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Kimchi too salty

[SIZE=14pt]I know you can use potato to remove some of the saltiness but I’ve never done it. Can someone please advise? Do I use peeled potatoes? How much potato do I need to use? Do I submerge it or just lay it lay on top? Anything else I need to know? The Kimchi is in quart jars.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=14pt]Thanks in advance.[/SIZE]
 
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No worries, just peel a whole potato and put in pot. This process is usually used for hot foods like stews.
Ask RocketMan he'll know I've only used this process as stated above in hot foods.
You can also ask stickman he's well versed in the kimchi process and very helpful.
 
I don't think the potato method will work for your kimchi bud - because you're not cooking the kimchi.  A peeled potato will leach salt out of any dish that is cooked.  Put the potato in, bring to a simmer and by the time the potato is fork tender it will have pulled a good deal of the salt out of the dish.  For your kimchi I'd suggest splitting the batch and adding more cabbage then allowing it to age a while longer - that should balance the salt considerably.  
 
I agree with the comment above about splitting the batch.  Also, I found that while the kimchi tasted too salty to me at first, I enjoyed it more later on.  The second batch I made had less salt and was not nearly as good.  
 
hannaverity said:
I agree with the comment above about splitting the batch.  Also, I found that while the kimchi tasted too salty to me at first, I enjoyed it more later on.  The second batch I made had less salt and was not nearly as good.  
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+1 on that! It's always easier to get the salt ratios correct up front than it is to try to adjust them after the fact. I think I know where your batch may have gone wrong though... when I make kimchi, I use a cup and a quarter of sea salt for 5 pounds of napa cabbage. That's a lot! But after the brine has pulled out most of the water I drain the brine, rinse under running water and lightly wring out the cabbage leaves to remove the exess. The instructions you got may have left out that part. The ratio of salt to cabbage in sauerkraut (which is just a plainer version of kimchi) is 3 tablespoons of salt to 5 pounds of cabbage, and none of the salt is removed during the process. Hope this helps...
 
Thank you all for the sound advise. Smoke, I'll remix and add cabbage later today.
 
Stick, I followed your tutorial (thanks for showing the way). I did rinse and wring out the cabbage, I probably rinsed it 5 times. Next time I'll probably use a little less salt and take my chances.
 
neoguy said:
Thank you all for the sound advise. Smoke, I'll remix and add cabbage later today.
 
Stick, I followed your tutorial (thanks for showing the way). I did rinse and wring out the cabbage, I probably rinsed it 5 times. Next time I'll probably use a little less salt and take my chances.
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Good enough Dan... I like to make mine the traditional way, and it's true that Koreans like Big flavors but if you like it less salty, that's OK too. You might want to check out a book called "Wild Fermentation" to see what information it has about making low to no-salt ferments.
 
http://www.wildfermentation.com/wild-fermentation/
 
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