Why jars of cucumbers explode and what to do to avoid it

Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes are perhaps the most favorite canned vegetables on our table. With tomatoes, there are usually no problems when canning, but the same cannot be said about cucumbers. Carefully prepared pickles are often not preserved even before the onset of cold weather. Either the lids begin to swell, then the brine becomes cloudy, or even the jars explode.

You can no longer eat such canned food. Time wasted, food and mood were ruined. 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 off? The main causes of troubles lie in improper preparation of containers, non-compliance with the recipe, violation of the technology for preparing canned food and air entering the cans. Let's look at each of these reasons in order.

Errors in preparing jars and lids

Before you start arranging vegetables, the jars must be sterilized.. Insufficient sterilization of glass containers and lids inevitably leads to damage to the final product.

Microbes remaining on the surface of jars and lids actively multiply. Fermentation processes begin in vegetables with the release of gases. These gases inflate the lids from the inside and cause the canned food to explode.

Errors in the recipe

To prevent the preparations from flying up into the air, the ingredients are added strictly according to the recipe.. The “by eye” principle is not appropriate here. A weak brine concentration will promote the development of the fermentation process.

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

The fact is that this vegetable does not have its own acid (unlike tomatoes, for example). That's why jars of cucumbers explode more often than jars of tomatoes.

Important! Do not reduce the amount of vinegar in the recipe. The more acid is added, the better the workpieces will be stored.

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

Insufficient amount of salt and sugar in the marinade also leads to sad consequences. If you add less of these components than normal, the preparations will ferment and the brine will become cloudy.

Advice. Prepare cucumbers along with tomatoes, peppers, and squashes. These vegetables have their own acid, which will prevent the cucumbers from spoiling.

Incorrect cooking technology

Due care should be given to the correct selection and preparation of products.

It happens that pickles explode due to salad varieties of cucumbers getting into the jar, not intended for canning. Such vegetables in the marinade become soft, tasteless and begin to ferment.

Let's list other common mistakes in cooking technology:

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

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Air entry

Air trapped in the jar during preservation, becomes a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria. Therefore, the brine is poured into the jar to the very top. After removing the jar from the sterilizer, the lid is not removed, but screwed on immediately. Therefore, jars with the lids with which they will be sealed are sterilized.

Air can get into jars and cucumbers.. Large fruits with voids inside cannot be used for preparations, as air accumulates in them. Pre-soaking helps solve this problem. The 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 strong poison. The contaminated product does not change its taste, but its consumption causes poisoning.

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 running cold water. Be sure to follow the recommended sterilization regime (temperature and duration).

For pickles, choose vegetables with sufficient sugar content. Sugars, which are converted into lactic acid during the canning process, ensure long-term preservation of the finished product.

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

Good quality pickles 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 small container, preferably no more than 2 liters. Vegetables are placed in containers as tightly as possible. After laying the cucumbers with spices and spices, the jars are filled with brine.

How much vinegar should I 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.

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Turning and wrapping cans

Ready-made pickles are not immediately stored in a place of permanent storage.. Hot jars are turned upside down with their lids, carefully wrapped and left in this form for about a day.

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

Storage rules

In order for the preparations to be stored for a long time, it is not enough just to prepare them correctly. Storage conditions for canned food play an important role.

Store the rolls 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 optimal temperature for storing canned cucumbers is from 0 to +1 °C. It is important to protect the pickles from direct sunlight.

In the cellar or refrigerator, the preparations are stored well for up to 8–10 months.. After this period, the banks are carefully inspected. If the brine becomes cloudy and a white coating appears on its surface, it is dangerous to eat such a preparation.

What to do if the banks exploded

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

If the vegetables do not have an unpleasant odor, you can use the exploded cucumbers to make soups. But you should no longer consume such products without heat treatment.

Is it possible to save cucumbers if the brine is cloudy?

If the liquid in the jar has become cloudy, but the lid has not yet swelled, the pickles can be saved. To do this, open the jar, pour out the brine, and wash the cucumbers with clean cold water. Be sure to taste the contents. If it has changed, 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 again. To do this, prepare a new brine and pour it over the cucumbers again. At the same time, the amount of salt, sugar and vinegar is slightly reduced, taking into account the fact that the vegetables have already absorbed some of the ingredients.

Is it possible to eat cucumbers in cloudy brine?? If the pickles have become cloudy, but the taste of the vegetables has not deteriorated, they can be eaten if the jars were recently rolled up. If the preparations have been stored for a long time and begin to become cloudy, it is dangerous to eat them. Botulism bacteria can develop inside and produce deadly toxins.

Tips and tricks

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

1. It is better to salt and pickle vegetables immediately after removing them from the garden.
2. For preparations, small young cucumbers with unripe seeds are used.These vegetables contain more sugars.
3. Before canning, store-bought vegetables are soaked in cold water for 2–3 hours.
4. Marinade or brine with vinegar should not be 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 preparations. Its bactericidal properties neutralize the action of many bacteria remaining inside.

Conclusion

Errors in the canning process, insufficiently thorough preparation of products, and violation of storage conditions for preparations lead to the fact that jars of cucumbers begin to burst and shoot.

Compliance with canning technology, thorough washing of vegetables and containers, and proper storage of jars will allow you to avoid such troubles as swelling of the lids and damage to the preparations in winter.