How to store cabbage in the refrigerator: methods, terms and conditions, recommendations

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

How to store cabbage in the refrigerator? How long can she lie in a cold place? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article. Cabbage is a product that everyone loves. It is familiar, relatively cheap, extremely common. Cabbage is suitable for pickling, stewing, baking delicious casseroles, making first courses. That is why every modern housewife wants to know how to store cabbage in the refrigerator correctly. Let's find out all the nuances of this process below.

A little about cabbage

Cabbage was considered the main vegetable in Europe before the potato was discovered. It does not apply to overseas vegetables. The past of cabbage is very bright and rich. She was depicted even on ancient canvases. This vegetable began its journey from ancient Greece and then spread throughout Europe. There are cabbage dishes in any Europeannational cuisine.

Cabbage contains a lot of proteins, much more than other vegetables. Proteins are considered essential amino acids. They are necessary for the growth and reconstruction of tissue, thyroid gland, adrenal glands and kidneys, hematopoiesis.

Cabbage has a long shelf life, so the vitamins it contains can last until the next harvest. This vegetable has an attractive vitamin U, with which colitis, intestinal lethargy and gastritis, duodenal ulcers and stomach ulcers are treated. Vitamin C in it is no less than in citrus fruits. And vitamin K heals wounds, normalizes metabolism, forms he althy teeth and bones, and helps the liver to work.

Nutritionists recommend eating sauerkraut as it is considered extremely he althy.

Savings conditions

What are the terms and conditions of storage of white cabbage? This vegetable can be stored for 4 to 5 months in suitable conditions for it. The best temperature is considered to be from -1 to 0 ° С, stable air humidity should be 90-95%.

If cabbage is stored at positive temperatures, then the moisture content of the air should be 80-85%. During storage, you need to occasionally check the vegetable and remove damaged leaves. Wrap the heads tightly in newsprint to keep them cool and dry. They need to be placed at a small distance from each other.

The lifespan of cabbage depends on the conditions of saving and its variety. Whatever storage method you choose, it is recommended to leave the stalk longer.

How to store in the refrigerator?

Few people know how to store cabbage in the refrigerator. Due to low temperatures, this method of saving it is considered the most optimal. In cold conditions, cabbage can be stored for a very long time. In this case, it is only important to protect it from moisture. We suggest you learn a little trick:

• It is preferable to store cabbage in polyethylene on the top shelf of the refrigerator, as the real cold reigns there.
• Choose springy heads with strong leaves as they keep better.
• Storage dry heads only. It is necessary to tightly wrap them with cellophane in 2-3 layers, leaving no air spaces between the leaves and the film.
• Before saving, cut off damaged areas and dents, cut off the stalk so that it is flush with the leaves.

If you prevent water from getting on the surface of the cabbage, it can keep freshness for a long time in the refrigerator. If you wrap the cabbage with cellophane, it will be stored in the refrigerator for 20-30 days, without a film, it can only lie for 2-3 days in such conditions.

In the freezer

We continue to find out how to store cabbage in the refrigerator. Can white cabbage be frozen? When choosing this storage method, you need to remember that frozen cabbage is used only for sometypes of food. The benefits of freezing are as follows:

• ready semi-finished product;
• quick defrost;
• storage duration;
• preserving the healing qualities of the vegetable.

Disadvantages of freezing are:

• minor loss of primary appearance;
• vegetable loses crunch.

How to freeze?

How to store cabbage in the refrigerator in the freezer? You can freeze a vegetable in small pieces, whole heads of cabbage and pre-chopped. When freezing in pieces, the cabbage must be cleaned of the upper leaves, washed, cut off the stalk, divided into parts. If you are storing leaves, boil them in advance and dry them. Next, the finished portions are placed in containers or bags and sent to the freezer.

Do you want to freeze whole heads? Choose only intact, he althy vegetables, free of insects. Then remove the top leaves from the cabbage, rinse it with water and pat dry. The cabbage can be wrapped in cellophane and then placed in the freezer.

Many people ask: “Can cabbage be stored in the refrigerator?” Yes, of course you can. Shredded cabbage is the most popular way to save money. The vegetable must be washed and cleaned of damage and upper layers, chopped, put into bags and sent to the freezer.

