A few questions re fermented veggies

[CherryBomb]

I have a few questions.  One, can you cook fermented veggies?  Like I have kimchi, Koreans eat a kimchi pancake that sounds good, but does that negate the benefits of the fermentation?  Two, does "barrel aged" saurkraut mean fermented?  There's no vinegar or anything in the ingredients, so I'm assuming it's fermented.  Three, can you re-ferment after something has been placed in the fridge?  I don't think I left my ginger carrots out long enough.  Can I just take them out and let them sit a few days on the counter?

[tanyalynn]

You _can_ cook fermented veggies but you'll kill off your bacteria.  The fermentation process itself is supposed to make the veggies easier to digest, so you'll still have that aspect, but not the probiotics.  Sauerkraut often gets cooked, I'm guessing cabbage grows really well in both areas and so people end up with tons of fermented cabbage and use it in lots of ways.

If the ingredient list doesn't have vinegar or any weird preservatives, I'd think it's preserved via fermentation--well, assuming it doesn't say consume within 5 days or something else very quick.  Is it cooked?  Some brands of sauerkraut are, I've heard, maybe others are as well.  Seems so odd.

I've not tried to re-ferment, I *think* someone in the big Fermenting Veggies thread (this forum) said it didn't work, but I haven't tried it.  Though I have had those batches quite a few times, when I stopped things too soon.