On Fri, 08 May 2020 19:18:46 -0700, Leo >
wrote:

>In the interest of expanding my moldy old horizons, I bought a 14 ounce
>plastic container of mild Nasoya kimchi from the refrigerated vegetable
>section at the grocery store. When I got it home, I let my wife and SIL put
>the groceries away.
>A couple of days later, I noticed the kimchi in the cupboard, and it says
>on the bottle that it’s perishable and to keep it refrigerated. My SIL
>says she'll try it. My wife says she won’t, and I’m all askeert.
>So I think I’ll chuck this one and buy another. Next time, they’ll know
>to refrigerate this particular product.
>I came so close to trying kimchi for the first time. I would have bought
>hot for myself, but...
>
>leo

It won't spoil in a couple of days at room temperature, kimchi would
only ferment a bit more, same as fermented sour pickles. I'd place
that kimchi back in the fridge to chill, I find fermented pickles
nicer when chilled, a bit crisper. There is no exact time for
fermenting vegetables at room temperature, all depends on ones
preference... some recipes for kimchi say to let it ferment at room
temperature for a year. I ferment cucumbers all the time and prefer
half sours; a shorter time at room temperature yields a crisper more
mild pickle. I ferment cabbage too but not for too long at room
temperature as I prefer what's called "New Kraut", mild and crisp....
for new kraut slice the cabbage into finer shreds.
I don't care for the spicy hotness of kimchi, but I do like kraut with
caraway seeds (Bavarian style). A good brand of kraut is Silver
Floss; sold in jars and plastic bags refrigerated and in cans.