Preparing homemade preserves requires certain skills and dexterity, not to mention following the recipe. Therefore, the disappointment of any housewife who has encountered a similar problem at least once is great. You can find out why cucumbers in jars become cloudy and what can be done if this happens by reading our material.
Reasons for cloudiness of cucumbers in jars
There may be several explanations for such strange behavior of salted or pickled vegetables, and each one is fraught with a separate reason.It happens that the solution, along with the cucumbers, simply turns white and nothing else happens. It is believed that nothing happens by itself, which means we need to look for the root causes of such strange phenomena.
They are most often the following:
- The cucumbers were not washed well enough; small particles of debris and soil remained on them, which, being in a confined space, led to fermentation. This also includes contamination that gets in with spices for preservation.
- The problem is with the jars: they were dirty or synthetic products were used to wash them (usually it is recommended to use chemically neutral and harmless baking soda).
- Instead of ordinary table salt, sea or iodized salt was used - they contain components that cause gradual clouding of the brine.
- Poor sterilization of jars and lids, not only empty ones, but also at the final stage, when processing is performed before sealing.
- Low-quality lids, chips or cracks in the neck - all this leads to air getting inside and inevitable fermentation.
In addition to those mentioned, there are reasons that have nothing to do with the conservation process. These are cucumbers that contain a large amount of chemicals (nitrates), are too old, or varieties that are not intended for long-term storage.
Important. Experience in the home matters more than the smartest advice. If you don’t know how to solve the problem of why the lids are swollen, or you’re not sure of a successful outcome, it’s better to throw away the spoiled canned food and try to do everything right.
Health is more valuable than experiments in the kitchen, especially with questionable results.
Are cucumbers with cloudy brine edible?
It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, since there is always, albeit tiny, the possibility that botulism bacilli accidentally got into a jar of pickled or pickled cucumbers, lovingly prepared for long-term storage.
At a minimum, those who consume the “playing” product are at risk of indigestion, or even serious poisoning. Therefore, a simple method of recognizing the severity of the problem is usually used, so that you can then decide whether the game is worth the candle.
Example 1. When catastrophic changes in the color of the brine or marinade are detected within 2-3 days after seaming, sometimes it is advisable to try to correct the situation. As practice shows, the solution becomes cloudy if lactic acid fermentation occurs in it (which in itself is not so scary), but the process cannot be stabilized due to the lack (complete absence) of an important component - vinegar.
If, moreover, the lid is not swollen, then we can safely recommend a simple solution: open the jar and pour the brine out of it.
Then there are 2 ways - use the “old” brine or prepare fresh one. In any case, without removing them from the container, rinse the cucumbers with boiling water, leave for 5 minutes, then proceed to the solution. The new (remaining) brine is brought to a boil, the vegetables are poured into the jar, vinegar is added according to the dosage, after which it is sterilized and rolled up.
Example 2. If the solution becomes cloudy without deformation of the lid, such cucumbers, in most cases, are quite edible. You just have to transfer the jars with them to the refrigerator and observe for 7-10 days. Most often, after the specified time, all the sediment will be at the bottom, and the contents will again become transparent.Sometimes such “incorrectly pickled” cucumbers are successfully used for pickle or vinaigrette, where their taste will not harm other ingredients.
Example 3. Both signs of fermentation are present - cloudy brine and a swollen lid. In this case, eating cucumbers is strictly not recommended, since there is a high risk of pathogenic bacteria entering the brine. You can, of course, take a risk, but the result will be unpredictable. And the human life of the owner and her loved ones is at stake.
How to revive cloudy preserves
There is no universal solution to the problem; sometimes it is easier to prepare something anew than to fix it. Simply put, throw away spoiled products and then carefully follow the technology. To begin with, time is important: the sooner signs of fermentation are detected, the better. Then they notice whether the shape of the lids has changed (whether swelling has appeared).
If not, then the chances of success increase: you can try to pour out the solution, rinse or sterilize the cucumbers, and then fill them with fresh solution. Most often this works: pour boiling water over the vegetables directly in the jar, let them sit for a few minutes, pour out the liquid, then fill the container with freshly prepared solution.
Be sure to add vinegar, after which it is preserved as usual: sterilization, seaming, keeping it upside down for 24 hours. This is how you can redo unsuccessful salting.
You should be prepared for the fact that the taste of such cucumbers will be slightly different from the classic one, so experienced housewives use “spoiled” jars for preparing soups or stewing vegetables.
Manipulations with fermented cucumbers should be undertaken if there are no signs of rapid development of bacteria (blowing of the lid).In any case, there is a small chance of food poisoning from consuming improperly processed canned goods.
Ways to prevent the appearance of “suspicious” sediment
There are not many of them, but they exist. Firstly, it is a thorough processing of vegetables before preservation: removing tails, damaged areas, cleaning from dirt (many experienced housewives soak cucumbers for several hours before pickling, then rinse thoroughly again).
Secondly, these are clean jars washed with soda without traces of food, debris, detergents, as well as new (not reused!) sealing lids without damage, deformation, with rubber bands in good condition. This category also includes the absence of visible and tangible damage to the neck of the glass container, cracks, chips, and casting defects.
Thirdly, scrupulous adherence to the recipe: if the compiler recommends boiling the solution for 10 minutes and adding vinegar, then that’s what you need to do. You should only use proven recipes that are guaranteed not to cause food poisoning or worse.
Fourthly, pickling, as a method of preservation, is more effective than simply pickling cucumbers: if the technology is strictly followed, even an inexperienced housewife has a better chance of avoiding mistakes in this case.
And fifthly, do not skimp on your health: use only fresh vegetables, quality ingredients, follow advice from trusted sources. Then you are definitely not in danger, and among your winter supplies there will always be crispy, tasty, strong pickles.
