Zucchini "sweats": Don't throw away the vegetables
Created: 08/11/2022, 16:00
By: Joana Lück
When the zucchini forms fine water droplets on the cut surface when it is cut, many people are irritated.
But the phenomenon is not dangerous.
Anyone who frequently prepares zucchini may have noticed the phenomenon: the inside of the zucchini feels slippery, almost as if it were sweating.
But what is behind it?
Zucchini "sweats": Don't throw away the vegetables
If you cut zucchini, water forms at the cutting point.
© J. Luck
Zucchini belong to the squash family and can be harvested in summer.
They are full of minerals and water.
You read about it more often in gardening forums and one or the other hobby cook may have noticed it: as soon as you cut the zucchini, drops of water form on it, both around the core and on the outside of the area the Bowl.
Some describe this liquid as rather viscous, reminiscent of aloe vera.
What's it all about?
When the water contained in the zucchini mixes with the starch and tries to escape due to the pressure, the characteristic droplets form, which can be seen particularly on the cut surface of the vegetable.
The droplets are nothing more than a mixture of water, sugar and potassium.
When the droplets then oxidize, they can take on a sticky consistency.
Zucchini "sweats": A sign of freshness
The droplets are not harmful, in fact they are good as they mean the vegetable is a particularly ripe fruit.
Because the longer the zucchini is stored after harvest, the more water it loses.
Only caution is required if the vegetables taste bitter, because then there may be a toxin behind it, which, however, cannot affect the goods from the supermarket.
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Why don't cucumbers sweat?
On the one hand, cucumbers contain less potassium than zucchini, and cucumbers, although they belong to the same family, have firmer flesh.