{"id":657,"date":"2020-11-04T08:39:33","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T08:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalspace.com\/?p=657"},"modified":"2022-03-25T10:24:27","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T10:24:27","slug":"this-is-why-kimchi-explodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craftofmanhood.com\/this-is-why-kimchi-explodes\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is Why Kimchi Explodes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Fermenting is a large part of homesteading and prepping and includes fermenting fruits and vegetables, some in the form of kimchi, and making fermented drinks such as kefir. Fermenting foods is done to preserve excess from your harvest to have it available out of season and to enhance the nutritional value. Health drinks such as kefir and kombucha are produced to provide a healthy alternative to commercial yogurts and sodas. Making kimchi does come with some risks, however, one of these risks being unexpected explosions!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kimichi is produced through a fermentation process whereby vegetables are preserved for future use. The fermentation process produces gases which, if not released from the fermentation container, can result in the contents of the container fizzing out, or in the worst case, the container exploding from the pressure build-up.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A certain measure of caution needs to be used when making any type of fermented food or drink. Incorrect processes, procedures, and methods can result in many undesirable outcomes for your fermentation, one of these being a messy or even dangerous explosion of the fermentation jar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimchi has many different ingredients, but the main ingredient is usually a vegetable, and then other ingredients are added to attain a specific flavor profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimchi is a traditional dish that originated in Korea<\/strong>, where it is a traditional, staple side dish that is eaten at almost every meal. In Korea, the fermentation process to create kimchi was used as a method to preserve food for winter months and preserve excesses from crops of vegetables that produced a bountiful harvest in the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many traditional Korean kimchi recipes, seafood is even added as an ingredient to be included in the fermentation process.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In times where refrigeration was not possible, this was an important method of preserving food<\/strong> to get through the lean winter months and, at the same time, ensure a healthy and nutritious meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The flavor profile of kimchi can be varied depending on the ingredients used<\/strong>. Some versions are salty, sour, spicy, and sweet. Some varieties use combinations of these flavors to produce a complex, tasty dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimchi has gained popularity in the western world as a healthy, fashionable and exotic dish but has been adopted by homesteading and prepping communities for its long term food storage application and the health benefits it offers when other food may be scarce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Western cultures had their own versions of fermented foods, which follow similar processes as kimchi in their production. But what sets kimchi apart is the use of ingredients that are from Asia and that give the product a specific flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This fermented dish has been accepted so widely throughout the world that it is even produced on a commercial basis and sold in supermarkets and restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exploding kimchi comes from the method and process that takes place during the fermentation process. The type of containers used during the process and the sealing efficiency of the lids play a role in the potentially explosive nature of kimchi<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fermentation process causes the lactobacilli bacteria, which are healthy for you, to proliferate and multiply. These bacteria fight off bad bacteria<\/strong> that cause the food to go bad. The lactobacilli produce carbon dioxide<\/strong> as they convert the natural sugars to a vinegary lactic acid that helps to preserve the food and create an environment where bad bacteria cannot flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The production of carbon dioxide during the fermentation process is generally the cause of any explosions when it comes to kimchi<\/strong>. The process is fairly easily controlled, however, and people normally only experience the explosions when the fermentation process is not controlled properly and gets away from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The production of carbon dioxide creates an increase of pressure within the fermentation jar<\/strong>, which, if not released, can cause the jar to explode. Most modern fermentation jars are made from glass, which can potentially cause sharp fragments to become shrapnel and potentially cause injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The way to prevent your kimchi from exploding is to control the fermentation process and also allow for the carbon dioxide to escape.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most modern fermentation jars come with lids that have specialized valves that allow the carbon dioxide to escape without introducing air or oxygen to the fermentation process. While these jars with specialized lids are nice to have, you can make kimchi without them by simply burping your jars<\/strong> once or twice a day. This involves opening the lid slightly to allow some of the gas to escape, but not so much to allow significant amounts of air to get in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fermentation process can be slowed down once the desired fermentation level has been reached by placing your kimchi in the refrigerator. Many people fall into the misconception that the fermentation process stops in the fridge, but the process continues; it just slows down. You should still burp your jars occasionally, even when they are in the fridge. This is to prevent the contents of the jar from expanding and overflowing over the top of the jar when you open it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Kimchi?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Does Kimchi Explode?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n