I recently mixed 8 quarts of kimchi. I stuffed my cabbage into 8, 1-quart Mason Jars. I left the typical buffer space (about 1-inch) below the lid. I told someone else that I had jarred the kimchi in glass and they seemed concerned that the jars would explode. I read that you can relieve pressure intermittently for the first few days and then the fermentation will lessen in intensity — no worry for explosion.
My question is this — because my kimchi is in mason jars, it gets no air and I was wondering if I should use cheesecloth covering next time. Do the lids stifle fermentation because of their seal? Is it just a bad idea to stuff kimchi and krauts into mason jars?
Best Answer
If your jars aren't in the refrigerator already, I highly recommend unscrewing the lids as soon as possible...unless you want to be able to share stories about how you found glass shards and the smell of kimchi everywhere in your kitchen one day.
Depending on when you mean to eat them, I'd recommend a mix of room temperature ripening and fridge storage. Keep the lid completely unscrewed while at room temp until ripened to a stage you prefer, and keep it loosely on in the fridge and eat it up in the next few weeks (where it will continue to ferment some more but slow down drastically). It's not a terrible idea to put something like a sheet pan under the jars just in case one overflows.
Cheesecloth is overkill, but you could choose to use that or anything that'll cover the top of a jar without making it airtight while at room temp. Glass jars are used often in commercial kimchi production and sale, so other than making sure the lid isn't fully screwed on they're fine to use. The explosion concern is mostly when you leave it too long (more than several hours?) at room temp or in the fridge for more than a couple weeks - while the jar is completely sealed.
This all depends on the kind of kimchi you are storing, of course. I'm assuming it's the freshly made napa cabbage type you're talking about. Some kimchis don't ferment as much or at all.