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My old way of making kimchi gave me a bad batch every time

For years I just threw the salt on the cabbage and let it sit for an hour. Last fall, a friend in Seattle watched me do it and said, "You need to weigh it down with a plate and a jar of water." I started using a 5% brine by weight and pressing it under that plate for a full day. Now my kimchi ferments evenly and never gets mushy. Anyone have a different weight they use for their brine?
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3 Comments
samjohnson
samjohnson1mo ago
Wait, you were just salting it and leaving it out in the open? No wonder it went bad. That's like trying to wash a dog without any soap, you're just getting everything wet for no reason. I use a 3% brine myself, but honestly, the weight is the real game changer.
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morganhill
morganhill1mo ago
Right? @samjohnson gets it, the weight is everything. I tried the lazy salt rub once and my whole kitchen smelled like a science project gone wrong. Now I do a 2.5% brine and use a plate with a big jar of pickles on top to press it down. Total game changer, the texture is perfect every time.
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alex_johnson
2.5% is the sweet spot. Don't need anything fancy.
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