my homemade kimchi is bubbling up. is this a good sign?

by Leawii

9 Comments

  1. 800bubble

    Yes, it is in active fermentation and shows that it is successful. This is the best kimchi.

  2. Unoficialmotherfuckr

    My fat ass thought this was some kind of exotic pizza

  3. adreamy0

    It’s natural for gas to be produced as fermentation progresses, but noticeable air bubbles rising indicates that over-fermentation is occurring, which could be due to one of two main reasons:
    Low salinity or high storage temperature… (or, additionally, if sugar was added…).

    If the over-fermentation is intentional, it’s not a problem at all, but generally, over-fermentation makes the flavor prominently sour and gives it a lighter taste.

    [https://2dreamy.wordpress.com/2025/10/02/referencegeneral-method-for-making-kimchi/](https://2dreamy.wordpress.com/2025/10/02/referencegeneral-method-for-making-kimchi/)

  4. Signal-Butterfly5362

    To me there is not enough of the liquid brine and the color looks more like meat than the bright red it usually is. If too much is exposed to air like this it will rot and get moldy. What’s the breakdown of the recipe you used? How is this being stored?

  5. peonyseahorse

    I misread, “homemade” for “hormonal” and had myself a good laugh.

  6. Gloomy_Flatworm_76

    Yes! You can leave at room temp until you see bubbling then transfer to the fridge:)

  7. Job4Food

    It usually takes weeks to ferment unless you’re adding something to speed it up. If you want it to ferment, put it indoors in a bin before bed, get up in the morning and put it in the fridge. And wait a few weeks.
    Kimchi was fermented from white to transparent and orange.
    Maybe this is hard outside of Korea.

  8. danxtptrnrth1

    Yes. It means fermentation is happening.