TIL I was destroying my kimchi by opening the jar too often

I always thought checking on my ferment every day was smart until my neighbor (she runs a small batch operation out of Portland) told me I was letting in too much oxygen. She said every time I cracked the lid I was inviting mold and slowing down the good bacteria growth. Now I leave my jars sealed for a full 10 days and the flavor is WAY better. Who else has wrecked a batch by messing with it too much?

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3 Comments

davis.mia3mo ago

Guilty as charged, I used to open my ferments like they were Christmas presents every morning. Now my kimchi tastes like actual kimchi instead of sad, moldy cabbage water.

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wendy_wilson3mo ago

Haha my buddy ruined two batches before he learned that lesson too.

5

gavinh263mo ago

Oh man that hit close to home. I was the SAME way when I first started fermenting stuff. I'd lift the lid every single day like I was checking on a newborn baby. Surprise surprise, my first batch of sauerkraut looked like something a science experiment would be ashamed of. You really gotta learn that ferments need their space just like people do. Once I learned to LEAVE THEM ALONE for at least a week everything changed. Now I only open them when I'm ready to eat and the flavor is actually good. That patience thing people keep talking about? Yeah it actually matters for once.

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