Forgot gherkins in the fridge?
when they belong in the trash
Created: 05/19/2022, 08:43
By: Anne Tessin
Do you also have a forgotten pickle jar at the back of the fridge?
Do the gherkins still keep in them, or should they go in the trash?
This is how you make the right decision.
In potato salad, at the barbecue buffet, or just in between: gherkins are always a good idea and you usually have them at home.
An opened jar keeps for a while, but how long exactly?
If you have found something in the fridge and the gherkins are sloshing around in the cloudy broth, you are sure to ask yourself the question:
can these gherkins still be eaten?
That's really the case with the shelf life of pickles.
Shelf life of pickles: When the jar is open
Vegetables are pickled in vinegar to make them
last longer
.
Preserved in this way, the shelf life of cucumbers increases from up to three weeks in their original state to an impressive
18 months
- but only in the unopened jar.
Once the gherkin jar is open, the shelf life drops rapidly to around
three months
.
And only if you comply with these conditions:
The opened jar of gherkins must be
stored in the
refrigerator - preferably in the
upper part
at around eight degrees.
You only remove the cucumbers with
clean cutlery
.
So never lick the fork beforehand or reach into the glass with your bare fingers.
The remaining
gherkins must be completely covered with the vinegar
.
This is particularly important if you have used some of the stock for potato salad, pasta salad and the like.
The jar must always be tightly closed.
Pickles in a jar can be found in every pantry, but as soon as the jar is open, the clock starts ticking.
© Niehoff/Imago
Tip:
If you have used too much of the gherkin water and the remaining gherkins are left to dry, top up the jar with homemade brew.
To do this, boil a
1:2 mixture of vinegar and water
and pour the cooled brew into the glass.
This is how you keep pickles longer.
Recognize spoiled pickles
It is best to write
on the lid with a smudge-proof pen when you opened the gherkin jar
.
But even if you forgot, you can tell whether the gherkins are still edible or whether they should be thrown away.
First of all, take a close look: Is the
spice brew milky-cloudy
or discolored in a different way?
Has
mold
formed on the brew, in the lid or on the edge of the glass?
Do the cucumbers look dried up?
If none of this is the case, do the
smell test
: does the contents of the glass still smell appetizing, or has a musty or spoiled scent crept in?
If both the sight and smell test are good, you can also dare to take the last step, the
taste test
.
However, if only one of these sub-areas is negative, the gherkins belong in the garbage.
(ante)