how long does kimchi last

You decided to requite kimchi a test. You've heard nigh it from a coworker or a friend, and read a flake about its wellness benefits. So you've bought a jar, opened it and had some as a side dish a couple of times. And then you lot started wondering: does kimchi become bad?

Or peradventure kimchi is a regular guest in your menu, but you never really learned how long does information technology last. You finish a jar within a few days, then you never really idea near information technology spoiling or losing its taste. So you're looking for a quick primer on the shelf life of kimchi.

Either way, if you accept any questions or concerns regarding storage, shelf life, or going bad of kimchi, you're in the right identify. This article covers exactly those topics, so read on.

How to Shop Kimchi?

Kimchi is a popular Korean side dish made with fermented spicy cabbage and other veggies. Traditionally, kimchi is fabricated in huge earthenware vats buried in soil, but nowadays information technology's normally fabricated in bricklayer jars and fermented at room temperature or slightly below it.

Annotation

Kimchi's product procedure is quite similar to sauerkraut, and so are the storage guidelines.

Kimchi in about cases is sold unpasteurized. That means the beneficial bacteria in the jar are withal active, and the fermentation process is ongoing.

Because of that, the refrigerator is the all-time storage identify, where fermentation slows downward significantly. You can keep the jar at room temperature for a few days, but the resulting kimchi will exist very tart, and the jar might explode like champagne upon opening.

Once you lot open the jar, first and foremost remember to keep information technology sealed tightly when not in use. Second, like with pickles, make sure all the veggies are covered in liquid, and then they won't dry out out and get bad.

Related: Do Pickles Need to Be Refrigerated?

If for any reason you lot can't use the original jar, any other closed container should work too. Make certain you transfer all the liquid, and the veggies are submerged in it.

If you lot've opened a jar of unpasteurized kimchi and didn't detect information technology sour enough for your liking, you can fix that easily. Just let the sealed jar sit down in the sink overnight and put information technology back into the fridge in the morning. Y'all should find the contents of the jar tastier in the afternoon.

In example you were wondering, nosotros put the container in the sink in instance the bacteria go crazy overnight, and it releases some liquid.

Kimchi in an airtight container — Kimchi in an closed container

If you've bought pasteurized or oestrus-treated kimchi, yous can shop an unopened jar in the pantry or kitchen. Just make sure it sits in a absurd place that's away from sunlight and sources of heat.

Estrus treatment kills all the bacteria in kimchi, and then at that place's no need to continue it refrigerated. Just once y'all open the jar, make sure y'all store it tightly sealed in the fridge.

Last but not least, always utilise make clean utensils when scooping the veggies from the jar. While the surround inside is quite acidic and will probable kill almost bacteria that could make it there, at that place's no indicate in testing if this actually works.

How Long Does Kimchi Final

Store-bought kimchi usually comes with a best-before or employ-by date. Depending on the producer and ingredients, its suggested shelf life is usually between 8 months and a year.

That date is provided not considering the fermented veggies will go bad, but because even when stored in the refrigerator, the fermentation slowly proceeds.

That means that kimchi becomes tarter over fourth dimension, and after around that date, it might start to become besides sour for some people.

Note

Opening the jar doesn't really change annihilation in terms of shelf life if y'all follow the storage guidelines provided higher up.

To sum things up, adequately stored kimchi volition last years, only its gustatory modality will gradually change over time. Considering of that, finishing the veggies before or slightly after the engagement on the label makes perfect sense.

	Pantry	Fridge
Kimchi (unpasteurized)		Best-earlier + 1 month
Kimchi (pasteurized, unopened)	Best-by + 1 – three months
Kimchi (pasteurized, opened)		Best-by + 1 – iii months

Please note the periods higher up are estimates and for best quality only.

Kimchi best by date — Kimchi all-time by date

How to Tell If Kimchi Has Gone Bad?

Signs of spoiled kimchi include:

Mold. You tin can discover mold in the jar most often if the veggies weren't fully submerged in the liquid.
An off odour. Kimchi smells sour, but if yours takes on a different scent, it's probable no good.
Bad taste. Please annotation that kimchi becomes sourer over time, and a too sour kimchi isn't bad by whatsoever means. But the flavor might exist too stiff for your taste buds, and that'southward a expert-enough reason to discard it.

More often than not speaking, if stored properly, kimchi doesn't go bad, it simply ripens.

When kimchi ripens, the flavor becomes sourer. But that doesn't mean it is no longer edible. On the contrary, it's still edible fifty-fifty when it'south super sour.

As time goes by, the cabbage can lose its crisis, and that's perfectly normal too. If that happens, one time once more, try using the kimchi in dishes that don't depend on that crisis to taste nifty. Or only melt or sautée information technology.

If the vegetables are too sour, y'all can employ them in one of the mentioned means, or discard them for quality purposes. It's upward to yous.