salt and clear water are dissolved in a ratio of 1: 4. After use, the salt water can continue to be used for the same variety of vegetables, but salt should be added in proportion every time to maintain the concentration.

(2) Pickle salt water

refers to the salt water that is brewed after being discharged or aired. It includes "bathing" salt water, new salt water, old salt water and new and old mixed salt water.

(3) "Bathing" salt water

is the salt water used to soak and eat kimchi. This kind of brine is easy to make. It is made by using 1-125g of salt, dissolving it in 5mg of clean water, and then adding 1-15g of old brine and mixing. Due to the infiltration of old brine, and the addition of condiments and spices as appropriate, the fragrance of kimchi brine is produced. This salt water can be used to soak vegetables such as radish, nest bamboo shoots, lotus white, bean sprouts and oil radish.

(4) New brine

is newly prepared brine. Its preparation method is: 5, grams of clean water (self-supplied water, spring water and well water can be used), 1,25 grams of salt is added, and 1,-1,5 grams of old brine is infiltrated. Then add seasonings and spices according to the soaked vegetables.

(5) Old brine

Vegetables such as garlic shoots, sour vegetables and aged radishes, as well as spices and condiments, are all good in color, fragrance and taste. This kind of brine is mostly used for inoculation, so it is also called mother-child brine. Experts have divided it into three grades. The brine used for inoculation is generally the first-class old brine, that is, the old brine with good color, fragrance and taste. The standard of salt water with good color, fragrance and taste here should be: color-yellow and red, like tea, crystal clear; Fragrance-mellow fragrance, comfortable to smell; Taste-no matter sour, hot and sour, sweet and sour, its taste is rich and fragrant. If it is slightly deteriorated once, it will be considered as second-class salt water after treatment without affecting color, fragrance and taste. Mixed with different categories and grades, it is considered as third-class brine. Salt water is deteriorated, and the color, fragrance and taste are affected after ineffective treatment. It is considered as inferior salt water and should not be used for inoculation.

(6) new and old mixed brine

refers to the salt water mixed with new and old brine in half.

Some families may not find old brine or lactic acid bacteria when they start making pickles. In this case, fresh brine can still be prepared as required to make kimchi, but the taste of kimchi is poor for the first few times. With the passage of time and careful conditioning, kimchi brine will reach satisfactory requirements and flavor.

Identification method of brine:

Those with good color, fragrance and taste are the first grade. Once slightly deteriorated, but the color, fragrance and taste of salt water have not been affected, and those who get better after treatment are classified as Grade II. Different types and grades of salt water are mixed together for the third grade. The salt water is deteriorated, and the color, smell and taste are still not good after treatment, which is grade 4. This salt water should be discarded.

3. Precautions for preparation of pickle brine

Spring water and well water are hard water with more minerals, which is the best way to prepare pickle brine, and it can keep the brittleness of pickle finished products. Harder tap water can also be used. The treated soft water is not suitable for preparing salt water, and pond water, lake water and field water are not available. Sometimes, in order to increase the brittleness of pickles, a small amount of calcium salt, such as calcium chloride (Cacl2), can be added in the preparation of brine at the discretion of .5%. Others such as calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate and calcium phosphate can be used. If quicklime is used, it can be prepared into a solution at a ratio of .2% to .3%. First, the raw materials are soaked for a short time, then taken out, cleaned, and then soaked in salt water, which can also effectively increase brittleness. Salt should be of good quality. Bitter substances such as magnesium sulfate, uranium sulfate and < P > magnesium chloride are rare, but the content of sodium chloride is at least 95%. The salt content of pickle brine varies from different regions and different kinds of pickles, ranging from < P > 5% to 28%. Usually, it depends on your own habits and tastes. The production methods of pickle brine are also very different. The salt water production of Sichuan kimchi is very fine, but it is not very elegant in other areas, which is one of the important reasons for the formation of a kimchi system with very different styles.

4. Seasoning used in kimchi

(1) Edible salt

The main ingredient of kimchi brine is salt. Salt can make vegetables tasty and ripe, and at the same time, it also plays the role of forcing out excess water, fixing color, setting shape and killing bacteria. However, what kind of salt pickle is the most ideal? There is also some elegance. Practice has proved that Zigong salt is the best choice for preparing pickle brine. Because Zigong salt is salty enough, white in color, fine in particles and light in impurities. Especially the bagged refined salt supplied in the market today is the most suitable for kimchi. The proportion of pickle brine is: 5, grams of clean water, about 1,25 grams of salt, 1, grams of salt for long-term pickle brine, and 1,25 grams of salt for new brine and bath brine.

(2) Zoco

The condiments used in pickle brine include: white wine, cooking wine, brown sugar, sugarcane, fermented grains juice and dried red pepper. These condiments have their own functions. Liquor, cooking wine, and wake-up juice permeate the salty taste in pickle brine, keep vegetables tender and crisp, and kill bacteria; Sugarcane can absorb odor and prevent kimchi from deteriorating; Brown sugar and red pepper can adjust the flavors and improve the umami taste. The amount of the above condiments should not be too large, and the general proportion is: 5 grams of salt water, 5 grams of white wine', 15 grams of cooking wine, 15 grams of brown sugar, 1 grams of fermented glutinous rice juice and 25 grams of dried red pepper. When using brown sugar, you should add water to dissolve it, and only use juice to wake up. When the salt water is deteriorated. Add some sugar cane.

(3) The spices used in the pickle brine of Fragrant Family

include: white fungus (also known as pearl fungus), lawn weed, antelope grass, flower right, pepper, tsaoko, kaempferia kaempferia and star anise. The purpose of using spices is to remove strange and fishy smell and increase the fragrance of pickle brine. Its usage ratio is: 5 grams of salt water, 5 grams of white fungus, 5 grams of weeds, 1 grams of pepper, 5 grams of antelope, 5 grams of star anise and 5 grams of tsaoko. Pepper is only used to remove the fishy smell when soaking small red peppers, and is generally not used much. Kaempferia kaempferia only uses a little star anise and Amomum tsaoko to keep the fresh color of kimchi. When home-made kimchi is made, the spices should be washed, put into gauze bags or tied with gauze, made into spice bags and put into kimchi. Take it out after a period of time (according to the need), gently squeeze the salt water on the bag into the altar and mix it quickly. Then change the position of the spice bag and let it go again. Pickles that are inconvenient to stir in sealed storage must be stirred before eating, so that the fragrance can be evenly distributed and the situation of "dead corner" can be avoided. During the opening inspection, if it is found that the kimchi is too fragrant, the spice bag should be taken out immediately, and the salt water should not be squeezed. In case of excessive fragrance, spice should be added as appropriate to adjust it. In addition, in addition to the above spices, there are other kinds of pickles, such as wormwood, clove, cinnamon and barrel skin, which can be used to make pickles, depending on the tastes of different regions. Generally, the condiments and spices collected by families may not be complete, but this does not affect the production of kimchi, only the flavor has changed. In some areas, pickles are made without seasonings or spices, just by adding salt.