Like iceberg lettuce, cucumbers contain 96 percent water. They are an essential ingredient in salads and sandwiches and are enjoyed by millions on their own or even pickled.
As summer officially begins, many households will be looking for the best way to store cucumbers, and This Morning’s consumer expert, Alice Beer has just the storage solution.
Alice showed viewers a cucumber which she had stored in its plastic wrap, in the fridge and it had gone “mushy” in a week.
The second cucumber she had was being stored in an airtight plastic container. She explained: “This has been put in water with a little bit of bicarbonate of soda.”
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As for how bicarbonate of soda works to preserve the cucumber, Alice said it “alkalises the mould on the outside of the skin”.
She cut the cucumber and the vegetable was perfect; a hard skin, with no visible signs of going mushy.
Alice noted the hack “works” well at keeping cucumbers fresh for weeks.
But this isn’t the only storage method for cucumbers, another way is to keep them in paper towels.
First, cucumbers bought from a supermarket should be removed from the plastic sleeve, and washed and dried.
Once dry, wrap them in a paper towel, or tea towel, and place them in a plastic ziplock bag. The towel will help absorb any excess outside moisture while storing them.
But do not seal the bag though, leave it open a little bit, because cucumbers require sufficient air circulation. Then place them in the crisper drawer at the bottom of the fridge.
Cucumbers also like it cool (ever heard of the phrase ‘cool as a cucumber?’) but not too cold because they are prone to “chilling injuries” and this can accelerate rotting.
