My whole batch of kimchi turned fizzy and weird after 2 days

I was in my kitchen last month, doing my usual kimchi ferment in a big glass jar. I had just packed it down, put the weight on, and left it on the counter like always. But when I checked it after only 48 hours, the whole thing was super fizzy, almost like soda, and smelled way too sharp. I panicked because I used 5 pounds of napa cabbage and didn't want to lose it all. I looked it up and saw that a really fast, fizzy ferment can happen if your kitchen is too warm. My place had been over 80 degrees that week. I moved the jar down to my basement, which stays cooler, and burped it twice a day. After another 3 days, the fizz calmed down and it started tasting right again. Has anyone else had a ferment go into hyperdrive like that from the heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

seanc7321d ago

Man, my kimchi once got so fizzy I thought I'd invented cabbage soda.

williamw7521d ago

Yeah, that fizz is a wild ride. @seanc73, did it taste okay or was it straight up sour? I've had a batch go that fizzy and it was almost like a weird, spicy kombucha. Makes you wonder how much sugar was in the cabbage to begin with.

tessap7321d ago

Cabbage soda, that's perfect. I used to get nervous when mine got fizzy, thought it meant I messed up. Then I tried it and realized that pop is just the good bugs having a party. Now I wait for the fizz, it means it's ready.