Kimchi Salt Calculator

How the calculator works

The calculator scales one recipe, from Colorado State University Extension. It is written for 2 medium heads of Napa cabbage, which the source puts at 6 to 8 pounds together. Enter the number of heads you have and every amount is multiplied by heads / 2.

salt to rub in, in cups = cabbages / 2 x 1

The recipe uses salt in two places, and it helps to keep them apart:

• The dip. 1/2 cup of coarse salt dissolved in 1 gallon of cold water. The cut cabbage is dipped briefly, then this brine is thrown away.
• The rub. 1 cup of coarse salt massaged into the drained cabbage. This is the salt that does the work.

Together that is the 1 1/2 cups of coarse salt in the ingredient list. The big number on the result card is the rub. The dip brine is listed just under it.

Worked example

You bought 3 medium heads of Napa cabbage.

1. 3 / 2 = 1.5 times the recipe.
2. Salt to rub in: 1.5 x 1 cup = 1 1/2 cups.
3. Dip brine: 1.5 x 1/2 cup = 3/4 cup of salt, in 1.5 gallons (6 quarts) of cold water.
4. Korean red pepper powder: 1.5 x 1 cup = 1 1/2 cups.
5. Sweet rice flour: 1.5 x 2 tablespoons = 3 tablespoons, boiled in 3/4 cup of water.
6. Green onions: 1.5 x 10 = 15.

For a single head, everything halves: 1/2 cup of salt to rub in, 1/4 cup of salt in 2 quarts of water for the dip, 1/2 cup of pepper powder and 1 tablespoon of sweet rice flour.

Salting, step by step

These steps follow the source.

1. Rinse the heads in cold water and drain them. Cut away any spoiled spots.
2. Quarter each head, remove the core, and chop the leaves into 2 inch pieces.
3. Dip the pieces briefly in the brine, then discard the brine and drain the cabbage.
4. Massage the coarse salt into the cabbage.
5. Cover and leave at room temperature for 3 to 6 hours.
6. Rinse 3 to 4 times in cold water.
7. Drain in a colander for at least 30 minutes.

The rest time is a range for a reason. The longer the cabbage sits in the salt, the saltier the kimchi will be. If you are making this for the first time, start near 3 hours.

The rinsing matters as much as the salting. The source says the finished kimchi should have a salt concentration between 2 and 5 percent, which is far less than the cup you rubbed in. The salt draws water out of the cabbage, and the rinses then carry the surplus away.

The seasoning paste

The paste is built on a thin porridge of sweet rice flour. For 2 heads:

• Boil 2 tablespoons of sweet rice flour in 1/2 cup of water, then let it cool.
• Mince 1 to 10 cloves of garlic, to taste, and about 3 slices of fresh ginger.
• Mix the garlic and ginger into the cooled rice paste with 1 cup of Korean red pepper powder. Look for powder labeled for kimchi.
• Cut half a Korean radish or daikon (1 to 1.5 pounds), 10 green onions and, if you like, 1 Asian pear into strips about 1 inch long.
• Combine the paste and the vegetables. Add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce if you are using it.

Toss the paste with the drained cabbage until every piece is coated. The recipe lists 2 teaspoons of finely ground salt as optional. Taste first and add it only if the mix needs it.

The calculator scales the pepper powder, rice flour, radish and green onions with the cabbage. Garlic and ginger are left to taste, as the source leaves them.

Packing and fermenting

Pack the kimchi tightly into the container, pressing out air so that brine rises around the cabbage. Fill the container only about two thirds full. Fermentation makes gas, and the kimchi needs room to expand. Close a jar loosely enough for gas to escape, and stand it on a plate or in a bowl to catch any overflow.

The source gives two ways to ferment:

• At room temperature: in a well-ventilated spot at about 68 °F, for 1 to 2 days. Test it daily.
• In the refrigerator: slowly, for 3 to 4 days. This is often the better choice in hot weather.

Storing it

Keep finished kimchi in the refrigerator, tightly covered and pressed down so that as little as possible is exposed to air. The source suggests eating it within 2 weeks for the best quality. It keeps fermenting slowly in the cold, and the quality declines the longer it goes.

Tips and common mistakes

Use coarse salt with no iodine. The amounts are for coarse salt measured by the cup. Fine table salt packs much more salt into the same cup.

Do not skip the rinses. Count them. Three to four changes of cold water is the instruction, and under-rinsed cabbage makes kimchi that is too salty to enjoy.

Drain properly. Give the cabbage the full 30 minutes in the colander. Water left on the leaves thins the paste.

Leave headspace. A jar packed to the top will push brine out as it ferments.

Buy by weight if you can. The recipe’s 2 medium heads weigh 6 to 8 pounds together, so a head is 3 to 4 pounds. If yours are much larger or smaller, enter a fraction, such as 1 1/2 for one very large head.

Do not carry these amounts over to other vegetables. The recipe is for Napa cabbage. Sauerkraut, for one, uses a different method and a different amount of salt, and has its own calculator on this site.