Cucumbers are a common addition to salads and sandwiches, but they can quickly become soggy and soft if not stored correctly.
A chef has shared a clever storage hack to help cucumber lovers keep their fruit and vegetables crisp and fresh for longer.
Chef Kathleen Ashmore, who goes by the moniker @katcancook on TikTok, has shared an easy and effective tip that promises to keep cucumbers fresh for up to 10 days.
In her video, she showed some healthy and delicious looking cucumbers. She added: “These cucumbers are 10 days old. I’m going to show you how to store cucumbers so they stay nice, fresh, and crunchy and they don’t get soft in three days.”
First of all, Kat says you need to unwrap the packaging the cucumbers come in from the store. Hers are boxed, but often they are wrapped in plastic – either way, get rid of it.
The food expert explained: “The way that produce is transported is often not the way that produce should be stored.”
Kat goes on to claim that produce has two “enemies” – oxygen and water.
While patting the cucumbers dry with a paper towel in the video, she explained: “Too little or too much of either one is going to make them turn on you. Cucumbers are full of water so what we want to do is soak up the moisture.”
Demonstrating her method for longer lasting salad produce, she says: “The first thing I’m going to do is take a silicone bag, or you can use a ziplock bag if that’s what you have.
“We’re going to make my little paper towel sleeping bag and put the rinsed and dried cucumbers in the bag, seal it, and put it into the refrigerator.
“The paper towel is going to help soak up excess moisture to keep your cucumbers fresh.”
One viewer humorously commented on the video: “Problem is right after I do this I’m never opening that bag again.”
Another chimed in, saying: “I just buy them to do mould experiments in the veggie drawer.” while a third person added: “I have found that baking paper works even better than paper towels. No idea why, but try it out.”
