What is the best way to store cucumbers? Do I refrigerate or not refrigerate?

Question

I purchase the cocktail and snackable Persian cucumbers from my big box store because I enjoy the taste of the smaller cucumbers over the larger varieties. I always store them in my refrigerator because I purchase them from the refrigerated produce section at the store. I never really finish eating the cucumbers before they go bad, which seems like a waste.

Is there a specific cucumber variety when refrigerated, will have a longer refrigeration shelf life? Is there a proper way to store cucumbers so they don't start decaying and developing a film of slime, start sweating or mold in the refrigerator? I've tried to leave them out on the counter like I would leave out tomatoes, but they tend to develop wrinkles and lose their moisture. What is the proper way to store cucumbers?

Answer 1

Cucumbers need to be refrigerated to stay fresh, the general rule is if they are refrigerated at the store they should be refrigerated at home - the store wouldn't waste energy keeping them cold if they didn't need to be.

There's no magic involved, keep them in the vegetable drawer. I've bought many varieties and I've never found one that lasts longer than others, if they are going bad before you eat them then you've simply kept them too long.

EDIT: people have different experiences with whether cucumbers are refrigerated in stores, regardless the advice is to refrigerate them at home so they last.

Answer 2

For maximum life, refrigerate them wrapped in a dry paper towel inside a plastic produce bag, in the produce drawer. If you have more than 3 cucumbers, ideally store every 3 cucumbers in separate bags, since one that starts to go bad tends to take others with it.

I started storing cucumbers this way based originally on Cook's Illustrated's advice on storing lettuce, and trying it discovered that putting any produce that wilts in bags with a dry paper towel extended lifespan. I compared this with CI's advice to wrap them in plastic wrap, and found that the paper towel method worked better for me, but feel free to try their plastic wrap method instead and do your own head-to-head.

As I'm currently harvesting 3-5 cucumbers a day from my garden, I've been doing it a lot lately. I find I can store a fresh-picked cucumber this way for 2-3 weeks.

Answer 3

While the other answers are correct when talking about longevity there is another thing to consider: impact on flavour and texture. While it is indeed correct that storing cucumbers in a fridge might have them stay 'good' (= not bad) for longer there is something called cold-injury, which might occur in fruits and vegetables which are stored below about 10°C.

Cucumbers in Germany are generally sold laying around on a shelf and while I agree with the notion, that one wants to refrigerate them after buying them, I generally only do this if I don't intend to eat them in the next couple of days as I don't want to lose the flavour.