A few tips on how best to store cabbage in the refrigerator

Long-term storage of cabbage in a city apartment is difficult to organize. A small amount of vegetable can even be placed in the refrigerator if everything is organized correctly.

Several methods are suitable for this, allowing you to save even a cut or defective vegetable.

How and in what form (fresh, stewed, cut, etc.) it is best to store cabbage in the refrigerator, how long the shelf life is and how to extend it, we will tell in the article.

How to organize storage correctly?

Dense heads of late-ripening varieties that are not damaged are best stored in the refrigerator. The top row of dried leaves must be removed from them... If there is a stem, then it is cut off, leaving no more than a couple of centimeters.

Medium to small cabbage heads are best for long-term storage. You can find everything about storing cabbage in given section.

Fresh

Fresh heads of cabbage are best preserved at high humidity and temperatures from -1 ° C to + 3 ° C. The main task is to avoid rotting vegetables.

For these purposes, cling film is well suited, in which cabbage is wrapped before it is placed in the refrigerator. There should be 2-3 layers of film. The tighter the film adheres to the cabbage, the better for storage.

If you store a head of cabbage unpacked - just in a vegetable compartment or on a shelf - the cabbage won't last long. Its upper leaves will begin to wither and will have to be removed.

Another packaging option:

1. Wrap the head of cabbage in paper.
2. Place in a plastic bag.
3. Make small holes in the bag.

The paper will get wet while in the refrigerator. In order to prevent rotting, it will be necessary to regularly replace the paper and the bag with new and always dry ones.

Frozen

When frozen at low temperatures (about -18 ° C), the vegetable can be stored for 9-12 months... To do this, it is shredded and compactly placed in containers or bags intended for freezing.

In the future, when you need cabbage, you can immediately use it without waiting for preliminary defrosting. The stump is not used for freezing.

Freezing cabbage has its pros and cons. The advantages include the following points:

• the possibility of really long-term preservation;
• the safety of most of the nutrients;
• obtaining a semi-finished product, ready for use.

Cons of the method:

• loss of appearance after thawing;
• suitable only for the preparation of certain dishes;
• loss of crunch.

How to freeze cabbage for the winter, the video will tell you:

Cut or cut

A cracked or cut cabbage head can only be stored in the refrigerator. Wrapping the head in plastic wrap will help prevent spoilage of the product.

Despite the packaging, the cut site will dry out over time. Therefore, when cooking, it will have to be cut.

Storage in a plastic bag is not suitable as an alternative packaging option, as the cabbage will start to fog up and rot in it.

Stew

Already cooked, stewed cabbage does not have a long shelf life. It can be stored in a refrigerator for three days. At the same time, the taste of the product will not be affected.

If you need to extend the storage period, then it is better to freeze freshly prepared and cooled dish... In this case, stewed cabbage can stay in the freezer for up to 5-6 months.

When freezing a finished dish, it should be immediately packaged into separate portions so that it is convenient to defrost it.

Grated, chopped

Already chopped fresh cabbage cannot lie for a long time, even in a refrigerator. Maximum storage under the film is 1 day.

Fermented

Sauerkraut can last for several months in the refrigerator. This will allow you to use it for food throughout the winter.

The product stays longest when frozen... At the same time, the re-freezing of an already thawed vegetable should not be allowed.

Best of all, such a product is stored at a temperature of 0- + 2 ° C. Containers can be glass jars or enamel pans. Such conditions can be created in the refrigerator, given that a large volume of the prepared product will not fit into it.

Dried

For long-term preservation, excess vegetables can be dried... For this, the cabbage is pre-cut.

After high-quality drying, the product is packaged in glass jars and left either in the refrigerator or right in the room.

Such a blank is used mainly for preparing first courses, without preliminary additional processing.

How long is stored, how to extend the term?

Refrigeration conditions are not ideal for long-term storage of fresh cabbage. Without damage, it can be kept for no more than a month if there is no packaging on it., and perishable leaves are periodically removed from it.

When packaged in this way, white cabbage retains its taste and crunch. Despite careful wrapping, such cabbage should be inspected periodically.

Significantly, by several months, prolongs the storage period of the frozen vegetable... This storage method can be applied both to fresh cabbage and to stewed or fermented cabbage.

If the storage conditions are not met, then the vegetable will begin to deteriorate within a few days.

Nuances for different types of vegetables

In the refrigerator, in addition to white cabbage, you can store other types of cabbage. They need certain conditions, and are more demanding in terms of content.

Recommendations

Specialist tips for storing cabbage in the refrigerator will help to cope with the issue as efficiently as possible:

1. If you are going to stock up on vegetables, you should take into account the amount of free space in the refrigerator that can be used for cabbage.
2. If long-term storage of a vegetable is required, until spring, then the refrigerator is not an assistant in this. The exception is freezing.
3. The shelf life of a head of cabbage with defects or with cut off sections is much less than that of a whole one.
4. Wet heads of white cabbage should not be placed in the refrigerator without first drying.
5. If the vegetable is already frozen, then it will not be stored.
6. Fresh cabbage in the refrigerator is best kept whole, not chopped.
7. The storage time for fresh cabbage heads depends not only on conditions, but also on the type of vegetable. Early and mid-ripening ones lie less in the refrigerator than late-ripening ones.
8. For conservation and extinguishing, you can use substandard specimens.
9. You can freeze not only chopped cabbage, but also divided into separate leaves, if the blank is intended for cooking cabbage rolls. After thawing, such leaves become soft and pliable - no pre-boiling is required.
10. Exceeding the storage temperature can lead to rapid decay of the heads.

Conclusion

Storing cabbage in the refrigerator can be quite successful when you consider all the details of the organization. One of these points is protection against condensation of water on the vegetable.