MY KIM CHEE VS BOUGHT KOREAN KIM CHEE........

[Ggirl]

While in Atlanta we stopped by Buford Farmers Market.  A totally excellant oriental market.   I wish I had one here. Any way I bought 2 gallon jars and 1 smaller jar of authentic Korean Kim Chee.  I had my taste buds all ready for a special treat!!  But whenI tasted it I was totally disappointed.  It just tasted salty mostly with very little flaver and no lacto pop at all.  Hmmmmmmm.....  I rememeber when I first started making kim Chee I gave some to a friend and she gave some to these Chinese girls she worked with and they said it was so good - much better than bought.  I realize now even my bungling homeade kim Chee is so much better than what you can buy.  i guess it's just like everything else.(homeade is better)  Maybe I could sit that bought one out and let if ferment a little.  throw a little more garlic and ginger in it.. Hmmm.  I think i will do a taste test with some more of my friends that are familiar with it and see what they think.

[Johnny-Max]

homemade kimchi rocks!

[Ggirl]

The label said MSG FREE.  I keep an eye out because it does a number on me.  I may just gut up a litlle ginger and garlic and a few hot peppers and let it sit out a day or two.  LOL.  It's very red from all the peppers but not hot at all.

[Ggirl]

I use cayenne in mine Greenhorn and just a little ginger.  I found out not to grate it.  makes it too strong. If you slice it and it starts getting too strong you an always tlae it out.  hope that helps.  I'm making up a batch now.  Trying something new.  Bought some dried "japanese Peppers"  don't taste hot at all.  can't get Korean around here.  and of course  a couple of spoonfuls of cayenne for heat.  hee Hee.  I added a few red radish cut up. a carrot  julienned, a red onion, a lot of green onionm 2 bok choy cabbage, 1 napa cabbage,  1 whole garlic head plus some more dried minced garlic, about a little over an inch of fresh ginger root sliced thin. Can't eat that store stuff - yuk!!  Hope mine comes out good.I don't really like daikon, cut thought I'd add just a few red radish for color and a little something extra!!

[Thox Spuddy]

when you see 'natural flavors' listed on ingredients, that can contain MSG. commercial kim-chi sucks. 

[Johnny-Max]

The only Kim Chee I have ever had, I made...

[Hanzel]

Ok,  talk to my wife last night.  Next time she makes another batch I will document it.  This kim chi will take a while to properly ferment and as a warning, you should not keep it in your normal refrigerator unless you want everything smelling like kim chi

[Ggirl]

I check mine after 2 days. It gets sour fast.  It keeps getting sour in the fridge - although more slowly.  I have found it goes a lot quicker than all the literature says.  I live in the deep south. But keep the temp about 74 degrees!  Hope that helps.  I usually put mine in the fridge soon, not quite as sour as I like.  I find that works better.  It tastes like really good cole slaw.  That's when I put it in the fridge.  I learned this through trial and error..  Hope that helps someone! 

[Hanzel]

...and as a warning, you should not keep it in your normal refrigerator unless you want everything smelling like kim chi

When I moved into the house I'm living in now, the former owners were Korean and I learned they all keep two refigerators, one for food and one for Kim Chi.  For real, there were two fridge's and man, when I opened up the white one, the smell about knocked me over.  Needles to say, we kept the beige one and donated the other one.

 

And people think I would make it up  .    It sits in there and ferments... and ferments .. but would be ok if it was making alcohol.  Sometimes when you open the small one the smell is over powering.  We also keep other vegetables she will be eating in there, garlics, onions, etc. so those smells and orders dont get into the large fridge.

[Thox Spuddy]

-and if you eat it every day, that smell starts coming out of your pores.

Ever been in a room full of Koreans...?

 

Ever been in a room full of Norwegians? (they eat lutefisk).

[Hanzel]

My dad used to make that sutff every Christmas and my mother would grab us kids and go out until he aired out the house.  Didn't matter how cold it was, she'd make him leave the windows open.

 
I plead the 5th in case my wife reads this