kimchi refrigerator

13 years ago

I was looking at refrigerators on bestbuy's website and came across a dedicated kimchi refrigerator. It costs quite a pretty penny but looks intriguing. It has different settings for fermentation and storage and odor control. Keeping cool enough temps to ferment sauerkraut in florida can be a challenge. Made by samsung and comes in a 6.4 cf a 4.7 cf model. Thoughts anyone?

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joemisun

11 years ago

I know $800 to $1,000 for a 4.7 or 6.4 cft Kimchi fridge may seem expensive. But this is new technology with limited patent rights. These are very popular in Korea in fact in 2011 more Kimchi refrigerator sold in Korea than regular refrigerators, and in Korea most people buy the full size ones not just these small ones. These kimchi fridges are not like a regular fridge. They use positive air flow with strict temperature control to control the kimchi fermentation process. In Korea kimchi is like wine. It has a different smell and taste depending on its "ripeness." Some people prefer it fresh or not very fermented, some people prefer it very ripe or very old, and others prefer it everywhere in between those two stages of "ripeness."

If you want to make sauerkraut I would not get one of these fridges because sauerkraut can be made with a $125 stone fermenting crock.

My wife, who is Korean and I live in Phoenix where it is very hard to store certain fruits and vegetables like potatoes, onions, apples, pears, squash, etc. for long periods of time. This kimchi fridge makes it possible to store these items for months and keep their freshness. We can now go to the store and buy 25# of potatoes or store the cabbage, carrots, beets, onions, squash and other vegetables that we grow during the winter and spring in Phoenix. IÃ¯Â¿Â½m sure you people in Florida have this same problem storing fruits and vegetables.

In my opinion, I would get one of these kimchi fridges if you have the need to store any fruits and vegetables and you live in a hotter climate that does not allow for good storage. Or if you want to store kimchi. You will fall in love with it.

I was skeptical at first when my wife wanted to bring one of these back from one of our recent ventures to Korea, I work in Korea for about 4 months every couple of years.

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Comments (9)

jimster
13 years ago
Small general purpose refigerators can be bought for about $100. I don't know about refrigerators made especially for kimchi. I don't think a lot of precision is necessary for making sauerkraut, unless it is on a commercial scale where strict process control is necessary.

Jim
dirtundermyfingers
13 years ago
Melly,

Thanks for posting this, I just had to look it up.

Stacie

Here is a link that might be useful: Kimchi refrigerator
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gardendawgie
13 years ago
$1000 for a tiny 6.4 cu ft refrigerator. A lot of people are hurting right now financially. I can not believe that anyone has that kind of money to throw away. That is a tiny box.

Johnny seeds sells a thermostat such that you can keep an entire room cooled to any temperature with a simple air conditioner.

Any old used refrigerator will work and be much bigger. If you want it small then get an apartment sized one.

Most people only ferment Kimchi for hours to a day or so. big deal. The world is full of millions of Koreans using a regular refrigerator to make kimchi.

I guess some people have more money than they know what to do with it. In which case send it to me. I know what to do with it.
sage721
13 years ago
Damn, that crazy! I've been making "white boy kimchi" for a while now. The Korean lady at the farmer's market says its not "real kimchi" just fermented veggies, but i digress. Basically I just pack jars with a cabbage based mix, garlic, ginger, and hot peppers then add some lacto bacillus starter cultures. The lids swell up, and the garage gets kinda stinky for a while, but the end product is awsome. Ate the last jar of a cucumber/leek batch that was packed in May, and it was way better than the jars opened in the summer. I know its not really the best idea, but I kinda go with "I know 'bad' when I smell/taste it" and I've only had one jar go bad in the last three batches. I've seen shows on the travel channel with kimchi being made in the traditional underground storage method (including adding brine shrimp and some funky fish paste), but that's a bridge too far for me! I'll stick to packing in jars thank you very much!
canfan
11 years ago
We have a second fridge for all of the extra produce, refrigerator pickles, including kim chee, sauerkraut, end of the garden relish etc or holiday leftovers. The containers seem to keep the smell from Kim chee or skraut contained... or maybe we are immune since these foods are a part of our diet... so far friends/family hasn't complained... : )
glib
11 years ago
I think it is much cheaper, and better, to buy a freezer on Craigslist ($100 or so, a lot of people tire of it), then buy a brewing thermostat ($55 plus shipping) that connects and disconnects the freezer. With the thermostat, you can ferment kimchi when the napa cabbage comes in, with a 60F setting, then store apples for the winter, at 38F, then perhaps brew a beer (or make sauerkrauts) at 65F. All you need to do is turn a dial.

I have this set up for spring apples (Goldrush). You have to have a thin layer of foam between apples and the side where coolant is circulating, or else apples touching it will develop spots at the point of contact. Other than that, storage is perfect. Note that, being a freezer, it will cost you a fraction in electricity.
ryseryse_2004
11 years ago
A small used college refrigerator would work well.
canfan
11 years ago
Kim Chee is about ready for the fridge.. been sitting in the laundry room for about a week. Tastes great! Used the typical veggies: daikon, carrot, green onion, napa cabbage garlic, chili and fish sauce.. it fermented in a huge Tupperware bowl. I'll pack it into a gal glass jar for long term storage.

kimchi refrigerator

joemisun

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jimster

dirtundermyfingers

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