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That conversation with my neighbor about his sauerkraut changed how I think about salt ratios
My neighbor Bob came over last Sunday after I bragged about my latest batch of kimchi and said it probably tasted flat because I was using 2% salt instead of 3.5%. He pulled out a pH meter and showed me how his batches at 3.5% hit a stable 4.0 pH in half the time while mine hovered around 4.5 for a week. Has anyone else found that bumping salt up that much actually changes the flavor profile in a good way?
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michaeld485mo ago
Honestly that's a really good point about the pH difference. I've always just gone with the standard 2% for my ferments because that's what the recipes say, but now I'm wondering if I've been missing out. Did you notice a big difference in the actual taste of the kimchi itself with the extra salt, or was it more just the texture and the crunch? I've heard higher salt can make stuff taste more savory but I'm a little worried about it being too salty to eat on its own.
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kelly3855mo ago
That thing about 3.5% salt making stuff crystallize sounds wild, I read somewhere that going above 5% can actually stop fermentation dead. Ive been messing around with 2.5% lately and its a good middle ground, still gets that tangy ph drop without turning your cabbage into a salt lick. Might be worth trying if you want more savory flavor without overdoing it.
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ellioth375mo ago
My uncle tried that 3.5% salt trick with his hot sauce last summer and ended up with a batch so salty it literally crystallized on the pepper skins. He had to rinse everything three times before bottling. I stuck with 2% after that because I'd rather let my ferments go a little longer than end up with a brine that tastes like the ocean. Did you find the extra salt changed how long you had to ferment it before eating?
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