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What Is the Purpose of a Korean Kimchi Refrigerator? - Carving A Journey

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for details at the bed of this page. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases on this mail about the Korean kimchi refrigerator. When I first moved to South Korea, I experienced a few culture shocks when it came to the home ‘ lifestyle. ’ Certain things I thought were the same in every country were different. For exemplar, many people in Korea do not own dishwashers or dryers for clothes. Another case includes the ‘ wet style ’ toilet in my Daejeon apartment compared to the separate shower area I grew up using in the United States. finally, I found myself immediately surprised by the fact that many of my friends, angstrom well as my in-law, had another refrigerator in their kitchens used entirely for storing kimchi. After asking about these ‘ kimchi refrigerators ’ I learned that they work wholly differently than the standard ‘ conventional refrigerators. ’ here, we will discuss the differences between the two ! For those matter to in making big quantities of kimchi, you may want to invest in one of these. After all, for many people in South Korea, particularly those who make their kin kimchi annually, a kimchi refrigerator is an invaluable joyride they can not live without.

Reading: What Is the Purpose of a Korean Kimchi Refrigerator? - Carving A Journey

What Is a Kimchi Refrigerator?

A kimchi refrigerator is specifically designed to store kimchi, though you can always store early items as well. not only does the refrigerator motivation to keep the kimchi cool, but it besides needs to facilitate the agitation serve necessary to make proper kimchi. typically, when stored in a conventional refrigerator, kimchi begins to sour within a week. On the early hand, when stored in a kimchi refrigerator, it can stay fresh for upwards of 4 to 5 months before souring. indeed, what makes a kimchi electric refrigerator different from a regular electric refrigerator ?Photo Credit: Image by HeungSoon
Traditional Korean Onggi–People Commonly Used Onggi to Ferment Kimchi Prior to Kimchi Fridges.

How Is a Kimchi Fridge Different Than a Regular Fridge?

To facilitate the proper zymosis rate and summons, a kimchi refrigerator must have a few particular features. In the by, before the invention of kimchi fridges, people prepared and stored kimchi in traditional onggi ( korean stoneware pots ) that they would bury in the ground. The purpose of the kimchi electric refrigerator is to simulate the environment that naturally occurs in the grind. Compared to a conventional electric refrigerator, a kimchi electric refrigerator must :

Remain colder. For food safety, all conventional refrigerators need to have the internal temperature set at (or below) 4.44°C (40°F). In Korea, people calibrate a kimchi fridge to a lower temperature. This temperature replicates the earth around the kimchi jar during the incredibly cold winter months in Korea. Typically, people set a kimchi fridge between -2 to 0°C (28.4 to 32°F).
Have a Higher Level of Humidity: Like the temperature, the humidity levels affect the fermentation process. Like I stated above, when preparing kimchi using the traditional methods, people bury a large jar in the earth. Traditionally, people make kimchi during the autumn months. Then, they bury the kimchi jars, letting them sit through winter as the kimchi ferments. Naturally, the soil environment surrounding the jar has a high humidity level. The kimchi fridge humidity levels are meant to replicate this environment. On the other hand, conventional refrigerators tend to have a drier environment.
Lower Levels of Air Movement: Conventional refrigerators have an indirect cooling system where the cool air circulates through the cooling systems using a fan. This process results in inconsistent and constantly changing temperatures as great as 10 degrees. On the other hand, kimchi fridges use a direct cooling method without a lot of air movement. As a result, it does not have fluctuations in interior humidity levels or temperatures.

Kimchi Refrigerator Brands:

In my impression, the three most celebrated kimchi refrigerator brands include :

LG: This company makes a multitude of different electronics and appliances such as TVs, cell phones, washing machines, and more. Often, people rate these products highly rated across the board.
Samsung: Like LG, Samsung is a large electronics and appliances corporation. They focus on many different items such as TVs, cell phones, refrigerators, rice cookers, and more.
Dimchae: Unlike LG and Samsung, Dimchae has a more narrow focus. They predominantly make rice cookers and kimchi refrigerators.

Where Can I Buy a Kimchi Fridge?

Outside of South Korea, I recommend buying kimchi refrigerators from on-line retailers. First, you can find these products listed on the party websites. If you do not want to buy immediately from the companies, you can arrange from other retailers such as Home Depot, Costco, Best Buy, and more !

Photo Credit: Portuguese Gravity
Beautiful Freshly Made Kimchi

We Hope You Enjoyed Learning About The Korean Kimchi Refrigerator!

In the conclusion, we hope you enjoyed learning about the Korean kimchi refrigerator. If thus, let us know in the comment segment below.

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