How to store Peking cabbage and how long does it stay fresh in the refrigerator?

Beijing cabbage or petsai is a very tasty and healthy dietary product, which includes a large number of trace elements, vitamins and organic acids. She is also known by such names as Chinese cabbage, Chinese salad or cabbage. From it you can cook a variety of dishes, using it as in raw, pickled, dried or thermally processed form.

In order for Beijing cabbage to delight its taste not only immediately after the harvest, but also several months later, it is necessary to create the right storage conditions for it. Consider how the vegetable transfers freezing, how long it can be stored in the refrigerator, including how long it is stored in the freezer.

Is it possible to freeze Chinese salad or preparation for cabbage rolls?

The cost of Chinese cabbage in winter is much higher than, for example, in summer or autumn. therefore cabbage can and should be frozen. It is better to do this immediately after harvest. Fresh cabbage should be finely chopped, rammed into small packets, let the air out of them and tightly put in the freezer. In winter, it must be taken in the required portions and, without defrosting, used for cooking various dishes, stewing, baking, etc.

To make the preparation for cabbage rolls, you need:

1. carefully disassemble one or several heads of cabbage into individual leaves and boil them in boiling water for 10 minutes under a lid;
2. after that, remove the thick part of the leaf rods with a sharp knife;
3. dry them with a paper napkin;
4. then put in a plastic bag or plastic container.
5. leaves should be flat and flattened so that they are not deformed during freezing.

How long is the shelf life?

To do this, you must meet certain conditions:

• storage tanks must be leaky;
• lack of direct sunlight;
• low humidity (not more than 98%);
• cool temperature (not more than 3 degrees of heat);
• regularly remove sluggish upper leaves (when stored in boxes);
• Peking cabbage can not be placed next to apples and bananas.

At temperatures from -3 to +3 degrees cabbage is stored for 10 - 15 days, at temperatures from 0 to +2 degrees - about 3 months. At temperatures above 4 degrees, cabbages begin to germinate and lose their tastetherefore, their shelf life does not exceed 3 - 5 days. At room temperature, its shelf life varies from 1 to 2 days, provided that it will be in a dark and well-ventilated room.

Store Peking cabbage in whole heads of cabbage can be in the refrigerator, after wrapping them with cling film or placing them in a paper bag. In this case, it will retain a fresh and juicy appearance for 3 - 7 days. Heads intended for longer storage should be completely dry, not have sluggish, spoiled upper leaves.

You can keep fresh Chinese cabbage by placing it in saline. For pickling cabbage leaves can be left whole or finely chopped, put them in a container, pour salt water and send in the refrigerator. Store vegetables in shredded form can only be in the freezer for 4 months.

Step-by-step instructions on how to preserve fresh vegetables at home

For longer storage of Peking cabbage is best to use the freezer. In this way, in the freezer fresh vegetables can be preserved until the New Year and longer.

1. To begin with, cabbage must be carefully picked, removed from it dry, damaged and rotted leaves.
2. Then remove solid growths at the base, finely chop, and spread the sliced ​​leaves into special containers or plastic bags.
3. After that, filled containers carefully put in the freezer and get out of there as needed.
4. It is necessary to use frozen cabbage at once, that is at the same time all portion. Repeated freezing will lead to loss of taste and spoil its appearance.

1. To do this, you must wrap the cabbages with a plastic wrap in several layers each separately.
2. In order to prolong the freshness, the cabbage packed in this way is necessary from time to time to check, remove the missing leaves and pack in a new cellophane.

It is better to keep whole cabbages in the refrigerator in the "freshness zone", which is located above the freezer. In this case, they will be able to maintain their taste for 15 days. On the glazed loggia cabbage can be stored at a temperature not lower than 0 degreesby packing it in the same way as for cold storage.

It is not difficult to keep Peking cabbage in winter in the conditions of a city apartment, the main thing is that it initially had a good appearance and was not spoiled.The key role in this is played by the degree of maturity of the head. It is best to send cabbages with resilient, dense cabbages and juicy green leaves for the winter.

For the storage of cabbage in the apartment, it is better to take late and middle late cabbage varieties: Russian size, Vorozheya, Asten, Princess, Glass, Magician, Semi-capped. The ripening time of such cabbage varies from 60 to 80 days, and its cleaning usually takes place in September.

View cabbage, which is located on the glazed loggia, you need every 2 weeks. In the event of corruption, the missing leaves are completely removed., and the used packaging material is replaced with a new one. The maximum shelf life of fresh Chinese cabbage under optimal storage conditions is 3 months.

How to determine the freshness of the vegetable in the store?

To determine the freshness of Peking cabbage in the store, you must carefully examine it.

Quite often, vegetables are packed in plastic wrap to extend their shelf life. Even if the cabbage is in the film, it can be slightly unfolded and inspected to determine the moisture content of the sheets. Cabbage with wet leaves can not be taken in any case - it is not the first freshness and can not be stored for a long time. If condensation has formed under the film, then such cabbage will quickly lose its appearance, not to mention longer storage.

Cabbage from the store must be immediately sorted and sent to storage, following a specific instruction:

1. remove all spoiled leaves;
2. prepare storage space;
3. to pack or cut cabbages (depending on the place of storage);
4. spread out the prepared cabbage.

It is best to buy the cabbage immediately wrapped in cling film and placed in the refrigerator or on the glazed loggia. Thus, it is possible to achieve optimal storage conditions and extend its freshness within a few weeks.

Beijing cabbage is a favorite and useful delicacy of many, which can be consumed not only in summer, but also during the cold season. In order for this product to enjoy its unique taste for a longer time and to have a fresh look, it is necessary not only to choose it correctly in the market or in the store, but also to preserve it.Adhering to the above tips, you will always have on the table delicious, nutritious and beautiful dishes, which include Beijing cabbage.