A chef has shared a simple storage hack that may help keep cucumbers fresh and crunchy for up to 10 days. Chef and recipe developer Kat, known as @katcancook on TikTok, revealed how she stores cucumbers to prevent them from turning limp after just a few days.
The storage method
Showing off a batch that had already been sitting for nearly two weeks, Kat said: “These cucumbers are 10 days old. I'm going to show you how to store cucumbers so they stay nice, fresh, and crunchy and they don't get soft in three days.”
Her first tip is to remove the packaging the cucumbers come in from the supermarket before storing them. She continued: "The way that produce is transported is often not the way that produce should be stored. We're going to give them a little rinse and pat them dry with a paper towel."
According to Kat, fresh produce faces two primary "enemies" – oxygen and water. "Too little or too much of either one is going to make them turn on you," she explained. "Cucumbers are full of water so what we want to do is soak up the moisture.
"First, I'm going to take a silicone bag, or you can use a ziplock bag if that's what you have. We're going to make my little paper towel sleeping bag and put the rinsed and dried cucumbers in the bag, seal it, and put it into the refrigerator. The paper towel is going to help soak up excess moisture to keep your cucumbers fresh."
Viewer reactions
One impressed viewer responded: "Problem is right after I do this I'm never opening that bag again." Another user said: "I just buy them to do mould experiments in the veggie drawer." A third user commented: "I have found that baking paper works even better than paper towels. No idea why, but try it out."
Additional tips for keeping cucumbers fresh
- Wash and dry thoroughly: Rinse cucumbers under cool water, then make sure they are completely dry before storing them. Excess moisture can encourage mould and cause them to spoil more quickly.
- Store on the upper shelves: Keep cucumbers on an upper or middle shelf in the fridge rather than in the crisper drawer. Temperatures that are too cold can leave cucumbers with water-soaked patches and cause them to deteriorate faster.
- Wrap them in paper towels: Cover whole cucumbers with paper towels to absorb excess moisture, then place them in a loosely sealed or open zip-top bag to allow some airflow.
- Add a metal spoon: A clean metal spoon can be placed inside the bag alongside the cucumbers. The trick is said to help keep the temperature inside the bag more stable when the fridge door is opened frequently.
- Keep them away from ethylene-producing foods: Store cucumbers away from fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, bananas and melons. Ethylene can cause cucumbers to soften, yellow and spoil more quickly.
- Take extra care with cut cucumbers: If you've only used part of a cucumber, tightly cover the exposed end.