How long do cabbages keep in the fridge in the freezer? A vegetable can stay there from 9 to 12 months at a temperature not higher than -18 ° С.

Storage at home temperature

The question of storing cabbage inhome conditions are of interest to many. After all, not every thrifty person has a cellar. What if there is no refrigerator? Room temperature is far from the best condition for saving cabbage. In this case, the vegetable will lose its appearance and deteriorate faster, so its shelf life is significantly reduced.

At home, you can save cabbage on a well-insulated balcony or in a pantry. The vegetable can be left unchanged, or it can be wrapped in paper or polyethylene to protect it from external influences.

In this storage, do not stack the plugs close to each other, there should be a small distance between them to ensure air circulation. At home temperature, the shelf life of cabbage is 4-6 months. The temperature should not exceed +15 °C.

But in the cellar cabbage (late varieties) can lie from 6 to 7 months. Early varieties can be stored for no more than 3 months.

Cauliflower harvesting

How to store cauliflower in the refrigerator? This vegetable is the second most popular species grown in Russia. Of course, white cabbage takes first place. An important point in saving cauliflower is the time of its harvesting. Here it is important to remember a few canons:

1. You need to collect heads during growth. When their diameter reaches 8-12 cm, by weight it will turn out to be approximately 300-1200 g. If the vegetable is overripe, it will lose most of its taste and useful properties. Such a plant will be crumbly and yellowed.
2. Duringharvesting cauliflower must be carefully cut with a knife, leaving 2-4 leaves. If she has shoots, you can try to grow new inflorescences. To do this, leave a couple of strong shoots, and eliminate the rest. You need to care for a vegetable in the same way as with a simple planting.
3. Do not leave cut heads in direct sunlight. Otherwise, they will turn yellow and cannot be eaten.

Cauliflower in the fridge

If you decide to send the cauliflower for storage in the refrigerator, first remove the leaves and roots from it, and then place it in a plastic bag. One head must be in one package. You can wrap the heads of cauliflower in polyethylene. Unfortunately, this option will only extend the life of the vegetable by a week.

It should be noted that in the cellar at 0 ° C and 95% humidity, cauliflower can be stored for up to seven weeks. It only needs to be placed in polymer or wooden boxes and covered with cling film. In a suspended state at the same air humidity and temperature, cauliflower can be stored for up to three weeks.

Freezing cauliflower

Freezing is the longest and most reliable way to save cauliflower. Of course, this is not a fresh vegetable, but delicious dishes can be eaten for at least six months.

You can freeze both lightly boiled cabbage and fresh. First, the heads should be washed and disassembled into smaller inflorescences. Then drain the water and dry the cabbage. The method of boiling (blanching) cabbage is the same as for kohlrabi.

Color prepared in this waycabbage can be stored for 6 to 12 months in a separate bag in the freezer.

Saving other types of cabbage

Beijing cabbage at home can only be stored in the refrigerator. It must be wrapped in cellophane and sent to the vegetable department. You can also store kohlrabi in the refrigerator. However, she is not able to lie like that all winter. This type of cabbage "stales" very quickly, so it has a minimum fresh shelf life.

Refrigerated broccoli can be stored for a very short time, and its storage method is not the same as others. It is forbidden to wash broccoli before placing it in the refrigerator, it is better to do it immediately before use. In this case, follow these steps:

1. Put each unit in a separate bag. Don't close it.
2. Place a damp cloth in the bottom of the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator.
3. Place open bags of broccoli on cloth.

In this way, increased humidity is created in the place of storage, so that the broccoli can lie longer. Remember that storing kale in the fridge wrapped in plastic is the surest way, and at home temperature the safest.

Kolrabi can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month, Chinese cabbage and broccoli - a maximum of 15 days. Frozen cabbage of any kind will keep for up to 10 months, and dried cabbage for up to 12 months.

To keep the cabbage in polyethylene longer, check for condensation inside the film. If betweendroplets of water appeared on the cellophane and head of cabbage, change the cling film. To do this, you need to expand the head of cabbage, throw out the polyethylene, dry the cabbage and wrap it in a new film. Do this every time condensation appears.