Hello all of you ! First post on this community, first issue encountered making kimchi
I have made a few batches befores, kept in the fridge, no issue, however this time, something went… Weird
This batch I made about a month ago, and kept a can out of the fridge for a week before putting it in the fridge. Today I went to open it and noticed juice coming out of the can, so I knew something was off, and when I went to open it it just… Poured out ?
Also bubbles keep forming on the inside, making some sort of foam.
I don’t think I’m gonna eat this one, but I’d like to know if it would be safe?
And also out of curiosity, what the hell ? This is the first time this happened to me 😭
by BunnyBikini
8 Comments
Hopefully you will get some good responses here but I also recommend posting in r/fermentation for more answers.
Kimchi is usually kept refrigerated after being placed in a storage container because it still actively ferments. It’s very clear your issue here is overactive fermentation. The bubbles were a dead giveaway. This is also the reason why kimchi is usually not canned, but sealed in twist top containers. As far as whether it’s safe, it’s fermented and an acidic environment, so probably but it’s usually best to play it safe. In the future, always store kimchi in the fridge
It’s *most likely* fine, or at least it was until it exploded all over your counter. Most recipes call for 3-5 days fermenting on a cool to room temp counter before refrigerating, so as long as nothing was growing in it (that wasn’t supposed to!), it would likely have been ok just extra funky. My guess is you forgot to release pressure or didn’t leave enough head space when filling the jar.
I’ve had similar issues with making kombucha; it becomes really fizzy and bubbles over if I keep it on the counter for too many days. I’m no scientist, but my understanding is that when natural yeasts and bacteria break down sugars during fermentation, they make carbon dioxide as a byproduct. The fermentation process is slowed down when the food is at a lower temperature.
looks perfectly edible just a very active ferment and it needs a bigger container 😄 it will get very sour if you leave it out of the fridge too long
Happened to me when stuffing too tightly – if the gases cannot evaporate, not sufficient space between the solids… Well, volcanos work after the same principle 😀
You fermentation went out of control. I am wondering if your ingredients were consistent or contaminated. Gas expansion is one thing, but the solids doing this I think may signal excess sugar in them or an unwanted micro-organism in the mix.
Usually when it’s actively fermenting, you don’t use a sealed jar. Only seal it once you slow fermentation in the fridge.
Similarly, If you leave kombucha sealed too long it can produce an much CO2 it’ll explode the glass bottle.