What to do if the brine in jars of cucumbers becomes cloudy and the lids swell

Is it possible to eat cucumbers from a swollen jar? Why do banks swell? Possible reasons

Let's answer the last question first. To do this, we need to decide on the recipe, or more precisely, find out whether vinegar or similar substances were used during preservation. If no acid was used, the brine should become cloudy within a few days. This is due to the formation of the same one that also contributes to the ripening of cabbage. Thus, without vinegar, you get pickled cucumbers in a slightly cloudy brine. After a while, the white sediment sinks to the bottom and the liquid becomes more transparent. You can eat such cucumbers, but you only need to store them in the refrigerator.

The main reasons for swelling of preserved jars

The most basic reason for swelling (bombing) of preserved food is the impact of microbes that have entered the jar. Gradually their number increases, and their waste products (gases) result in the lid swelling.

The entry of microorganisms into the jar occurs due to a violation of the canning technology, namely:

How to tell if cucumbers are exploding

Usually, after rolling, cucumbers explode when they cool down under a “warm pillow” or after a week. There are several signs that can be regarded as a warning of an impending jar explosion:

the brine in the jar has become cloudy;
Cloudy brine is the first sign of problems with cucumbers
the lid is swollen;
air bubbles “run” in the jar;
cucumbers become covered with a white coating.
White coating on cucumbers is evidence that the jar may explode

If any of this is observed in conservation, the jar must be uncorked and reclosed. Before closing again, the cucumbers are processed in a new way, and the jars are also sterilized, but it is important to carry out the procedure no later than three days from the moment signs of the problem appear.

Why do cucumbers turn cloudy?

Cucumbers don't just turn cloudy. This only happens if the process of their preparation technology is disrupted. There are several main reasons:

The utensils for preparing cucumbers are not selected correctly. You need to take jars of high quality, suitable for consumption. Even if there are minor cracks in the neck, it is no longer possible to salt them. They must first be washed with warm water with a small addition of soda. Then the container must be rinsed thoroughly;
Another reason is insufficient sterility. Here we are talking about the brine itself and the jar in which you are going to preserve the cucumbers. Before you start pickling, you need to hold the jar over boiling water for a few minutes. The jar is considered ready for use only when drops of evaporation begin to appear on its bottom. Each cucumber and spices also need to be thoroughly washed;
In most cases, cloudiness occurs due to the lid not being tightly closed. This work is beyond the strength of a fragile girl, so it is better to entrust it to a man. The lid must be rolled up so tightly that not a single microorganism can penetrate the container;
Even if all points are followed, cucumbers can still become cloudy. The reason for this is the incorrect cooking recipe. For example, acid and vinegar were not used. As a rule, the purity of the solution itself depends on them. Even the wrong salt can affect the quality of the product;
The last important factor is proper storage of the product. If pickling occurs in the cold season, then the cucumbers should stand in the room for no more than three days. Storage itself should be carried out only in rooms where the temperature is up to 7 degrees
.

If all the rules were followed during pickling, then the cucumbers will be suitable for consumption for several years.

You can watch a video in which Elena will tell you a recipe for pickling delicious cucumbers in a jar:

Experienced housewives claim that if you first remove all microbes from the container, the cucumbers will not become cloudy. To do this, you need to completely fill the jar with boiling water and close it with a lid for 10 minutes. All bacteria that were in it will die.

You should also check each cucumber before pickling. If you get at least one rotten fruit in the container, the entire marinade will quickly become cloudy.

Cooks also say that it is necessary to select a recipe for each variety of cucumbers; only in this case can you get a tasty, crispy product.

How to revive cloudy preserves

Of course, it’s easier to make new pickled cucumbers than to try to fix the ones that didn’t work out. Analyze your mistakes and avoid making them in the future.

It is important how early you detected the first signs of fermentation of the preserve. If this happened shortly after screwing and the caps have not yet bulged, then you can try to redo it. Pour out the solution, rinse the cucumbers and fill them with fresh ones - prepared using all technologies. In most cases, this method helps. You can do this without removing the vegetables from the jar. Just pour boiling water over them and wait a few minutes, and after that pour in the prepared solution. Don't forget to add vinegar and keep the jars upside down for 24 hours.

Important: Be prepared that the taste of “converted” cucumbers will differ from the usual preserved ones. Therefore, you can use rescued pickled products to prepare salads, soups, etc.

And we repeat again that the described manipulations are performed only in the absence of a swollen lid. Otherwise, you risk harming the health of yourself and your loved ones.

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 getting into 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.

An incorrectly calculated amount of acid in the brine is 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.

An 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 the fact that salad varieties of cucumbers that are not intended for canning got into the jar. Such vegetables in the marinade become soft, tasteless and begin to ferment.

We 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.

Air entry

The air that enters 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 with 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.

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.

A few tips on how to salt and pickle cucumbers so they don’t turn cloudy

A few simple recommendations will help you preserve vegetables safely:

It is better to take distilled or spring water for salting and pickling. Tap water may contain excess impurities even after boiling, and fruits in it become cloudy more often.
It is better to salt and preserve foods grown on your own plot without the use of chemicals. You only need to pickle special varieties that are distinguished by their small size, crunchy, dense pulp and small hard spines on the peel.
Before canning, vegetables should be soaked in cold water for several hours. At the same time, not only likely harmful substances will come out of them, but also air from the internal voids, and dirt will also be washed away efficiently - soaked vegetables ferment less often.

When canning, many housewives add several small tomatoes to the cucumbers. Usually the brine does not ferment after this - the tomatoes prevent unwanted processes.

Tomatoes in pickles help prevent cloudiness

Is it possible to eat cucumbers from a bulging jar?

If the lids on cucumbers are swollen, what should you do? Here it should be noted that experts divide all microorganisms that can provoke fermentation processes in a closed container into two subgroups:

safe - it contains lactic acid, which is a natural preservative;
dangerous - botulism bacteria found in containers can cause damage to the nervous system.

Important! Classic barrel cucumbers are not exposed to botulism, unlike canned ones. The problem with the latter is associated with insufficient levels of acidity and tightness. In this case, ideal conditions are created in the container for the development of pathogenic microorganisms.

The second most important problem with salted vegetables is infection with clostridia. The bacterium enters the fruit from the soil surface and is activated in the container with insufficient heat treatment. The toxin released by the microorganism provokes the development of severe poisoning with an unfavorable outcome.

Pickled cucumbers are a famous delicacy

The first sign of infection of preserved food with clostridia is swelling of the lids.

Important! Bacterial infection does not occur with lightly salted or pickled preserves. Its absence is due to the fact that there are no anaerobic conditions in the container and an acidic marinade is present. An increased level of acidity interferes with the vital activity of clostridia.