Why cucumber jars explode and what to do to avoid it

Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes are perhaps the most favorite canned vegetables on our table. There are usually no problems with canning tomatoes, which cannot be said about cucumbers. Diligently prepared pickles are often not preserved even before the onset of cold weather. Either the lids begin to swell, the brine becomes cloudy, or the cans explode.

It is no longer possible to eat such canned food. Time wasted, food and mood spoiled. Let's figure out why jars of cucumbers explode and what to do to avoid this trouble.

Why jars of cucumbers explode: reasons

What makes the lid swell and fly? The main reasons for trouble lie in improper preparation of containers, non-compliance with the recipe, violation of the technology for preparing canned food and the ingress of air into the cans. Let's look at each of these reasons in order.

Errors in the preparation of cans and lids

Before you start laying out vegetables, the banks are sterilized without fail... Insufficient sterilization of glass containers and lids in time inevitably leads to damage to the final product.

Microbes remaining on the surface of cans and lids are actively multiplying. In vegetables, fermentation begins with the release of gases. These gases inflate the lids from the inside and cause the canned food to explode.

Recipe errors

To prevent the blanks from flying into the air, the ingredients are added strictly according to the recipe... The principle "by eye" is not appropriate here. A low concentration of brine will contribute to the development of the fermentation process.

Incorrectly calculated amount of acid in the brine Is a common cause of spoilage in pickles. Acid (acetic or citric) acts as a preservative, so it is necessarily included in pickles and marinades. It is especially important to correctly calculate the amount of acid when harvesting cucumbers. And that's why.

The fact is that this vegetable does not have its own acid (unlike tomatoes, for example). Therefore, jars with cucumbers explode more often than with tomatoes.

Important! You cannot reduce the amount of vinegar in the recipe. The more acid is added, the better the preforms will be stored.

Aspirin is sometimes used instead of vinegar.... Acetylsalicylic acid also acts as a preservative and prevents the growth of microorganisms inside the jar.

Not enough salt and sugar in the marinade also leads to sad consequences. If these components are put less than the norm, the workpieces will ferment, and the brine will become cloudy.

Council. Harvest cucumbers with tomatoes, peppers, squash. These vegetables have their own acid, which will prevent the cucumbers from spoiling.

Incorrect cooking technology

Proper selection and preparation of food should be given due consideration.

It happens that pickles explode due to the fact that salad cucumbers got into the jarnot intended for canning. Such vegetables in the marinade become soft, tasteless and begin to ferment.

We list other common mistakes in cooking technology:

• poorly washed vegetables;
• insufficiently thorough washing of seasonings: horseradish leaves, dill umbrellas, garlic, pepper;
• the use of vegetables with skin lesions and signs of rotting;
• sterilization of the marinade in open jars, leading to evaporation of the vinegar.

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Air ingress

Air trapped in the jar during conservation, becomes a favorable breeding ground for bacteria. Therefore, the brine is poured into the jar to the very top. After removing the can from the sterilizer, the lid is not removed, but screwed on immediately. Therefore, jars with the lids with which they will be rolled up are sterilized.

Air can get into jars and with cucumbers... For blanks, large fruits with voids inside cannot be used, since air accumulates in them. Pre-soaking helps to solve this problem. Washed vegetables are poured with cold water and kept for at least a day.

Attention! The botulism bacterium is one of the most dangerous microbes for the body. It produces the strongest poison. The contaminated product does not change its taste, but its use causes poisoning.

The correct technology for canning cucumbers

All vegetables intended for canning are carefully processed... Cucumbers and spices (horseradish, garlic, dill, pepper) are washed in several stages in cold running water. The recommended sterilization regime (temperature and duration) must be observed.

For pickles, choose vegetables with sufficient sugar content.... Sugars, which are converted into lactic acid during the canning process, provide the finished product with a long shelf life.

Reference. Fresh cucumbers with underdeveloped seeds contain 1.5–2 times more sugars than overripe ones.

