Why cans of cucumbers explode: what to do, how to pickle

Cucumbers in jars explode for many reasons – both incorrectly selected cucumbers and broken canning technology can lead to trouble. To pickle cucumbers correctly, you need to know why the jars explode and not make basic mistakes.

Why Canned Cucumbers Explode

After proper preservation, pickled or pickled cucumbers can be stored for a very long time – up to a couple of years. But an unpleasant situation does not happen so rarely – fresh canned food simply explodes, or rather, the lids on the cans swell and fly off the neck on their own.

There are quite a few reasons why cucumber jars explode. However, the primary source of the problem is always the same – fermentation processes occur in a jar of pickles, which normally should not be. As a result, carbon dioxide is released in the brine, gradually accumulates, looks for a way out and, as a result, simply tears off the lid from the workpiece.

To prevent the explosion of canned cucumbers, it is necessary to take a closer look at all the possible mistakes made in the pickling process.

Banks explode due to the fact that they begin the process of fermentation

Incorrectly selected varieties of cucumbers for conservation

Cucumbers often explode due to the fact that inappropriate varieties were initially selected for the preparation of canned food. Salting cucumbers for the winter so that they do not explode is possible only if the variety is suitable for canning. For example, Nezhinsky, Muromsky, Kustovoy and Voronezhsky, Aristocrat F1, Favorit, Avangard and others are suitable for harvesting. Pickled cucumbers are distinguished by their small size, sweetish taste, very dense pulp and the presence of hard spikes on the skin.

It is also allowed to preserve universal varieties. But salad cucumbers are suitable only for fresh consumption, that is, in salads, and they are not suitable for pickling in principle. In a jar, they soften, begin to deteriorate and ferment, and then explode.

Poorly washed jars and vegetables

When canning cucumbers, it is very important to observe complete sterility. Often, fermentation processes in jars begin due to the presence of microorganisms, in the process of life they release carbon dioxide, and the workpieces explode.

Bacteria in jars usually accumulate at the very bottom, where it is difficult to reach with a sponge when washing containers, or on a ribbed neck. Also, microorganisms can remain on the cucumbers themselves if they were not washed with all care before canning, but only quickly rinsed under the tap.

Sterilize containers before salting very carefully

Poor water and salt quality

Sometimes the reason that cucumbers explode is water and salt, which are not suitable for pickling. Water for canning vegetables must be clean, distilled or at least boiled. In no case should you use ordinary tap water – there are often harmful bacteria in the water supply that can spoil the pickles.

To salt cucumbers so that the jars do not explode, you only need high-quality salt with a special marking on the package that allows it to be used for harvesting. Iodized salt cannot be used, only ordinary food salt, which was stored in accordance with all the rules, is suitable.

Violation of the recipe

Cucumbers must be preserved in strict accordance with a proven recipe, otherwise they will explode. The proportions of the ingredients when salting are of great importance. If you put a little more salt or vinegar, add too much sugar or citric acid, at best, the workpiece will acquire an unexpected taste. But more often, when the proportions are violated, cucumbers explode, and the whole procedure has to be done again.

Expired vinegar or citric acid

Citric acid and vinegar, when preserving vegetables, act as substances responsible for preserving beneficial compounds and taste, in other words, they are natural preservatives. And the quality of these ingredients must be unconditional, if citric acid or vinegar is expired, then the jars will inevitably explode.

Only small dense cucumbers with hard pimples should go into pickling

Violation of canning technology

Canning cucumbers without exploding cans is a complex process that should not be done by oneself. Follow the proven recipe exactly, step by step, take the ingredients in the prescribed quantities, adhere to the correct processing time of the products. If you measure the ingredients “by eye” and note the cooking time without a clock, then almost inevitably there will be a situation in which the cucumbers explode.

When canning, you should not skip the cooking steps indicated in the recipe, even if their meaning is not entirely clear. For example, without fail, cucumbers are not only washed, but also soaked before salting. First of all, it allows you to qualitatively remove dirt and bacteria from them, as well as remove possible nitrates.

In addition, vegetables gain a sufficient amount of moisture – if a cucumber was plucked from the garden at least a few hours before pickling, then it had time to dry out slightly and is not suitable for immediate canning. When soaking, excess air comes out of the cucumber pulp, if it leaves the vegetables already in brine, the workpieces often explode.

When canning, you must strictly follow the selected recipe.

Sterilization of cans and lids

Almost inevitably, pickled cucumbers explode with poor-quality sterilization of the container or the absence of it. Sterilization of jars and lids is the most important stage of preparation, it allows you to eliminate all microorganisms on the surface of the container.

Sometimes housewives sterilize jars over steam too quickly, and as a result, microbes still remain inside the containers. A common situation is when lids for blanks, in principle, are not subjected to sterilization, but meanwhile they must be treated in boiling water in order to eliminate microbes.

overflowing banks

Cucumbers explode if rolled too tightly in a jar. Usually housewives remember well the rule according to which the brine should completely cover the vegetables.

But at the same time, many people forget that a couple of centimeters should remain between the surface of the brine and the lid, and the vegetables should be slightly below the liquid level. You can’t fill the jar with brine without a trace, and you can’t stuff too many cucumbers into the container. If the recipe suggests pickling vegetables as a whole, then it is forbidden to additionally add cut cucumbers to the container in order to fill the free space with them.

Vegetables in a jar should not be packed too tightly.

