My aunt gifted me a jar of homemade kimchi. The christmas bag it came in was leaking. I thought the jars had to be air tight? This is her first time making kimchi and she’s new to canning. Do you think it’s okay to eat?

by Inevitable_Second_82

10 Comments

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  2. PrisonerV

    Kimchi is fermented not canned. I’d eat it. Looks delicious.

  3. Maleficent_Lettuce16

    As far as I know, kimchi shouldn’t be canned as in *sealed* in a jar for shelf-stability, because tests haven’t been conducted to establish the specifics of how to do it safely. And I think there are certain qualities people like about kimchi, including probiotics, that would be lost in the canning process, anyway.

    But in my limited experience it’s considered normal for kimchi in jars to leak due to the still active fermentation, and that probably suggests it wasn’t sealed.

    It’s …probably fine for it to be at room temperature for a while as it may well have been fermented at room temperature, but you should store it in the refrigerator.

  4. Freddy_Faraway

    It’s very okay to eat, the leaking is from the kimchi still fermenting. You can let this happen (leave it at room temp) or you can stunt it (put it in fridge).

    Either way, if you’ve never had kimchi before, it has a strong funk to it. I personally like using it on hotdogs, or any rice dish.

  5. Easy_Independent_313

    It’s fine. It’s fermented, not canned. It just happens to be jarred in a canning jar.

    I should be slightly effervescent and should be somewhat rank smelling. It shouldn’t have ANY mold anywhere in it at all. If there is any mold, you’ve got to toss the jar.

  6. Foodie_love17

    Should be fine as it’s fermented and not canned. But you could always ask aunt for the recipe/instructions on how she did it. That way you can see if you’re comfortable with the way she prepared it and it doesn’t come across badly.

  7. tdscanuck

    A corollary to this all (yes, it’s fine to eat)…do NOT tighten the lid down. It’s still fermenting, it needs to vent. If you seal it you run some risk of it blowing the jar.

  8. HamManBad

    It’s crazy to me that fermenting, by basically leaving vegetables out on the counter, has fewer safety concerns than boiling vegetables in an acid solution in a sealed container

  9. My husband and son would fight over that jar 😁
    Kimchi is fermented. The lid just wasn’t tight on purpose . Fermentation gases need to escape.
    Keep in the fridge which will slow the fermentation. (So it gets hotter slower!!!)

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