Pickled cucumbers of good quality are obtained by salting them within 24 hours from the moment of collection... Cucumbers are pre-soaked for 4-6 hours in clean cold water and then sorted by size.

For pickling and pickling cucumbers choose a container of small capacity, preferably no more than 2 liters... Vegetables are placed in containers as tightly as possible. After stacking cucumbers with spices and spices, the jars are poured with brine.

How much vinegar to add to the marinade? The optimal amount of acetic acid is 6-7 ml per 1 liter of water... Acetic essence can be replaced with citric acid.

Read also:

Is it possible to preserve bitter cucumbers

The benefits, harm and calorie content of pickled cucumbers

Turning and wrapping cans

Ready pickles are not immediately put into permanent storage... Hot jars are turned upside down with lids, carefully wrapped and left in this form for about a day.

This simple trick increases the safety of the finished product. The workpieces remain hot for a long time, and the vegetables inside continue to be pasteurized. After the canned food has cooled completely, the cellar or refrigerator is removed.

Storage rules

In order for the blanks to be stored for a long time, it is not enough just to cook them correctly. The storage conditions for canned food play an important role.

Store seaming in a cool, dark place... Cellars, basements and cold storage rooms are best suited for this purpose. In hot weather, the risk of lids swelling increases, so it is important to monitor the room temperature. The optimum temperature for storing canned cucumbers is from 0 to +1 ° C. It is important to protect the pickles from direct sunlight.

In a cellar or refrigerator, workpieces are well stored for up to 8-10 months... After this period, the banks are carefully examined. If the brine has become cloudy, and a white bloom has appeared on its surface, it is dangerous to eat such a blank.

What to do if cans explode

If a jar of cucumbers explodes, it will no longer be possible to save the vegetables.... Even if everything is rinsed well and the marinade is changed, the fermentation process will continue, and all the work will be in vain.

If the vegetables don't smell bad, you can use exploded cucumbers to make soups.But you should no longer use such products without heat treatment.

Is it possible to save cucumbers if the brine has become cloudy

If the liquid in the jar has become cloudy, but the lid is not yet swollen, the pickles can be saved... To do this, open the jar, pour the brine, and wash the cucumbers with clean cold water. Be sure to taste the contents. If it changes, the blanks will have to be thrown away. But if the taste is good, the vegetables are crunchy and smell good, they can be rolled up again. To do this, prepare a new brine and re-fill the cucumbers with it. At the same time, the amount of salt, sugar and vinegar is slightly reduced, given that the vegetables have already absorbed some of the ingredients.

Is it possible to eat cucumbers in a cloudy brine? If the pickles are cloudy, but the taste of the vegetables has not deteriorated, you can eat them if the jars were recently rolled up. If the blanks have been stored for a long time and have begun to grow cloudy, it is dangerous to eat them. Inside, botulism bacteria can develop, secreting deadly toxins.

Tips & Tricks

The following recommendations will help you avoid unpleasant surprises with pickles.:

1. It is better to salt and pickle vegetables immediately after removal from the garden.
2. For harvesting, medium-sized young cucumbers with unripe seeds are used. These vegetables contain more sugars.
3. Purchased vegetables are soaked in cold water for 2-3 hours before conservation.
4. Marinade or brine with vinegar is not heated in open containers. The vinegar essence evaporates and its concentration in the liquid decreases.
5. All vegetables, seasonings and spices are thoroughly washed with running water.
6. At each stage of preservation, hands are washed with soap.
7. The proportions of salt, sugar and vinegar indicated in the recipe do not change.
8. It is useful to add garlic to the blanks. Its bactericidal properties neutralize the action of many bacteria remaining inside.

Conclusion

Errors in the canning process, insufficient preparation of products, violation of the storage conditions for blanks lead to the fact that cans of cucumbers begin to burst and shoot.

Compliance with canning technology, thorough washing of vegetables and containers, proper storage of cans will avoid such nuisances as swollen lids and damage to blanks in winter.