Protect my health -- Is kimchi still good if it was left out for a full day?

[Bob]

Brand new.  Bought from the produce section where it was refrigerated with the salad dressing and tofu.

I brought it inside and left it on the counter until now.

But it's kimchi...  It's already fermented.  I read you make it by leaving it out so it's a little warm.

I got 5-6 jars of the stuff though.  I can't use it all at once.  I don't really think it will go bad, so I'll eat it.  Probably a little sooner than I normally would have.

What say you?  Safe to eat if it went from the produce/slightly cold section to room temperature and out for over 24 hours? 

That's unopened jars.  I just opened one to eat.  Tastes ok.  If it ferments a little more, that's fine.

[perfect_pitch]

I apologise, but I don't even know what Kimchi is...

Or, the more curious question as to why you have 6 jars of it though? What possessed you to buy all that?

[Bob]

Tastes good and it's healthy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi

South Korean.  Fermented (pickled) cabbage with red pepper spices.  That's how they preserved vegetables over the winter -- bury them in the ground so they're cooler.  But when you make the stuff, you leave it out (I think) so speed up the fermentation process.


I'm thinking this stuff is fine.  The jars were still sealed.  It may have sped up some chemical activity but if I make a point to eat more of it, it won't matter.


And then you can add kimchee to anything basically. 

[timothy42b]

If kimchi went bad...............well, how could you possibly tell???

[rubinsteinmad]

South Korean?

BTW, North Korea and South Korea have the same culture. except in North Korea, some of that culture has been destroyed.

So yeah, Kimchi is isn't actually "South Korean", it's "Korean".

[Bob]

https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/left-grocery-store-kimchi-on-counter-overnight

I knew I read a post about exactly that before.  I'm thinking this stuff is still good.


There's supposed to be some different kind of taste when it goes bad. 

https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/2010/does-kimchi-go-bad

Yes, I remember seeing a youtube video about the "bendability" of the cabbage.  If it's limp, it's too done.

https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/how-long-can-i-keep-kimchi


This was unopened so it's safer.    I see "one year after opening."  I don't think I'd let it go that long. 

I also read you could use it in something else, like soup, if it's starting to go.  But that's too much work.


The strangest thing was opening a new jar one time and seeing it start bubbling.  But that's normal apparently.

[dcstudio]

 my husband is half-Korean...  kimchi is a staple in our home.   Traditionally it was buried in the ground to ferment. 

I have been eating that stuff for 20 years now and I swear... it cures anything and I have never seen it go bad..  really there is no bug that can live in your body when you chow down the kimchi regularly it's a natural antibiotic.   I have seen people eat it for breakfast.. I use the leftover "fire juice' in soups, salad dressings, and it adds a whole new dimension to a bloody mary..

we make ours out of cucumbers instead of cabbage and it is fiery hot.  It's so addicting, too...you just can't stop eating it.

I am a big fan of kimchi!! 

[rubinsteinmad]

 my husband is half-Korean...  kimchi is a staple in our home.   Traditionally it was buried in the ground to ferment. 

I have been eating that stuff for 20 years now and I swear... it cures anything and I have never seen it go bad..  really there is no bug that can live in your body when you chow down the kimchi regularly it's a natural antibiotic.   I have seen people eat it for breakfast.. I use the leftover "fire juice' in soups, salad dressings, and it adds a whole new dimension to a bloody mary..

we make ours out of cucumbers instead of cabbage and it is fiery hot.  It's so addicting, too...you just can't stop eating it.

I am a big fan of kimchi!! 

Half-Korean.... I'm guessing on his mom's side...

[dcstudio]

Half-Korean.... I'm guessing on his mom's side...

BINGO.     my mother-in-law is 4'11 and a spitfire.   She in no way embodies the stereotypical demure soft-spoken Asian woman... wow...  she is very--um--opinionated.  She also taught my husband to make kimchi and bulgogi--which is Korean barbeque... that stuff is so amazing that I have seen FOUR strict vegetarians convert back to carnivores because of it.   We actually had a little side-business going on one of the casino boats we worked on.  The kitchen was closed for the midnight cruises so we took orders from the staff and the players  and  brought in containers of meat and rice and a giant tub of kimchi...  we always sold out and there as never any kimchi left.  (I should say though, that most of the players on the graveyard cruise were from Hong Kong...  they really tore up the kimchi.)

If you ever have a cold or the flu...  just get a jar of kimchi and drink the juice like a shot of whiskey, take 4 or 5 shots of kimchi fire water---it might burn a little bit going down--and you run the risk of serious "fire in the hole" the next day... but you won't be sick anymore.

I swear---no germs can live in your body after you take the kimchi juice challenge... it really is a cure-all...and the hotter the better!!!

so I speak from experience... KIMCHI ROCKS

[rubinsteinmad]

she is very--um--opinionated. 

Trying hard to restrain yourself from insulting someone? lol jk

But um......  Asian Americans are VERY opinionated. VERY. Ive never been to a white household, and I guess they are more talkative on the outside, but I think their personalities are SO MUCH BETTER. White people are like DA BOMB, they're nice (usually hehe) and theyre cute (hehe) and they behave so nicely, that's all and they smart too (most of the time lol)

Unfortunately, Asians are not the same. story (I guess you probably read my other post about Asians being loud and obnoxious...)

[dcstudio]

Trying hard to restrain yourself from insulting someone? lol jk

But um......  Asian Americans are VERY opinionated. VERY.

yes I am aware of that now...lol.   being around my mother-in-law and her sisters has taught me that some stereotypes really are completely false. When I hang out with my in-laws I usually end up with my father-in-law because he is the only person on the planet who understands what it's like to be married to my husband...because he is just like his mother..
except he doesn't start yelling in Korean when he gets angry.  that "tiger mom" thing... now that one is for real.

and I would never dream of insulting my Oma...  that would not be proper, even here.  I speak my few words of Korean for her so she can make fun of me... she enjoys that quite a bit. I do what I can to stay on her good side.

I met my husband in 1989...  26 years and that woman still scares the sh!t out of me