I like Kimchi but am too lazy to make it myself so opt to buy the Joe Kim brand made in Hawaii.

In fact I've got a couple jars in the refrigerator and might just crack one open for lunch today. :)

"Kitok" on N. 18th in ACT, far from the beaten path (ACT, not N. 18th).

I haven't seen anyone make Kimchi over a decade. It's better tasting to just buy at the Korean grocer.

I make my own sauerkraut and pickles.....in fact I've got a crock of garlic dills fermenting their little hearts out as we speak.

Making Kimchi would be fairly easy....less fermentation time than sauerkraut or pickles.

Except the fact that it require an enormous earthen pot to ferment...

I like mine fresh (i.e not too long in a pot) :rolleyes:

Nope.

Just a fermenting crock as small as five liters does the trick. And it sits on the counter-top and never needs tending.

Granted that, at over $100, it's not cheap. But the German Harsch crocks are arguably the best in the world and will last a lifetime.

For those who wish to do their fermentation industrial-style, I believe the crocks can be bought in any size up to 50 liters. :eek:

Somewhere cool and damp seems also suitable.. That's something I lack, since I'm living in an apartment... :rolleyes:

Making Kimchi for me would be like preparing for the thanksgiving feast. I can't imagine making kimchi as being farily easy.

lead time for making good kimchi: 3 to 6 months.
1. my wife would have to call her mom in Korea to buy the ingredients.
2. wait for me to fly to Korea to grab them
3. one of the smelly ingredient blows up in the checked in bag
4. my wife finding the right time to make it without having the kids making a mess while she makes it
5. waiting 2 to 3 days for the right taste

Cool and damp are really not a requirement either. That many times retards the fermentation process. Higher room temperatures often speed up the fermentation.

You can often adjust the salt level of the fermentation liquid to match the expected climate conditions. Add more salt...within limits...to speed up the fermentation in cooler weather...or less salt to slow it down in warmer weather.

But the most common method for fermenting foods in different climates is the length of time needed. A batch of sauerkraut may be ready in 3 weeks in a warm climate but take up to five weeks in a cooler climate.

Fermentation is a fine science that has been perfected and practiced over centuries. But it can be done in any climate.

I love kimchi.

I also learned that unless it's in a *really* tight container, keeping it around too long is a good way to get some serious kimchi funk in your fridge.

Yeah, kimchi is great unless you live with roommates or an SO who doesn't appreciate the "finer things" ;-).

I developed a fondness for Kimchi while working in Honolulu 30 years ago. Don't get to have it much because my German wife has a hard time with the aroma, even though I have to put up with camanbert cheese in the fridge.

I love kimchi. I once dated a girl for a lil bit because her mom made awesome kimchi.

i think you'd find that LA has better ingredients than korea. probably anywhere in california, really, given the abundance of good food there.

i often joke that korean food tastes better in LA because they make it the way it was meant to be made - by central americans. of course, the quality of the ingredients is the primary reason.

I like the daikon kimchi my neighbor makes !