Many people wonder how to store pickled and pickled cucumbers in an apartment and where, since in such a room it is quite difficult to create all the necessary conditions for the products to be properly pickled and soaked. Therefore, residents of apartment premises should carefully study the nuances of storing preparations over the winter and familiarize themselves with the basic recommendations and valuable tips.
- Where and how to store homemade preparations
- Cellar
- Apartment
- Balcony
- What conditions are necessary for long-term storage?
- Temperature and humidity
- Illumination
- Methods and options for storing various preparations
- Pickles
- Canned in a jar
- Pickles
- Lightly salted
- Barrel cucumbers
- Best before date
- Before opening the container
- After opening the container
- Storing pickled cucumbers frozen
- Tips and tricks
Where and how to store homemade preparations
You can store twists for the winter in a variety of places, the main thing is to comply with the conditions and create optimal temperature and humidity levels.
Cellar
If you have the opportunity to store workpieces in the cellar, you should not miss it, since this is the most optimal place. If all important indicators are properly organized, you can leave jars of snacks there for a long time.
For further safety, the workpieces need to be provided with good ventilation and the premises should be insulated to eliminate the possibility of sudden freezing. Also, regularly, for preventive purposes, treat walls and shelves with antifungal agents so that microorganisms do not penetrate inside jars with nylon lids.
Apartment
Storing canned cucumbers in an apartment is made easier by the presence of a balcony, loggia or pantry, since in a heated room it is difficult to arrange the jars so that the snack does not spoil.
Otherwise, you can get a miniature pantry in the kitchen, placing it under the windowsill. Any kitchen cabinet into which light will not penetrate will also work.
When choosing a place to mount it, you should give preference to those where there are no heating devices nearby.
If the apartment has high humidity, place the blanks not in the kitchen, but in the bedroom under the bed to protect the covers from corrosion.
Balcony
The presence of a balcony in the apartment simplifies the storage of preparations for the winter. Even if you have a small area, if properly equipped, it will be the perfect place to store snacks.To do this, you should get a closed shelving unit to prevent sunlight from entering, and a heating device to regulate the room temperature in winter.
Important! It is necessary to increase the ventilation time of the room if there is high humidity on the balcony and laundry is often dried.
What conditions are necessary for long-term storage?
As you know, any type of homemade food for the winter requires compliance with certain conditions for its further storage.
Temperature and humidity
The optimal humidity in the room where workpieces are kept for a long time should not exceed 75%. In apartment conditions, it is difficult to regulate the room temperature; you should also focus on the method of twisting. Products in sealed packaging can be stored at a temperature of no more than 20 degrees, but for pickled, pickled or pickled cucumbers it should vary from 0 to 4.
Sub-zero temperatures can lead to irreversible consequences in the form of cracks.
Illumination
The main rule for storing twists is minimum lighting. It is worth protecting the jars from direct sunlight, the impact of which can negatively affect the quality of the snack.
Methods and options for storing various preparations
There are a large number of options for storing cucumbers for the winter, most of them are presented below.
Pickles
Pickled cucumbers can be kept in the cellar for no more than 2 years, but in an apartment the period is reduced. The main thing is to thoroughly sterilize the jars, lids and seal the preparation hermetically for the winter.
Canned in a jar
This twist should be stored indoors for no more than 3 years, if all standards are followed. A cool, dry pantry is ideal for this.
Pickles
When using this method of storing cucumbers, monitor the temperature and humidity in the room so that the brine does not sour.
Important! To prevent pickles from spoiling quickly after opening, it is more convenient to roll them in liter jars.
Lightly salted
The workpiece is not stored for long and does not require strict adherence to all conditions. In an apartment where the temperature is high, the cucumbers will be pickled quickly, after which they should be moved to the refrigerator.
Barrel cucumbers
In a barrel, cucumbers are stored in a special fermented brine at a temperature of 0 to 1 degree. It is impossible to achieve such indicators in apartment conditions. The shelf life of the barrel product is short, since the long process of bacterial development leads to a change in the composition of the brine, as a result of which the vegetables deteriorate, losing their taste and appearance.
Best before date
The shelf life of cucumbers depends on many factors, such as the method of twisting and the conditions in the storage room. It is also worth paying attention to how long you can store a sealed jar and an already opened one, since the period is significantly different.
Before opening the container
Cucumbers sealed for the winter in various ways should be used up within 1 year. But if you leave the jars for the second year, they will not differ in taste, but before use you should check for the absence of fungi and infections.
After opening the container
An open jar is susceptible to infection with fungal diseases, so keeping the product in the refrigerator for a long time is not recommended. Approximate shelf life is 2 weeks. Next, you should visually check the preservative for the presence of cloudiness and mold.
Storing pickled cucumbers frozen
If, after opening the jar, you no longer want to eat pickles, but it’s a pity to throw them away, you can freeze the vegetables, thereby increasing their shelf life. To do this, remove all the vegetables from the jar, rinse them and dry them on a towel. After drying, place the cucumbers in a food bag and place in the freezer.
After freezing, cucumbers can only be used for cooking dishes that require heat treatment.
Tips and tricks
To extend the storage period of cucumbers in apartment conditions, you can use the following tips:
- use medium or large specimens for pickling so that they soak longer;
- use a cold fill, since hot brine shortens storage;
- Keep in mind that if you trim the ends of cucumbers, pickling will speed up and the storage period will decrease.
It is worth taking note of the recommendations of famous culinary specialists to add a few black peppercorns to the jar before twisting, which, in their opinion, significantly extends the storage of healthy cucumbers.