Defective lids and faulty seamer

According to the rules of canning jars of cucumbers, it is not enough just to close the lids. They need to be tightly rolled up so that the air from the outside does not enter the can at all. If this condition is met, then the workpiece can retain its freshness and benefits for months.

But with defective lids that do not fit snugly to the neck, the tightness is broken, and air still gets inside the container. Also, the workpiece may explode due to a poorly functioning seaming machine if it does not cope with its functions. Before harvesting cucumbers, it is necessary to carefully inspect the covers and, if necessary, repair or replace the seamer, otherwise unpleasant situations will arise.

Violation of storage rules

Even when all the rules of canning are followed, jars of cucumbers often explode. The reason is improper storage of blanks. When rolling up cucumbers for the winter, it is important to allow the vegetables to cool naturally under a warm blanket in accordance with all the rules, and only then store them in a cool place.

Jars with canned cucumbers are not recommended to be kept in the light, put them in a place that is too warm or in a room with a variable temperature. In such circumstances, cucumbers become cloudy, swell and explode much more often.

What to do with cucumbers if the banks have already exploded

Any housewife has heard about the danger of spoiled canned food. But at the same time, it can be a pity to throw away blanks, especially if cucumbers explode in large quantities, and almost all pickling disappears.

If the banks exploded just a couple of days ago, vegetables can still be saved

It is not always necessary to dispose of exploded vegetables, sometimes they can be saved. If the cucumbers explode, then you can start them up for re-processing if no more than 3 days have passed from the day the canned food was prepared.

How to save cucumbers if the jars exploded the next day

If freshly rolled canned food explodes, you can try to reanimate them. For this you need:

• rinse vegetables under cold water under a tap, and then rinse in salt water, dissolving 30 g of salt in 1 liter of liquid;
• place the cucumbers in cold water for another 20 minutes;
• carefully sterilize jars and lids;
• strain the brine from herbs and seasonings, and then boil it twice for 15 minutes.

After that, the cucumbers are again placed in sterile jars, poured with hot brine and a little vinegar is added to the container – 1 small spoon per 3 liter jar. The container is hermetically rolled up and set to cool.

How to pickle cucumbers so they don’t explode

If cucumbers explode, it is not always possible to save them. It is much easier to immediately pickle cucumbers so that they do not explode – in accordance with all the rules, preventing the lids from swelling and the brine becoming cloudy. In order for the blanks to turn out to be of high quality and not to deteriorate, it is enough to follow simple recommendations.

You need to salt vegetables using universal edible salt – sea and iodized are not suitable

Rules for the selection and preparation of the main ingredients

Not all varieties of cucumbers are suitable for canning, but only universal varieties and those that are designed specifically for pickling. There are quite a few specific varieties, but they all have common features, namely:

• small sizes;
• dense structure;
• sweet aftertaste without bitterness;
• the presence of hard small spikes of dark color on the peel.

Long smooth cucumbers without thorns or with white thorns are not suitable for canning, they can only be eaten fresh.

When choosing ingredients, attention should be paid not only to cucumbers, but also to other products. To preserve cucumbers so that they do not explode, you need to use fresh, not expired vinegar and universal edible salt, stored in a clean container in a dry place. Before pickling, cucumbers must be not only washed, but also soaked to remove all contaminants and allow excess air to escape from the pulp.

Rules for pickling cucumbers so that the jars do not explode

The main rule that allows you to prepare canned cucumbers so that they do not explode is the precise implementation of the selected recipe. If you strictly adhere to a proven algorithm, cucumbers do not explode and do not become cloudy in brine.

Since the quality of the workpiece largely depends on the quality of the liquid, it is best to buy filtered water for canning. When using home water, cucumbers explode from time to time, since even boiled liquid can contain excess impurities.

If cucumbers for pickling were grown in their own garden and were recently plucked from the garden, then they can be soaked for only an hour. Store-bought vegetables are best soaked throughout the day. After long processing, they explode less often, because they release all the air, are saturated with moisture, and harmful substances leave the cucumber pulp.

Citric acid in canning is useful, but it cannot be replaced with vinegar

Many recipes call for pickling cucumbers to keep them from exploding, using citric acid, aspirin, or spices. When using such recipes, blanks explode less often, since the listed substances prevent fermentation processes.

Do I need to turn the cans after rolling

The obligatory stage of harvesting vegetables for the winter is turning the rolled cans upside down. The lid in this case is properly warmed up from contact with hot brine or marinade, and the risk of container explosion due to temperature differences or microorganisms remaining under the lid is reduced.

Why wrap jars of pickled cucumbers

After rolling, the jars are not only turned over, but also wrapped in a warm towel or blanket for several hours. This is done so that the jar can cool slowly and evenly. In this case, the pickle with cucumbers will retain its transparency, and the lid on the jar will not swell.

Storage Rules

It is necessary to store crispy cucumbers for the winter that do not explode at a cool temperature of 3 to 5 ° C in a refrigerator or cellar, if we are talking about a private house. Pickles and pickled vegetables retain their freshness best when not exposed to extreme temperatures and direct light. Under proper storage conditions, pickles can remain usable for up to 8 months, and vegetables marinated in vinegar for up to 2 years.

Keep canned vegetables cool and without temperature changes.

Conclusion

Cucumbers explode in jars due to the ingress of microorganisms into the brine, poorly sterilized containers or low-quality ingredients. To prepare high-quality preparations and keep them for a long time, you need to strictly follow the main rules for canning vegetables.