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PSA: My whole batch of kimchi turned to mush after a weirdly warm week in October.
I left my main crock in the basement like always, but the temp spiked to 78 degrees for five days straight (thanks, broken furnace) and now I've got three gallons of slimy, sad cabbage that smells off.
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bethperez1mo ago
My grandma always said room temp was fine for fermenting. I lost a whole two-gallon crock to a hot spell last summer, same slimy texture. Now I use a cheap thermometer and move it to the coolest closet if it gets above 70.
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alicecooper1mo ago
That slimy texture means it got way too warm.
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mitchell.val1mo ago
Oh man, that's a classic sign. I was reading this article from a guy who runs a big fermentation blog, and he said that slime is usually from certain bacteria that go wild when it's too warm. They beat out the good stuff you want. Beth's grandma's room temp advice is probably from a time before central heating, you know? My own basement is too warm half the year, so I get it. That closet trick is smart, I might have to try that myself. It's crazy how a few degrees can wreck a whole batch.
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