Kimchi refrigerator

> I think a comment of his was "kimchee flavored butter is not pleasant."

Hah, I saw video recipes of kimchi and gochujang-garlic flavored butter last year. Tho probably both were eye-catching online culinary fads rather than practical products.

Woman whose channel I follow uses both plastic and ceramic containers for kimchi - both include a small valve in the lid to allow exchange of air. And of course cabbage lands in that special fridge; she said she uses it also for storing vegetables and rice

IIRC this is actually the main purpose of one of these, they run slightly warmer to keep fermentation going while still being cold enough to preserve. Traditonal kimchi was stored underground so maybe a temp close to those conditions.

I think a better expression would be "to regulate fermentation." Kimchi lasts quite a bit longer when stored in kimchi fridge, because (I assume) fermentation almost stops, due to consistently low temperature. But obviously you don't want it to freeze (frozen kimchi tastes absolutely terrible), so the fridge must stay just above the freezing temperature, for it to work well.

And in my experience, every kimchi eventually goes sour in regular fridge (or even in a special kimchi fridge, if you keep it long enough), so I don't think fermentation completely stops at those temperatures.

Maybe it should say something like: to assist in halting the fermentation process, which otherwise could cause the Kimchi to spoil.

Assuming that’s correct, I’m no Kimchi Engineer.

I like to eat my kimchi at room temperature, so I tend to keep a small amount out of the fridge ready for my next session.

Yeah, if you read the Korean language article[0] (or the Namu.wiki article[1]), they both refer it the function as preserving and storing kimchi, not really going for further fermenting. Most folks I know buy prepared kimchi and use the fridge to store / have it last a while (as well as using it as a secondary fridge). Given that optimal kimchi ripening goes from 2d to 35d changing the temperature from 20°C to 4°C[2], I suspect it would take an enormous time trying to ripen it purely in the -1°C fridge (typical kimchi fridge temperature).

[0] https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B9%80%EC%B9%98%EB%83%89%EC... [1] https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B9%80%EC%B9%98%EB%83%89%EC%9E%A5%EA%... [2] https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1750-384...

> Fermentation is completely stopped in a regular fridge, you need higher temperature for fermentation.

My understanding as a hobbyist brewer and fermenter is that this is not true. Fermentation is greatly slowed at lower temperatures, but you should have things happening above freezing. Lager beers, for example, go from pure sugar to beer at 35F. And kimchi matures at fridge temperatures in ways that I'm pretty sure are caused by fermentation.

A short and dubious description I've read on a magazine article decades ago claimed that these have a temperature profile to go between heating and cooling for desired effects over time, by the tone in scale of weeks to months. I don't know how or what they do with Kimchi in Korea but there are probably lots of obviouses around it that needs context to realize.

Yeah, you're right.

A kimchi fridge I've owned had a temperature dial with a little chart next to it, that if I recall advised around 1-4C for halting fermentation for long-term storage and around 11 or above for active fermentation, and encouraged being mindful of the stage in your kimchi's, uh, lifecycle.

Pretty interesting to find a flat-out-wrong Wikipedia article in this day and age!

I'm sorry for sounding obtuse but why do you need a fridge when the outside temperature is already -20°F?

How much kimchi are you eating?

As a German married to a Korean, it was a definite upgrade to my Sauerkraut.

Jokes aside, the kimchi fridge is indeed quite common in Korea, and the household justification is typically that you don't want the kimchi's aroma to interact with all your other refrigerated food supply.

Especially the older generation makes kimchi infrequently in large batches, and it's very common to share the fruits of the labor among the different households in the family (you often leave with it on family visits), so it's routinely well stocked with the remains of various batches.

I'm most familiar with the single or double drawer types, integrated into the more modern kitchen aisles, making it easy to tower above and access the tubs/jars/containers. Since you usually wind up having one anyway, you're also gonna use it.

Almost no one makes their own sauerkraut in Germany (except some hippies/hipsters maybe) - it’s dirt cheap to buy and really good.

I might be ignorant but for me the flavour of kimchi is far more complex and varied - sauerkraut is pretty much always the same.

Costco sells chest freezer fridges. No mods.