I love pickles, anything salty & sour, but have never tried kimchi. I’m currently limited to what my local Target has as I’m disabled and rely on others for shopping. Should I try one of the two brands here (Lucky, or Wildbrine) ? Would it be better to wait till the option of shopping at Walmart or local Asian supper market be better? I will say we have an incredible Asian District in our city with a LARGE Asian market. My family would happily take me one weekend to the Asian market if that’s where the best brands are. I was just hoping to try asap!
by IncaseofER
24 Comments
Lucky is my favorite brand. Only one I buy
Kimchi pickles are not kimchi but they might hit the flavor profile you’re looking for. Please report back if you do try bc I have been lusting after those pickles but been too cheap to buy.
Lucky was okay last time I tried it—the vegan version may be good to try for your first time (depends on how much you like the taste of fish or if you like Korean food in general). I recently started using Jongga sliced kimchi, highly recommend trying Korean brands once you have the opportunity/space. Jongga is also available at a lot of Costcos, not sure if that is an option for you.
i know my comment isn’t helpful but everything you posted is what i’d call fake kimchi lol
OP is there a Korean grocer or restaurant near you where you can buy something made in-house?
WildBrine brand is delicious I have a jar of lucky in my fridge I wanted to try out I’ll be popping that open soon to taste.
Could the kimchi they sell at h-mart be considered homemade?
Try a Korean store
Asian market would be better but don’t limit yourself! just know that you’ll probably get the best experience at the Asian market rather than these packaged ones
Idc how inauthentic it is, the last one on the list is my FAVORITE.
I would choose none of these, and go to the Asian market. White people stores sell super over fermented kimchi. Chongga brand is the fuckin og but if there’s a fresh made/in house option I’d go for that too.
These are all super sour, over fermented in my opinion. I’ve been told non-Koreans/white Americans prefer kimchi to be like this. Personally, I’d only ever use it to cook with and not eat as is.
If there’s a local Korean store/HMART near you, I’d get kimchi from there, personally. Especially if the local Korean store makes theirs in-store. But, you might find you like the over-fermented kimchi, so don’t be afraid to try it.
I usually make my own kimchi but I get a second one (the spicy kind) when I’m out. I am Korean and it’s good enough in a pinch.
Yes Asian market but make sure to check the ingredients. I’ve seen some Asian market ones with long ingredients lists with high fructose corn syrup and other preservatives. It’s super easy to make at home.
I’ve had very mixed results with conventional supermarket kimchi, inconsistent spice and the texture is all over the place. there are a lot more of them these days so I’m sure some of them are decent but I still stick with the classics at our local Asian market. I grew up on 5000 Years kimchi and it’s still my favorite. For me, the flavor is just right and it’s always crisp and crunchy.
All kimchi turns sour when aged and fermented, so if you’re specifically looking for sour kimchi, you won’t need to be too fussy about the brand.
However, finding Korean brands like Jongga or Bibigo at a Korean or Asian mart would be the go-to if you’re looking for something that is closer to what Koreans eat. Or if possible, make it yourself.
I cant stand big box kimchi, it has a weird bad carbonation taste to me.
I’ve had the first three of these and I’ve also had homemade kimchi, kimchi shipped from a Korean family business, and kimchi from a few Korean restaurants. The Soul one is just nasty. The kimchi pickles are pretty good. other one was whatever. If you try there and like there, like them, but don’t have your idea of what kimchi tastes like be associated with these foods.
That being said, and regardless of whether you do or don’t like them, these ones IMHO have next to nothing in common with kimchi other than chili flakes and brine. I consider it the equivalent of calling anything with some type of sweetened soy sauce on it ” bulgogi”.
You’d be best off ordering some online or going to a Korean grocer. If budget is these are options, look up a few recipes and make your own. Just keep it simple and even use the fridge until you’re comfortable gauging temps, salt, and fermentation
I’ve had Seoul kimchi. I don’t remember it being bad. Costco has [Jongga Kimchi](https://www.instacart.com/assets/domains/product-image/file/large_98fd3a4a-0532-4f14-90e5-85b98ad3afdf.jpeg), which is one of the most popular brands in Korea. You’ll be able to find that brand at any Korean store and most Asian food stores. I like it. If you have an H-Mart, the kimchi they make is about as close to homemade kimchi as you’ll find. It comes in really big jars, though.
I personally like kimchi a little bit on the sour side. The jongga kimchi I showed you is usually a little bit sour.
Definitely find an Asian grocery store, specifically a Korean one if you can. I’m blessed enough to live in a city with fresh and local kimchi options and the top two I’ve tried in a pinch were a real letdown imo.
The kimchi pickles are disgusting lmfao
This type of kimchi is very expensive for its less-than-authentic quality. I would even recommend Chongga kimchi if you’re looking for something available at many grocery stores (I’ve even seen it at Costco!), however the handmade type from Korean grocery stores will always taste the most fresh. If you have a mom and pop store near by, even better! But H-Mart kimchi is very good too 🙂
If you enjoy it, I would definitely recommend learning to make it as this is by far the most economical, yummy way to enjoy kimchi!
i know they’re not super authentic in terms of actual kimchi, but the cleveland kitchen kimchi pickles are so good
the kimchi pickles are just cucumber pickles flavored with spices used in kimchi. theyre fucking good but they aren’t kimchi
The pickles arent meant to be “pickle kimchi” in the sense that you have cucumber kimchi, radish kimchi, etc. It’s pickles with kimchi mixed it.
I enjoyed them, even if they were a bit softer than I prefer. Hella amazing in some chickpea “chicken” salad, and some deviled eggs. And then I used the brine to make chicken tendies. For a snack, mixed in with stuff 10/10 for the pickles.
For actual kimchi, jonga from Costco is great, since I saw you go to Costco!