Has anyone ever made Kimchi?

[Chickerdoodle13]

I went to a produce store today and they had napa cabbage. I bought a big head for $1.50 and looked up a recipe for making kimchi in a soda bottle. I made it about 7 years ago in ag science class in high school. I'm so excited though! I have to wait a week or so, but I can't wait to eat it! Here's a picture of my little science project. It smells sooo good. (BTW, this is an awesome science fair project for kids to do to explain fermentation)

 

[WingingIt]

I make cucumber kimchi quite often.

Lucky you making some now! Might have to make some myself, thanks for the push!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

How do you make cucumber kimchi? That sounds very interesting!

I can't believe how much liquid has come out of this one already. I've been pushing down the cap like the instructions said, but I won't be able to push it down much more without the liquid coming completely out!

How long do you usually wait for yours to ferment? The directions said a few days to a week. I can't remember how long we waited back in high school, but I don't want to open it up too soon or wait too long. I know some of the ones we made in HS actually went bad so hopefully this batch comes out ok! The hot peppers and the garlic were both from my garden at home.

 

[littlegorb]

making kimchi is fun. i have used diakon radishes, my favorite, along with carrots, regular radishes, cucumbers, cabbage. you can use a variety of veggies. the fermentation time depends on the temperature. use good salt. i would never use plastic, it can be toxic. use glass or a good pottery.

play with it if your technique turns out, try different ingredients. crock pickles and saurkraut are of the same concept, and they will clean you out. so consume wisely. enjoy!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Interesting about the plastic! We used soda bottles in high school so hopefully it will be ok this time. I was actually going to try a different recipe with a glass bottle, but I didn't have any on hand so I went with the one I used in HS that called for the plastic bottle.

I figure I'll try a bit in four or five days and if it tastes ok and doesn't kill me (or make me sick!) I'll enjoy the rest. Otherwise I'll have to try a different recipe! My teacher tasted ours when we made it before we did to make sure it hadn't gone bad. This bottle has a pretty good seal, so I think I should be ok. I can definitely smell the darned thing every time I walk in the kitchen. I already apologized to my room mates for the intense garlic smell they'll have to deal with for the next few days! LOL

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

 

[littlegorb]

i do use plastic sometimes, just depends what i am making, or storing. but i generally make a habit to use glass, stainless steel, ceramic. i'm not trying to scare you, and one batch made in plastic is not going to kill you. great concept though, kimchi is so good when it's homemade right. the storebought sucks.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Quote:
Thanks for the info! Next time I think I want to try some of the other recipes and I'll probably just use glass jars.

I had to stick the bottle in the closet because the garlic/cabbage smell was getting a little overpowering! My room mates think I'm crazy for wanting to try it, but they actually want to try it too. Today will be day three and I'm still not sure when I should open it up. I'm thinking maybe tomorrow or Thursday. It's about 70*F in our apartment. It actually already smells like I remember the finished kimchi smelling. I'm just so impatient that I want to open it now! It probably would have tasted good after the first day, even though it wasn't fermented at all. I read somewhere that they call that fresh kimchi.

 

[littlegorb]

yes, young grasshopper, there are kimchi recipes that are ready sooner. depends on the ingredients and temperature. if it smells like "really" bad, be careful. find a good recipe source, because it is a good thing to have and consume for a healthy life.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

So I couldn't wait any longer and opened it today. I was reading some more on it and some sources said the longer you let it sit, the more sour it'll taste. I didn't really want something *too* sour. I also didn't want to take the risk and let it go bad.

I'm actually VERY happy with the way it came out! It tastes delicious (though my room mates are not so found of the garlic smell! I actually like the way it smells) and it has just the right amount of spice. The cabbage tastes pretty much like sauerkraut, so I must've done something right! I'm having a hard time not picking at it every time I go in the fridge! So far I haven't gotten sick so I'm thinking that's a good thing. I can't imagine it would go too bad in just three days in a dark closet though.

I wish I had a Napa cabbage source near my house, but I doubt I'll be able to find one. I might have to try some of the cucumber one next time at home so I can just stick the thing in the basement or garage so the smell doesn't bother anyone!