Kimchee shelf life

[iain]

I've had half a 32oz jar of cabbage kimchee sitting in the back of my fridge for about two months now. How long does this stuff last before it's time to get a new jar? On a similar note - does it even really need to go in the fridge at all? The jar says it does, but are they just playing it safe?

edited fer grammar

Edited October 28, 2003 by iain (log)

[torakris]

I would say that it depends on the type of kimchee and its age when bought, the best way is to taste it and find out. When kimchee is past its prime for eating straight use it in cooked dishes, soups, fried rice, stirfries, etc.

[KarenS]

Yes, with Torkaris- kimchee is preserved cabbage. As long as you have not stuck your fingers (or anything unclean in it). It is a pickle. My downstairs neighbors where I used to live made it evey year, out side on the walkway in a large crock covered and wrapped in cheesecloth. I love kimchee (my favorite is daikon).

[Alex]

As a pickled/preserved vegetable, Kimchee should keep for a long time when it's refrigerated, which is how our local Korean markets store it.

[iain]

Assuming I have stuck my fingers in the jar...then what? I used about half the jar about two months ago. I should mention that I'm not really all that concerned about all this; I'll eat some and see how it tastes. I'm just curious about the preservative nature of the kimchee-ing process.

[Jinmyo]

Left unrefrigerated, kimchi spoils in three to four days. Even in refrigerated conditions, the shelf life of kimchi is at most 15 days.

[Suzanne F]

I know that artisanal kimchee can go off pretty quickly, especially varieties in which the vegetables are not submerged in brine. But isn't the commercial stuff processed (e.g., pasteurized) to prolong its shelf life?

[Schneier]

Refrigerated, it will last approximately forever. At least, the jar in our refrigerator is still good...and I can't remember how many years ago we bought it.

[iain]

Years...days....oh my. Consensus seems hard to come by. That's a fascinating article, though. Thanks.

[Brad S]

Since I discovered the joy of making Kimchee it doesn't last more than a couple days in my fridge,however,once opened I wouldn't keep it much more than a week.

[margaret]

Safety issues aside, I find that kimchi begins to taste off after a week or so. Kind of a sour, unpleasantly bubbly feeling to it - I don't know how to explain it in English, but in Japanese it's a "piri-piri" feeling on the tongue.

Usually when I feel this coming on, I use it in a cooked dish. Heating seems to calm it a bit.

[torakris]

Most of the kimchi I buy in Japan has an expiration date of about 1 to 2 weeks and once opened I try to use it with in the week, but I can see it starts to sour and get "bubbly" after a couple of days.

The stuff I used to buy in the monster jars in the US seemed to last forever, of course they were "bubbly" from the start.

Different preservatives?

[viaChgo]

Your 2 month old kimchee is probably ok to eat but the flavors will be off & sour. I would give it a couple of weeks & then use it for cooked dishes (i.e. kimchee chigae). I can never get through a large jar before it goes 'bad' so I buy the small jars. I like the daikon as well as the chive kimchee.

[Jinmyo]

I am able to keep a large range of varities of kimchi because we go through it so fast.

I think the key to preservation is to just buy what you will use and to eat kimchi every day.

[iain]

I think the key to preservation is to just buy what you will use and to eat kimchi every day.

I agree...that is key. Had I not forgotten that the jar was back there, I most certainly would have been eating it much more regularly. I used it originally for mamster's kimchi & pork soup recipe which, if you haven't already tried it, is absolutely delicious.

edited to add link to kimchi chigae recipe

Edited October 31, 2003 by iain (log)

[PopsicleToze]

Jimmyo:

Left unrefrigerated, kimchi spoils in three to four days. Even in refrigerated conditions, the shelf life of kimchi is at most 15 days.

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That just can't be right. They make the stuff buried in the ground to ferment. How bad can "bad" be? I keep it in the refrigerator, but I've never had any go bad, but then again, how would one know?