Often housewives who decide to stock up on pickled cucumbers for the winter notice to their displeasure that instead of crispy and elastic cucumbers, the jars contain soft vegetables that fall apart when pressed.
Expert of the online publication BelNovosti, chef Yulia Arkhipova suggests understanding the causes of this problem, and at the same time finding ways to solve it.
Weather conditions
If the cucumbers were picked in hot weather, you should start preserving them immediately, as they quickly begin to wilt in the heat.
To slow down this process, you can soak the cucumbers before pickling. The soaking time can vary from one and a half to three hours.
Wrong variety
Do not think that if you use thin-skinned salad cucumbers for cold pickling, the result will be the same as if you use special varieties of cucumbers that are intended for this purpose.
The thin skin of salad vegetables simply won't hold the density of the cucumbers during the fermentation process.
Violation of cooking technology
When using the cold pickling method, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness: wash the cucumbers thoroughly, removing the white coating containing bacteria that can lead to softening of the cucumbers.
You should also rinse any herbs and spices added to the jar.
Storage
Pickles should be stored at temperatures of 8-10 degrees and below to keep them fresh and crisp.
Expert: Julia Arkhipova
