Showerthought: The Korean market on 5th Street uses old kimchi fridges to store their bulk flour and rice.

I was picking up some gochugaru yesterday and noticed they had three big, clearly older kimchi refrigerators in the back corner. The manager said they keep them unplugged and just use them as sealed, sturdy bins for dry goods. Said the seal is still perfect after 15 years and it keeps bugs out better than plastic tubs. Has anyone else seen a second life for old fermentation gear like that? I'm curious if those fridges hold up that well, or if this is just a lucky one-off.

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony16517h ago

My grandma's old kimchi fridge from the 90s was a total mold trap after she stopped using it. The rubber seal got all cracked and brittle, it smelled weird, and it just held moisture. That manager got lucky. Most of those old fridges are not airtight anymore, they're just bulky and inefficient. You're better off with a new, clean food grade bucket with a gamma seal lid. Why trust a 15 year old seal with your dry goods?

wrenh7912h ago

Hold up, your grandma had a whole fridge just for kimchi? That's wild to me. I mean, I knew they were a thing, but picturing someone's grandma in the 90s with a dedicated kimchi appliance is kind of amazing. That's some next-level dedication right there. Makes my one shelf in the regular fridge seem pretty sad.