You’ve probably had recipes that called for the use of cabbage and ended up asking yourself how many cabbage heads are in a cup or how many cups you’ll get from a certain quantity of cabbage. We took it on us to make things easier for you when cooking, so we did the experiments that told us exactly how many cabbage heads you will need for your recipes.
You can use cabbage in a lot of raw salads or dishes of all sorts because it is a very versatile vegetable. You can use the leaves whole either lightly steamed as wraps for either other vegetables or meats in different recipes, or you can even use them raw.
As we did for all of our articles, we went straight to the vegetable section of one of the stores around us to find a clear answer about how many cabbages will fit in a cup. Usually, you should expect a large cabbage head to weigh about 39 ounces/1106 grams. A medium head will be around 32 ounces/908 grams, and a small head will weigh around 28 ounces or 794 grams.
For our testing sample, we went for a 2-pound medium cabbage head. You should expect 1 medium raw head, when shredded, to translate into 8 to 9 cups. This means that you will usually need less than one-eighth of a head of cabbage to fill one whole cup, and this is before it is cooked. After cooking, the quantity will be reduced to half.
The information provided above should be enough for you to know exactly how much-shredded cabbage you will need in your next recipe. If not, you can use our custom-built conversion tool to get exact amounts for any measurements you will need concerning cabbage.
Here are a few interesting things about cabbage:
- Cabbage actually comes from the same family as cauliflower, kale, collards, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
- The heaviest cabbage, at least according to the Guinness World Records, was grown by Scott A. Robb in August 2012 and weighed just under 63 kg.
- Sauerkraut, a dish made from fermented cabbage, might be considered a German tradition but was in fact cooked and eaten by the Chinese long before the Germans even thought about it.
- Russia is the largest consumer of cabbage in the world with around 44 pounds per year for each person, while China holds the number one place as the biggest producer of this same vegetable.
What Exactly Is Cabbage?
Cabbage is basically a vegetable made from many densely packed leaves that will grow in the form of a ball that is also called a head. Cabbage is totally different from lettuce, even though they look really similar.
Cabbage is, along with other vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and others, a member of the Brassicas mustard family. They are also called ‘cole crops’ by some people.
This vegetable is very popular in cuisines around the world, but where did it come from? Well, it turns out it was domesticated somewhere around 1000 BC in Europe, becoming a big part of the European culture of that time.
Do we Consider Cabbage a Fruit or Vegetable?
Cabbage is considered a vegetable that belongs to the Brassica mustard family. Furthermore, cabbage is cruciferous, just like bok choy, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli.
Are There Multiple Types of Cabbage?
There are a few different cultivar groups of cabbage, among them the most common being the red and the green cabbage.
You will differentiate red cabbage by its red leaves and you will usually be able to use it with great success in stews, pickling, or as an ingredient in green cabbage coleslaw, for an extra layer of color. On the other hand, green cabbage is usually consumed either steamed or sliced.
These two aren’t the only types of cabbage you will find, but the rest of them are less known. Among the lesser-known types, you will find the spring greens (a loose-headed type of cabbage), Dutch cabbage (also known as white cabbage), and savoy.
What Does Cabbage Taste and Look Like?
In most grocery stores you will commonly find a light green cabbage. When shopping at a farm or farmer’s market or when growing the green cabbage yourself, you will notice that the most-outer leaves will be of a darker green than what you’d find in stores. This is because usually, the dark green leaves will be removed so that the cabbage head is more compact.
When raw, green cabbage has a pinch of peppery flavor but when cooked, it will mellow out.
It’s pretty easy to spot the red cabbage because it will have a deep reddish-purple color, even though it will have a similar ball shape.
The taste between these two types of cabbage is pretty similar, having the same peppery flavor. When cooked the red cabbage will also lose its peppery flavor.
What Is Cabbage Used In and Good For?
Cabbage is amazingly versatile and can be used in many different ways: It can be eaten raw, but also stuffed, stewed, steamed, pickled, fermented, or cooked.
You surely have also heard of coleslaw, which is a popular salad made especially with mayonnaise and chopped cabbage. In Europe sauerkraut is also popular, which is a fermented cabbage recipe.
You will get a lot of fiber, minerals, and vitamins from cabbage.
Can I Feed Cabbage to my Pet?
You can feed your cat, dog, or any other pet cabbage from time to time, but not too often. Although cabbage is known to help with digestion, you shouldn’t forget that it will also cause some gas discomfort.
Does Cabbage Give You Gas?
Unfortunately, the rumors are true. Cabbage will cause excessive gas issues. The root of the issue is the high content of fiber that cabbage yields, which usually created a lot of gas, constipation, and from time to time abdominal pain.
How to Store Cabbage
Cabbage is pretty easily stored. It can last anywhere between 2 weeks and 2 months if properly stored inside the refrigerator.
