Submitted by Lauren Bull on
The Crazy Korean Cooking team loves a challenge. It gives us a chance to harness our crazy ideas into a practical purpose—to have fun while we learn something. We started with a question: how can we streamline the DIY kimchi process to guarantee a near-perfect final product? Here's a sneak peek of The Great Kimchi Experiment of 2016.
Our mission was ambitious. We brined 22 batches of kimchi, each with slight variations, to determine which combination would lead to the most flavorful and balanced at-home kimchi. We tried different brining methods, brining times, draining times, and salt quantities, keeping careful track of the products and the steps with detailed labels and timers. Sometimes you need complexity before you get back to simplicity.
Part of the experiment was to consider certain variables that might affect the end result in a home kitchen: temperature, available cooking equipment, etc. Since kimchi is a truly hand-crafted product, however, no two batches will ever be identical. Cliche though it might sound, a major ingredient is the person making it.
The experiment, start to finish, took close to 24 hours. We filmed it in its entirety, which means we have some serious action footage...and then lots of brining time. That's the thing about kimchi: waiting is a big part of the work.
Stay tuned for a full video and more information about our results. We've got some exciting things in store.
