We're often asked how long our kimchi can keep! Technically... properly made, ripen and stored kimchi can last for months or even years*! That's because kimchi is a fermented product, and once ripened has an acidic pH of around 4.5, which prevents it from spoiling.
We are really sad that you are not eating our delicious kimchi quickly, but if you are aging our whole leaf cabbage and radish kimchi** (sour kimchi is amazing for cooking), or keeping them for a rainy day, follow these tips!
- Store in fridge at below 4 degrees Celcius
I.e not at the door and generally in the upper shelves of the fridge where it's usually colder. Don't freeze it though, as not all the probiotics can survive Ice Age ;) But if you are cooking with it, it doesn't really matter since the probiotics will die when heated. Do note that kimchi stops aging once it's frozen, and there may be some textural changes to the vegetables. - The lesser the exposure to air, the better.
Re-tub your leftover kimchi to a smaller containers where required, push the vegetables in so that it's fully submerged in its juice. - The white spots are yeast, not mould
If you ever see dotty, sticky white spots on your kimchi, don't fret! According to a study by the World Institute of Kimchi (yes there is!!!) and published in the Journal of Microbiology, those white colonies are actually yeast that's not known to be toxic. It's however recommended that you remove the whites, wash and cook the kimchi before consuming. To prevent these yeast from growing on your kimchi, refer to pt 2. If there's not enough juice(sorry we want you to have more veg so we tend to give more veg than juice)you can cover the kimchi with a sanitised surface such as sanitised cling film. Trade secret: we cover ours with salted outer cabbage leaves, just like theajumaswho bury their kimchi. - Always use clean utensils
Unless you've pledged to finish the entire tub in one sitting,ALWAYSuse clean utensils to remove kimchi from the tub. - Wash before eatingvery aged kimchi
It is recommended to wash off the spices of kimchi that's more than a year old and just eat the plain leaves as it is believed that the old spice and full-on probiotics may give some tummy trouble. But for the brave, skip washing andsoldier on!
*Note that the above information does not apply to our seafood banchans as they are not fully fermented and should be consumed within a week. Apple and cucumber kimchi should also be consumed within two weeks of receipt for maximum crunch.
Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device
