Warning: My kimchi ferment got a weird pink mold after I opened the jar too many times

I was checking on my batch of napa cabbage kimchi every day for two weeks in my 72 degree kitchen, and on day 11 I saw pink fuzzy spots on the surface that looked nothing like the white kahm yeast I've seen before. Turns out opening the lid let in airborne contaminants and I had to toss the whole gallon batch that I'd put 3 hours into prepping. Has anyone successfully saved a ferment that started showing pink or is it always a trash situation?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_simon1mo ago

I mean, you're assuming it was pink mold and not just some weird bacterial bloom that could've been stirred back in. I've seen people scrape off surface stuff that looked way gnarlier than that and their kimchi turned out fine.

ellioth371mo ago

Pink is almost never good news in fermentation. I've seen plenty of weird stuff on top of ferments and stirred it back in without issues, but pink specifically is a red flag. That color usually means Serratia marcescens or some other nasty bacteria that can cause illness. Scraping off surface stuff is one thing when it's yeast or kahm, but pink mold is different altogether. Your mileage may vary but I wouldn't risk it, especially with kimchi that takes days to ferment. Better safe than sorry with that one.

spencer_park261mo ago

Man I had this exact thing happen with my first batch of kimchi and I was so paranoid I threw the whole jar out, scrubbed my kitchen down like I was prepping for surgery, and then my dog stared at me the whole time like "you really wasted all that cabbage for nothing huh." Pink stuff is legit scary though, I'd rather toss a batch and start over than play Russian roulette with my guts. Last time I ignored weird colors on a ferment I spent the next day regretting every life choice that led me to that point. Better to be haunted by wasted napa cabbage than by bathroom regrets.