For years, I made sauerkraut the hard way. Shred the cabbage, add the salt, then get in there with both hands and squeeze, knead, and press until my forearms filed a formal complaint — all in pursuit of that liquid gold brine that actually turns cabbage into kraut instead of just... salty shredded cabbage sitting in a jar looking confused.
This year, I did the first two steps and then the dryer buzzed. Rude timing, but it works for me, so off I went to deal with laundry, fully intending to come back and resume my hand-cramping cabbage massage session in a few minutes.
A few minutes turned into considerably longer than a few minutes, because that's just how chores go. When I finally wandered back to the cabbage, ready to get back to work, there it was. Liquid gold. Already there. Waiting for me. No squeezing required, just salt, shredded cabbage, and time quietly doing the job my hands had been doing the hard way this entire time.
I squeezed a little more just to be sure, packed it into quart jars, and stood there mildly betrayed by every previous batch of kraut I have ever made with my bare hands like some kind of cabbage-crushing peasant when I apparently didn't have to.
So: if you already knew salt draws out liquid on its own given enough time, don't come at me, I'm aware this is basic osmosis and you've probably known this since home ec. But if you didn't know — you're welcome. Salt it, walk away, go fold some laundry, and let the cabbage do the rest. Your arms will thank you.