You’re Most likely Storing Cucumbers Mistaken—Right here’s What Truly Works

Within the summertime, I like tossing cucumbers right into a salad, pairing them with dips, or utilizing them to make a refreshing appetizer. As scrumptious as cucumbers are, preserving them contemporary is usually a problem: They usually go from agency and crisp to tender and slimy, on account of poor storage situations and naturally occurring micro organism or mould spores of their setting. To fight this, some residence cooks and cooks swear by particular washing or storage strategies. 

Becky Selengut, chef and cookbook writer of Misunderstood Greens, tells me she believes that the English cucumbers bought tightly wrapped in plastic final the longest, particularly for those who choose one with very agency ends. When she has to retailer unwrapped cucumbers, nevertheless, she retains them in a material or plastic bag that is not totally sealed to stop moisture from accumulating. In a dialog with Ariela Gottschalk, proprietor of Halcyon Farms, Gottschalk shares that she shops her Persian cucumbers unwashed at room temperature on the kitchen counter, the place her 13-year-old scarfs them down earlier than they’ve an opportunity to spoil. 

With cucumber season in full swing, I made a decision to check varied strategies to seek out that are greatest for preserving cukes contemporary for so long as doable.

Cucumber Fundamentals

There are quite a few cucumber varieties, however only some are simply discovered on the grocery retailer or farmers markets. Cucumbers, that are botanically a fruit, belong to the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) household that additionally contains candy melons and squashes. Like their family, they’re most frequently utilized in savory dishes.

Harold McGee notes in On Meals and Cooking that cucumbers have been initially domesticated in India round 1500 BCE, and shortly unfold throughout the globe. The Roman emperor Tiberius reportedly adored cucumbers, and Charlemagne, king of the Franks, additionally grew the gourd in his Italian gardens. Christopher Columbus supposedly launched cucumbers to Haiti in 1494; from there, they made their method to the Americas.

Cucumbers have a variety of colours, textures, and flavors. A few of the hottest varieties within the US right now embody: the usual American slicing cucumber, which has comparatively large seeds and a thick pores and skin; the small, thin-skinned Persian cucumber; the lengthy, skinny English cucumber (which is commonly bought individually plastic-wrapped); and the brief, stubby Kirby cucumber, generally used for pickling. Farmers market buyers could encounter heirloom varieties, such because the spherical lemon cucumber, oval Boothby’s Blonde cucumber, the pale yellow White Surprise, and the Japanese Climbing Cucumber, amongst many extra. 

As a result of cucumbers range broadly in form, dimension, and pores and skin sort, it is exhausting to present one-size-fits-all storage recommendation. To seek out the very best strategy for the commonest cucumber varieties in US markets, we examined how washing, refrigeration, and humidity have an effect on their shelf life.

Learn how to Retailer Cucumbers, In response to the Specialists

In response to the Division of Plant Sciences on the College of California, Davis, the very best temperature for storing cucumbers post-harvest is someplace between 50 and 55°F (10 to 13°C), which is sort of a bit colder than room temperature however hotter than most fridges. Colder temperatures can result in chilling accidents—resembling yellowing, softening, or black mould spots—after simply two to a few days.

UC Davis additionally recommends storing cucumbers at about 95% relative humidity to assist stop moisture loss and shriveling. Cucumbers are delicate to ethylene, a gasoline produced by some fruit and veggies as they ripen. Because of this, UC Davis advises storing cucumbers away from high-ethylene-producing fruits, resembling bananas, melons, and tomatoes.

Learn how to Store for Cucumbers

To maximise shelf life, Cara Mangini, writer of The Vegetable Butcher, recommends selecting cucumbers which are brilliant inexperienced and evenly coloured. Keep away from any which are yellow or brown, until you are deciding on an heirloom selection with naturally yellow or brown pores and skin. In her e-book, Mangini additionally advises deciding on cucumbers which are agency, particularly on the suggestions, which have a tendency to melt first. You’ll want to keep away from cucumbers which are tender or wrinkled.

The Exams

I needed to check varied elements for storing cucumbers: washed vs. unwashed, refrigeration vs. room temperature, and humid environments vs. these with good airflow. I used three widespread grocery retailer varieties: small, thin-skinned Persian cucumbers; thick-skinned American slicing cucumbers; and lengthy, thin-skinned English cucumbers, that are usually bought shrink-wrapped.

Check One: Does Washing Cucumbers Make a Distinction?

I started by testing completely different washing strategies, utilizing solely Persian cucumbers to maintain the outcomes constant. All samples have been saved on my kitchen counter at room temperature, about 65°F (18°C).
Listed below are the variables I examined: 

• Cucumber unwashed, wrapped in a clear paper towel and saved in a sealed reusable zip-top bag
• Cucumber washed in 60°F (15°C) water
• Cucumber washed in 120°F (49°C) water
• Cucumber washed in an answer of 4 components 60°F (15°C) water and one half white distilled vinegar
• Cucumber washed in an answer of 4 components 120°F (49°C) water and one half white distilled vinegar
• Cucumber washed in vodka

Some produce, resembling strawberries, last more when washed, whereas others, resembling cherries, don’t. For my first take a look at, I wrapped a single Persian cucumber in a dry paper towel and sealed it in a zip-top bag as my management. I then washed the remaining cucumbers utilizing the strategies above. I saved all of them on the counter at room temperature.

