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A talk with my brother-in-law about kimchi brine
He's a chef in Chicago and told me he never reuses brine from a finished batch to start a new one, calling it a 'lazy shortcut' that muddies flavors. I've always done it, thinking it gave a head start. But after trying his method with just salt and fresh cabbage for my last jar, the taste was much cleaner and sharper. Has anyone else moved away from using old brine as a starter?
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claire_davis3110d ago
Hold up, you're both missing the point. It's not about old brine versus no brine at all. The real starter is the paste from the last batch, not the liquid brine. You take a spoonful of the old, thick paste and mix it in with the new veggies. That gives you the good bacteria without watering down the flavor. Just using the salty liquid brine is what makes it taste weak.
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aaron85410d ago
Yeah, that "lazy shortcut" line hits home. I totally used to save my brine, thinking I was being smart and saving time. My last batch tasted kinda funky and one-note, though. I tried the fresh salt and cabbage method you described, and it was a total game changer. The kimchi had this bright, crisp punch that the old-brine stuff just never did. I'm officially converted.
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