Last Updated on June 11, 2022 by
Today, we are going to be answering Does Kimchi Go Bad? Kimchi is a popular Korean dish made with napa cabbage, peppers, and ginger that have been fermented. You can eat kimchi on its own or as a side dish. If it’s done right, it can last for a long time.
Does kimchi go bad? Even if you store it well, kimchi will sometimes go bad. It can stay good in the fridge for up to six months. However, it will continue to ferment during this time, and some people may find it too sour. At room temperature, kimchi will stay good for about a week.
How To Store Kimchi?
Kimchi is a popular Korean side dish made by fermenting cabbage and other vegetables with hot spices. Traditionally, kimchi is produced in huge earthenware vats buried in the ground. These days, kimchi is usually made in mason jars and fermented at room temperature or below. Most of the time, kimchi is sold without being heated. That means the good bacteria in the jar are still working, and the fermentation process is still going on.
Because of this, the best place to store it is in the fridge, where fermentation slows down. You can leave the jar at room temperature for a few days, but the kimchi will be very sour, and the jar might pop when you open it like a bottle of champagne. Once you open the jar, the most important thing to remember is to keep it tightly closed when you’re not using it.
Second, just like pickles, ensure all the vegetables are covered in liquid, so they don’t dry out and go bad. If you can’t use the original jar, any other container that keeps air out should work just as well. Make sure to move all the liquid and cover the vegetables. If you opened a jar of unpasteurized kimchi and didn’t like how sour it was, that’s easy to fix. Leave the sealed jar in the sink overnight, and in the morning, put it back in the fridge. The food in the jar should taste better in the afternoon.
In case you were wondering, we put the container in the sink in case the bacteria go crazy overnight and leak some liquid. If you buy kimchi that has been pasteurized or heated, you can keep an unopened jar in the kitchen or pantry. Just put it somewhere cool, away from the sun and other heat sources.
All the bacteria in kimchi are killed by heat, so it doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge. But if you open the jar, put it back in the fridge with a tight lid. Lastly, use only clean tools to get the vegetables out of the jar. Even though the inside is pretty acidic, and most bacteria that could get in will probably die, there’s no point in testing to see if this works.
How Long Does Open Kimchi Last?
When kimchi has been opened, the best place to keep it is in the fridge, where it will last longer. The fermentation process will slow down because of the cold. Make sure it’s in a container that can’t let air in. But other things can affect this, like the type and size of the container and how often you eat the kimchi. Remember that at room temperature, kimchi ferments faster.
On the other hand, it can ferment very slowly in the fridge, making it last for 6 months. If you keep kimchi at room temperature after opening it, it might only last for 7 days. If you put kimchi in the fridge, it will continue to ferment. The longer it stays in the fridge, the sourer it will taste. The best way to store kimchi in the refrigerator is for up to 6 months. At this point, you’ll notice that your kimchi has a very sour taste.
How Long Does Unopened Kimchi Last?
If you have kimchi that hasn’t been opened, you don’t have to put it in the fridge. Kimchi can be kept in a pantry for years if it hasn’t been opened. But if you put it in the freezer, it will stay good for 7 years.
When you’re ready to eat the kimchi, let it thaw first, and then use a clean spoon to scoop out a lot of it. If you put it back in the freezer in a container with a tight lid, your kimchi will last up to three months. When you buy kimchi from a store, the most important thing to remember is that there will always be a date when the kimchi is good. So you can write that date down.
But you should also never put kimchi that hasn’t been opened near a heat source. Since fermentation happens faster in warmer temperatures, your kimchi will go bad quickly. So please don’t put it next to the stove in the kitchen or near a window that gets direct sunlight. Keep kimchi that hasn’t been opened in a dark place like a cupboard until you’re ready to eat it.
How Long Does Homemade Kimchi Last?
Kimchi made at home differs from kimchi you buy in a store because it doesn’t have any preservatives. Sorbic acid and other preservatives will make the kimchi last longer. This means that you can keep store-bought kimchi for a long time in cool, dry places that don’t get sunlight without worrying that it will go bad.
Because there are no preservatives, it’s important to consider how homemade kimchi is stored and fermented. You can put your kimchi in the fridge for a week to a month to let it ferment. For the best results, put the kimchi in airtight containers or glass jars. Depending on how sour you want your kimchi to be, you can let it ferment in the fridge for a few weeks if you want it less sour and crunchy.
But if you want the kimchi to be sour, you can let it ferment in the refrigerator for up to three months. Remember that it will get sourer after three months; if it’s not stored right, it might even start to smell funny. Also, if you let it ferment for over three months, the vegetables will lose their crunch. Some people like their kimchi to be soft, but others don’t. So it’s entirely up to you how you want the texture to feel.
Does Kimchi Go Bad In The Refrigerator?
Most kimchi sold in stores has not been heated to kill bacteria. This means that the kimchi will continue to ferment as long as there are live bacteria. Because of this, it will cause your kimchi to go bad quickly if you don’t store it properly.
The best place to store kimchi is, without a doubt, in the refrigerator, which slows down the fermentation process and makes the kimchi last longer. When stored correctly, kimchi that hasn’t been opened and is kept in the fridge will last for years.
On the other hand, kimchi that has been opened can only be kept for up to 3 months. After that, the kimchi tastes very sour, which some people might not like. A few things to remember are that unpasteurized kimchi is best eaten within one month, and unopened, pasteurized kimchi is best eaten within one to three months. Lastly, once kimchi has been opened and pasteurized, it needs to be consumed within 1 to 3 months.
How to Tell If You Can Still Eat Kimchi
It’s normal for us to worry about food that doesn’t taste the same as when we first tried it. But the fact that there are differences doesn’t mean that the food is bad. The same is true for kimchi. We often think kimchi has gone bad when, in fact, we can still eat it. Here are some of the signs:
- Sourness: Kimchi ferments whether it’s kept in the fridge or at room temperature, but it happens faster at room temperature. As time goes on, the kimchi will get sourer as it ferments, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone bad.
- Explodes When Opened: The liquid may bubble up and overflow when gas builds up because of fermentation.
- Soft and Mushy: When kimchi has been stored for a long time, it does get softer and sometimes mushier, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone bad. Soft kimchi can still be a great side dish for potstickers, though. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
- Bulging Cap: This is the same as the small explosion above. If the gas builds up, the cap may bulge.
What Happens If You Eat Kimchi That Has Gone Bad?
If you eat Kimchi after the date on the package says it should be thrown out, it may be moldy and unsafe to eat. Eating spoiled Kimchi means Nausea, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Botulism, and Food Poisoning. If your jar doesn’t have a date, our rule of thumb is to use the date you first opened it. Safety first is something you’ve heard a million times.
What Does Kimchi Taste Like?
The taste of kimchi will depend on the recipe and other things. For instance, it depends on what kind of vegetable you use. How much sugar and salt you use will also make a difference. Lastly, the length of time that kimchi is fermented will greatly affect how it tastes.
As for the ingredients, the taste will depend on what spices you use or if you add fish sauce, which gives it that umami flavor. But most kimchi, made at home or sold in stores, has a strong, sour flavor. There are also hints of spicy, sweet, and sour flavors. The fermentation process makes bacteria from the lactic acid, which gives the food a taste like sauerkraut.
Conclusion on Does Kimchi Go Bad?
We answered the question of whether or not Kimchi goes bad. In the process, you’ve learned more about the dish’s taste and how to store it. The best way to keep Kimchi from going bad is to keep it in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place. In the end, if you’re not sure about a jar after you’ve bought it, don’t take any chances with your health. Throw it