The unwashed cucumber wrapped in a paper towel and positioned in a zip-top bag stayed contemporary the longest. After seven days, the entire washed cucumbers had begun to brown, wrinkle, or present indicators of mould. Although the paper towel wrapped across the cucumber was damp, the unwashed cucumber nonetheless felt agency and regarded edible.

The vodka-washed and vinegar answer cucumbers got here in a distant second and third, respectively. Though they didn’t fare in addition to the management, I made a decision to advance these two strategies to the subsequent spherical of testing with extra cucumber sorts.

Check Two: Washing, Prolonged to Two Different Frequent Cucumber Varieties

As soon as I recognized the best and promising washing strategies for Persian cucumbers, I utilized them to 2 extra sorts: a waxed American slicing cucumber and an unwaxed, plastic-wrapped English cucumber. I left all of the cucumbers at room temperature (65°F/18°C).

The strategies I examined included:

Waxed American Slicing Cucumbers

• Unwashed
• Unwashed, wrapped in clear paper towels, and saved in a zip-top bag
• Washed in an answer of 4 components 120°F (49°C) water to 1 half vinegar
• Washed in vodka

Unwaxed English Cucumbers

• Unwaxed, plastic-wrapped English cucumber
• Unwaxed English cucumber with plastic eliminated, unwashed, wrapped in paper towel, and positioned in a zip-top bag
• Unwaxed English cucumber with plastic eliminated, washed in 4 components water (120°F/49°C) to 1 half vinegar
• Unwaxed English cucumber washed in vodka

For the American slicing cucumber, the winner was the unwashed cuke wrapped in a paper towel and saved in a zip-top bag. After 4 days, all the opposite samples had begun to wrinkle, whereas the bagged one remained plump and agency, although a small quantity of mould had began to kind at one finish.

For the English cucumber, the one left in its unique plastic wrap got here out on prime. After 4 days, those who had been unwrapped and/or washed started to shrivel, soften, or yellow, whereas the wrapped one remained agency and brilliant inexperienced.

Check Three: Does Refrigeration Matter?

After figuring out that unwashed cucumbers held up greatest, I made a decision to check whether or not refrigeration made a distinction. These are the assessments I ran: 

• Unwaxed English cucumber, left in its unique plastic wrap and saved within the crisper drawer
• Unwashed waxed American and unwaxed English cucumbers, saved unfastened within the crisper drawer
• Unwashed waxed American and unwaxed English cucumbers, wrapped in paper towels, positioned in zip-top luggage, and saved  in a crisper drawer 

In each case, the refrigerated cucumbers stayed contemporary longer than these saved at room temperature. Cucumbers saved at room temperature started to wrinkle, lose moisture, or mould inside three days. The waxed American cucumber wrapped in a paper towel and saved in a zip-top bag remained contemporary for 5 days, whereas the plastic-wrapped English cucumber lasted seven days with no seen indicators of spoilage.

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

The winners have been the unwashed cucumbers saved within the fridge, both in a crisper drawer or sealed in a zip-top bag. Kyle Hagerty of City Farmstead tells me, “Cucumbers are principally water, so that they get tender as they dry out. The thicker [a cucumber’s] pores and skin, the extra slowly it dries out. Persian cucumbers and any of the smaller cocktail cucumbers have the thinnest pores and skin and a shorter shelf life. Pickling cucumbers have very thick pores and skin, which helps them preserve a agency texture when pickled.” 

Cucumbers start decomposing as quickly as they’re harvested, and most American business cucumber producers coat their cukes in wax to stop them from drying out. As cucumbers soften and lose moisture, they lose their signature crunch. Storing cucumbers in a moist setting helps stop this: The extra moisture within the air, the more durable it’s for the water inside cucumbers to flee. Each the wax coating and plastic wrap act as boundaries that scale back moisture loss, which probably explains why unwashed and still-packaged cucumbers outlasted those who have been washed or unwrapped. 

Simon Richard, the producer supervisor at California’s Bi-Ceremony Markets agrees: “I would not wash any of the cukes earlier than storing. Common desk cucumbers [such as American slicing cucumbers] have a thick pores and skin and can retailer longer in a fridge, whether or not they’re in a compostable produce bag or a plastic bag. The Japanese, Persian, and English cucumbers have a lot thinner pores and skin. That is why you may see English wrapped in plastic and Persian in plastic containers.” It is doable that washing waxed cucumbers could take away a few of that protecting coating, making the fruit extra prone to spoilage.

In the event you plan to eat your cucumbers inside two to a few days, it does not matter a lot the way you retailer them—they’re going to final that lengthy unwashed on the counter. Nonetheless, for those who do not plan on utilizing them instantly, it is best to maintain them unwashed and refrigerated in a moist setting, both within the crisper drawer or a resealable zip-top bag. In case your cucumber comes wrapped in plastic wrap or a container, depart it that means. Cool and humid is your objective. When correctly saved, cucumbers can final 5 to seven days, and even longer, relying on the range.

Fast Suggestions for Cucumber Purchasing and Storage

• Purchase agency, brilliant, and evenly coloured cucumbers, freed from blemishes and wrinkles. Pay explicit consideration to the ends of the cucumber for firmness, as that’s the place they soften first.
• In case your cucumber comes wrapped in plastic or is available in a plastic container, depart them in there. If not, place them in a produce bag or Ziploc bag (unsealed)
• Place the cucumber in a crisper drawer for those who don’t wish to use a bag.
• Refrigerate instantly.