No matter if you enjoy cucumbers in a salad, stir-fried, or as a refreshing side dish, they should be crispy to be truly delicious. Soft and mushy cucumbers not only taste bad but also give off a stale impression. The way you store cucumbers can either extend or shorten their shelf life and crispness.
Cucumbers have a high water content, making them ideal for a refreshing bite. However, improper storage can result in them becoming limp and mushy. The good news is that when stored correctly, cucumbers can retain their crispness in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Firstly, wash the cucumber, remove any packaging it may have come in (English cucumbers are longer and often wrapped in plastic film, while mini Persian cucumbers are typically found on foam trays); rinse the cucumber with cold water to remove any dirt. If you notice any slimy, moldy, or soft spots on the cucumber, cut off the damaged parts and consume the remainder promptly.
Next, thoroughly dry the cucumber as excess surface moisture can lead to its deterioration.
After cleaning and drying the cucumber, wrap it in a clean kitchen paper towel or kitchen cloth. This helps prevent the cucumber from getting damp, molding, and overall spoilage. Following these cleaning and wrapping steps can also effectively protect leafy greens, herbs, or delicate veggies in your refrigerator.
Fruits like apples, avocados, and melons emit ethylene gas as they ripen, which can accelerate the ripening process of other fruits and vegetables stored together. Cucumbers are particularly sensitive to this indirect effect, speeding up their decay.
To preserve the freshness of cucumbers as much as possible, wrap the cucumber in paper towel or cloth and place it in a plastic bag (such as a produce bag), leaving the top open (allowing some airflow helps prevent condensation from forming around the cucumber). The plastic bag also acts as an additional barrier to protect cucumbers from the ethylene gas produced by nearby fruits like apples. It’s best to store ethylene-producing fruits and vegetables separately from cucumbers.
Once wrapped in a plastic bag, the best way to store cucumbers is by placing them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator, also known as the produce drawer, with high humidity set and the fan turned off. High humidity helps keep ethylene-sensitive fruits hydrated, preventing them from wilting.
Following these food storage tips, cucumbers can be kept for about a week, perfect for preparing refreshing cucumber salads, cucumber side dishes, and more.
If you want to store already sliced cucumber, here’s a method: only cut what you need and cover the exposed part with plastic wrap or a reusable produce bag before placing it back into a storage bag. Consume within three days. Sliced cucumbers have an even shorter storage time: cover with a damp paper towel, place in a sealed container, refrigerate, and consume within one to two days.
If your cucumber starts to soften, pickling them is a great option.
(Parts of this article were referenced from the food website Epicurious.)