be the shredder on a food processor.
text: However, even then, while it will make quick work of shredding, you will have to cut the cabbage into smaller portions to fit into the processor...and, of course, empty the bowl relatively quickly.
text: Anything more efficient than
text: that will cost you a few hundred bucks.
text: Maybe your best bet is some friends and sharp knives.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/17143/moscafj
score: 16
sents: text: Haha, we were doing that every fall in my childhood in Siberia.
text: We used an enamelled bucket and "sechka" https://65.img.avito.st/640x480/4526427565.jpg Splice a head of cabbage in big pieces with a knife, put them into the bucket until it is full, then smash it all with sechka.
text: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ1HR9o4JGc
text: - that guy is using another kind of sechka, but the principle is the same.
text: I was able to fill about 30 three-liter jars in a couple of days being a kid so that's very effective way to deal with a cabbage (not speaking of using any kind of machine).
text: The device costs around $10-20 in Russia, I don't know if you will be able to find and buy it in your location though.
text: At least now you know what to look for.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/76796/Nikolay Popov
score: 10
sents: text: Do you have a food processor?
text: Most food processors come with interchangeable blades including a blade for shredding.
text: Put the shredder blade in, lock on the lid, cut the cabbage into wedges that will fit in the feed tube, power on, and feed in the cabbage.
text: You may have to empty the work bowl a couple times, depending on how much cabbage, but it's the fastest way I know of.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/76800/panatale1
score: 4
sents: text: Knife, shmife.
text: You need a mulcher!
text: It is a $54 blower / mulcher from Home Depot.
text: Get a new one so it will be cleanish.
text: Quarter your cabbages then suck them up.
text: Your bag will fill with cole slaw-to-be.
text: Maybe wash it and set it aside for next year?
text: These things are merciless.
text: They will chop your cabbages fine.
text: Even if you use an old one and clean it first, the good thing about cabbage is that the pickling conditions naturally kill any bad germs.
text: You can make sauerkraut by lining a ditch with hay, putting in the cabbages, then more hay, then covering it up.
text: This is cleaner than that.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/53826/Willk
score: 3
sents: text: You can buy a cabbage shredder on amazon for $20 Or delis often use a deli slicer to finely slice lettuce
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/76828/Steve
score: 1
sents: text: You mentioned a Kitchenaid stand mixer attachment.
text: Kitchenaid used to make a shredder/slicer attachment that's very good for this usage.
text: It had a wide hopper that could hold a quarter of a cabbage at once.
text: Unfortunately, the newer edition of this attachment has a smaller hopper and isn't suitable for cabbage, but the older style is still available from third party sellers.
text: Here's one example.
text: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kitchenaid-RVSA-Rotor-Slicer-Shredder-Cones-Stand-Mixer-Attachment-New/163792960617
text: I'm good with a knife, and I sometimes use this for a single head of cabbage.
text: It's definitely faster than hand slicing for anything more than two or three heads, even with setup and cleaning time.
text: It also produces a very consistent cut.
text: It's definitely still going to require cutting up the cabbage heads first, and won't be as fast as some of the more expensive options, but it's an affordable alternative to the professional grade options.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/29537/barbecue
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
A knife might be quicker than a kitchen aid attachement requiring time for setup, but possible devices include a kraut cutter, cabbage shredder or just the shredding attachment on your food processor.
The most recommended device for shredding cabbage is a food processor with a shredding blade or a cabbage shredder. Othe options include a kraut cutter, a knife and a mulcher.