Guide

Brine math: how much salt for perfect lacto-fermentation

The two ways to think about salt — by vegetable weight (dry-salting sauerkraut) or by water weight (brine-pickling cucumbers) — are not interchangeable. This guide walks through how to calculate both, when each applies, and what to do when scaling recipes up or down.

What this guide covers

  1. What 'salt percentage' actually means
  2. Dry-salt % (for sauerkraut, kimchi) — percent of vegetable weight
  3. Brine % (for cucumbers, peppers) — percent of water weight
  4. When to use which method
  5. The math by vegetable style
  6. Scaling recipes up and down without losing ratios
  7. Tools: weighing vs volume measurement

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