Storing cucumbers - How to ensure shelf life

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Whether cold cuts, meat or vegetables - the right storage protects your food. Read here what you should know specifically about storing cucumbers.

Most people do a bulk purchase once a week because they simply don't have time to run to the supermarket every day. When you get home, the box is first placed on the table and then everything is gradually put into the fridge.

Especially if the groceries are supposed to last the week, you should of course not lose their freshness. To do this, however, they must also be stored optimally. Not all groceries belong in the fridge here.

For example cucumbers. Like peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and aubergines, cucumbers are among the vegetables that originally come from warmer climes. It is therefore not surprising that they do not tolerate the cold as well as other foods, even during storage.

In the fridge only for a few days

Cucumbers don't belong in the fridge for long periods of time. You can keep them there for a maximum of seven to ten days. The delicate vegetables quickly become blotchy and yellow in the cold. Cucumbers are about 95 percent water. When the temperature drops below four degrees, they freeze slightly and then become mushy when they thaw again.

If you're going to eat them the same day or the next, store your cucumbers in the kitchen in a perforated plastic bag. The cucumbers only belong in the fridge if there are still a few days left before they can be used. But only if you store them in cling film or in a plastic bag. You can also store the cucumbers in the crisper in the fridge, as it's not quite as cold there.

Cucumber Storage Tips

Tip 1: If you store your cucumbers between 10 and 13 degrees, they will last about three weeks. Room temperature is of course not so ideal, because the cucumbers will quickly wilt and soften. So it's always a good idea to use up cucumbers as soon as possible.

Tip 2: Under no circumstances should you store fresh cucumbers together with melons, tomatoes or ripe apples and pears, as this will spoil them particularly quickly.This is because these fruits and vegetables produce ethylene gas as they ripen. This means that the cucumbers quickly overripe and are then inedible.

Tip 3: The classic cucumbers are only partially suitable for freezing. It works best if you cut them into slices and freeze them in the freezer bag. If you want to store your cucumbers longer, it is better to pickle or can them. Then they can be kept for several months.

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