You might also like our articles about the weight of celery, garlic, or corn.
You can even keep cabbage that is freshly harvested in a root cellar over the winter and until the next season without an issue. You should try to remember to remove some of the rotting leaves before consuming it if you store it for longer periods of time.
How Long Should Fresh Cabbage Last?
Cabbage will keep fresh if uncooked for just under two hours if you keep your room temperature below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is why you should try to keep the cabbage at a lower temperature either in a refrigerator or inside a root cellar.
How to Store Freshly Cut Cabbage
You can keep any freshly cut, raw cabbage in a plastic wrap or storage back, right in the refrigerator’s crisper.
How to Store Cabbage in the Fridge
Cabbage is a pretty large vegetable, which means that it would be a great idea to cut it into four pieces and place them separately each in its own storage bag, and then place all of them in the refrigerator’s crisper.
Cut the head in two equal parts and store them separately in bags if you plan to cook stuffed cabbage.
A cut, loose-leaf cabbage will only last about a week in the crisper, while leaving it unwashed and whole can prolong its shelf life to about 3 weeks.
Can You Freeze Cabbage and if so How?
You can easily freeze cabbage. You can keep it in the freezer if you have enough room, but remember that it will take a few days for it to freeze completely.
It will be easier to freeze and store freshly cut cabbage than to keep it raw and uncut. You should only do this though if you have too much cabbage and don’t plan to use it for the next weeks.
You can submerge cabbage wedges in boiling water for two minutes to blanch them. This would extend the freezer life of the vegetable. You should then take them out of the boiling water and put them in a bowl of freezing water.
The next step will then be to drain the cabbage of any excess water and then freeze it in the freezer, on parchment paper. The cabbage should then be removed from the baking sheet and placed directly in a freezer bag.
How to Cut Cabbage
Remember that Cabbage is pretty versatile. You can cut it in all shapes and sizes, from wedges, slices, quarters, to independent leaves or shreds. For an easier job, make sure the cutting knife is long enough so that it cuts through the circumference of the cabbage head.
How Should You Clean Cabbage?
You should always keep in mind that works or any other insects could live inside cabbage leaves, regardless of where you get it from. This means that, as with most vegetables, you should always clean it properly and thoroughly before adding it to any recipe.
The easiest way to clean it is by cutting it and placing it in a salad spinner. This is after you soak it in water and spin away any moisture.
You can also cut it in wedges, quarters, or shreds, and then put it in a colander under running water. As a final step, you should dry it with a clean cotton towel.
How to Slice Cabbage
You can cut cabbage just like any other vegetable. The only issue is that due to its compacted leaves, your slices will not always remain intact.
You can slice cabbage with either a mandoline slicer, a cabbage slicer, or even a vegetable knife.
How to Chop or Cube Cabbage
It is still possible to chop cabbage even though its body is made of many leaves. If you’re looking to get large pieces that are far from uniform, then you will get just that, seeing how cabbage is far from uniform itself.
How to Dice or Mince Cabbage
You will basically do the same action to dice the cabbage as you would do when chopping it. The only difference is that diced cabbage should be more uniform and in smaller pieces.
Can You Mash or Puree Cabbage?
You shouldn’t try to mash cabbage. There are usually very few recipes where mashed cabbage is required and those will have you put so little, that you would hardly feel its taste.
The good news is that pureed cabbage is very much possible. You will only have to add cooked cabbage to any type of liquid in a food processor that can puree things.
How to Grate or Shred Cabbage
A food processor that has a grater function will do this job for you in the easiest way possible.
If you don’t have one, you can always use a mandoline slicer. It will be a pretty quick job with this tool as well and its different blades will help you set its thickness.
If you have a steady hand and a long knife you can do this manually. Slice it thinly and it will be a pretty easy job.
How to Make Cabbage Juice
You can add cut fresh, cleaned cabbage to boiling water and then put everything in a blender to get cabbage juice.
Does Cabbage Have Seeds?
No. Cabbage has no seeds.
Can I Eat Cabbage Greens?
Yes. All of the leaves from cabbage can be eaten. If the vegetable is freshly picked, you should remember that the most-outer leaves will have a strong flavor that some people might dislike.
Short Term Cabbage Storage
If you keep cabbage compact and unwashed, it will last for 2 weeks in the crisper, while loose-leaf vegetables will only keep for around one week.
You can slice cabbage but it will only keep for 5 to 6 days if kept in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator.
Cabbage Long Term Storage
For proper long-term storage, you will have to keep it at around 32°F (0°C) temperature in high humidity.
You can expect cabbage with a solid core to last for up to 5 months if kept under these conditions. With cabbage getting older you will start to notice a bad stench around it. You can lessen this by keeping the vegetable in wet sand.
You will have a hard time storing loose-leaf cabbage for a longer time. You can pickle cabbage as sauerkraut.